Thank you and congratulations to everyone at Telecare for making us a Best Place To Work! The San Francisco Business Times has named Telecare as the #9 Best Place To Work In The Bay Area (based on employee feedback). The April 14th celebration was enjoyed by a group of Bay Area staff, with fun, great food, and camaraderie! Thank you again to everyone who took the survey.
Last month, we had another spirit week here at SOAR complete with a Telecare purple day to commemorate the 50th anniversary. Our spirit leaders, Bisa Peoples and Sheila McClay, also treated us each day with themed food! There is one thing we love to do up here in Sacramento and that is EAT! They kept us fueled up and ready to support our members in a upbeat and positive way. We always encourage our members to participate in the themes each day and this time we had a few join in on the fun. Every member of the SOAR team is a super hero every day but one day this week they dressed up to show their true colors. Thanks again to Sheila and Bisa for their culinary and planning support for yet another successful and fun spirit week!
Submitted by Kezzia Bullen, Clinical Director at SOAR
Thank you to all who have been sending us fun photos from your programs! We love to see how you’re celebrating Telecare’s 50 years. If you haven’t sent one in yet, snap a picture of yourself & coworkers with the 50th anniversary banner and send an email to communications@telecarecorp.com!
Mental Health Urgent Care Center (MHUCC)
We are LOVING all of the photos being sent to us of smiling faces and 50th banners!
Show us how you and your program are celebrating Telecare’s 50th year by emailing photos to communications@telecarecorp.com and we’ll share them on T-Net!
San Diego Pathways to Recovery
We recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary as a program. There are several staff members that have been with us since start-up and the rest feel as though they have. We are a huge family up here in Sacramento that loves to have fun, so to celebrate our anniversary we competed in a scavenger hunt around downtown Sacramento that ended at Pizza Rock where we feasted, talked, laughed and some of us bragged about our hunting skills. The day was nearly ruined by inclement weather (storm of the century level winds and rain), but someone wanted us to have some fun and the rain and wind stopped for just long enough for the scavenger hunt to happen.
Submitted by Kezzia Bullen, Clinical Director @ SOAR
The first annual Telecare Longevity Celebrations were held on March 12 (The Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA) and on March 18 (The Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA). We were so proud to be able to honor those staff celebrating tenures of 20 years and over. Each evening was special in its own way, with honored Telecare staff accompanied by their loved ones and managers. The evening included a cocktail hour, a seated dinner, presentations by Anne Bakar and leadership, and dancing! Everyone had a wonderful time. We are looking forward to next year when we’ll celebrate those staff having 20, 25, 30, and 35 years (as of 6/30/15).
Hurray, we’re 50! What next?
This year is going to be full of fun activities and celebrations of our 50 years as an organization. Every month on T-Net, we’re going to let you know whats cooking behind the scenes so you know whats coming (unless it’s a surprise, then you’ll have to sit tight!). To kick off the celebrations we have a short message to share from Anne:
This month, we’re asking you to:
Each year, we summarize our progress and achievements and share those results with staff and clients in our Mission of Excellence report and yearly Telecare video.
Because 2015 marks Telecare’s 50th anniversary, we decided to do the year-end video a little differently. This year, we spoke with Telecare’s senior leaders and listened to their personal connections to our mission, and what their hopes are for the future of Telecare.
Now we’re hoping to hear from you. What is your inspiration for doing the work you do? Is it the people you work with? The clients we serve? Post a comment below or send your stories to communications@telecarecorp.com.
Copies of the video and our Mission of Excellence will be mailed to your program for distribution in the upcoming weeks.
Thank you for another strong year and here’s to 2015!
Clients gathered together for a “Making Connections” group session led by Tracy Battaglia-Martin and Richard Whittington. The activity during this particular group focused on community supporting each other for a common goal, in creating a ginger bread house for a holiday display within the unit.
Cordilleras and Transitions staff attend first pilot training program, Preparing for Co-Occurring Education Groups, held at Cordilleras on Oct 28-30, 2014. The education groups are intended to increase people’s knowledge of their co-occurring conditions (mental health & substance use) and build their motivation to make healthier choices about their substance use.
The ‘Suites’ put up a Thankful Tree during the month of November 2014. Residents were encouraged to reflect on what they are most thankful for and then to write their thoughts on leaves. Themes of love, family, and shelter were intertwined throughout the tree.
Cordilleras is very happy that the residents took time to decorate the tree with their “thankful” leaves! All of us at the Suites hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving.
Team Telecare at Clark County E&T took on the November activity of finding a way to express thankfulness.
Rehab Art Therapist, Tracy Battaglia-Martin, facilitated the assembly of a Thankful Tree for clients to recognize their individual unique strengths that were realized in recovery.
Clients participated by writing on fall-colored leaves with insights such as:
A very artistic staff member drew the employee tree (pictured here, right) that was covered in leaves on which the staff shared their thankfulness. The tree was then displayed in the main lobby at Clark County E&T.The client tree (pictured above, left) represents the on-going commitment of Telecare to increase the chance that an individual will have a healthy future.
Staff were thankful for many things this year. For instance, their jobs, co-workers, families, pets, freedoms, and health!
On the beautiful Thanksgiving Day, I want to reach out and send blessings for a joyful time with your friends and family, an abundance of delicious food, and hopes for a healthy, sweet year ahead.
Our family just returned from a Thanksgiving morning tradition where we provide food to the homeless in Berkeley. When we talk to the individuals we meet sleeping in the park, I often think of the incredible things you do every day on behalf of those we serve, and I feel very grateful for your work. Last year, we served over 35,000 individuals at Telecare, including older adults, adults, and kids, helping them to re-build and re-imagine their futures. You worked with them to reduce the harm in their lives, make healthier choices and re-gain a spirit of hope. You did this with tremendous heart and teamwork, implementing all the evidenced based practice available to you, including Telecare’s recovery centered clinical system (RCCS).
In the book the Prophet, which I am reading this holiday, the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran writes, “Work is love made visible….It is to charge all things you fashion, with a breath of your own spirit.” On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thinking of you and am very grateful for the passion and spirit you bring to our work, and all the ways you reach to advance our mission of recovery and excellence.
Happy Thanksgiving and warmest regards from our family to yours,
Anne
Submitted by: Teresa E. Thomas, Ph.D.
Clinical Director / Garfield Neurobehavioral Center
On October 22, 2014, Garfield Neurobehavioral Center received an award by the Oakland City Council and the mayor for our community work in sponsoring monthly neighborhood clean ups. Each month, many of our staff and residents walk through our Garfield neighborhood and help to clean up the streets of Oakland. This helps us to be good neighbors and our residents love helping to beautify our community. We were all honored to have been selected.
Thank you to our awesome team at Garfield!
By Peter Olson
Wellness Committee Co-Chair / Gladman MHRC
EMBARGOED RELEASE: October 23, 2014; 09:00 a.m. EDT
GLADMAN MENTAL HEALTH REHABILITATION CENTER COMMITS TO SERVING MEAT AND POULTRY WITHOUT UNNECESSARY ANTIBIOTICS
JOINS 400+ HOSPITALS IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
Oakland, California — On October 24, 2014, Gladman Hospital served meals that featured poultry raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics.
Joined alongside Health Care Without Harm and more than 400 other hospitals across the country, Gladman Hospital celebrated National Food Day through its efforts to eliminate the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture and build a healthy, sustainable food supply.
“At Gladman, we treat the entire person and help them in their recovery. Food is obviously a very important factor,” said Gladman Chief Administrator David Damschen. “As healers, we have an obligation to do no harm and to take the longer view of what supports health, in the individual and in the communities to which they - that is, we, belong. That’s why we’re joining in this National Food Day celebration and the sustainable practices being highlighted.”
The connection between the unnecessary use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and antibiotic resistance in humans is a major concern among health experts. Four times the amount of antibiotics are used for industrial animal agriculture (29 million pounds) compared to human medicine (seven million pounds). This overuse in animals contributes to antibiotic resistant “superbugs”. These superbugs are responsible for 23,000 deaths each year, eight million hospital stays, and $55 billion in health costs and lost productivity.
“In order to solve the growing antibiotic resistance crisis in medicine we need to transform animal agriculture,” said Gary Cohen, President and Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm. “Hospitals - like Gladman and others participating in Food Day, can lead this transformation by using their purchasing power to serve healthier food to their patients and employees as well as drive healthy, sustainable practices in the communities they serve.”
Across the country on National Food Day alone, participating hospitals collectively spent $87,000 on 9,000 pounds of chicken, 6,300 pounds of beef, and 2,700 pounds of pork and other meats that are raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics. The majority of these facilities serve these healthier options every day, and amplified over the course of a year, this represents more than 26 million meals and $32 million spent on more sustainably-raised meat and poultry.
“We’re thrilled to have so many hospitals across the country join in Food Day this year,” said Lilia Smelkova, Food Day Campaign Manager. “Conditions on large factory farms are causing significant human and environmental health problems, and this type of market-based advocacy sends a direct message to meat and poultry producers that these practices need to change.”
About Health Care Without Harm
Heath Care Without Harm works to transform the health sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it becomes ecologically sustainable and a leading advocate for environmental health and justice.
About Food Day
National Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and our food policies. Every October 24th, thousands of events around the country bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies.
About the Calculations
Participating hospitals provided the estimated number of pounds of meat and poultry raised without routine antibiotics to be served in cafeterias and/or patient meals on Food Day (October 24), as well as their total cost. The total number of meals was estimated using the standard meat protein serving size reported in hospitals of 4oz (raw) / 3oz (cooked). This serving is also in line with USDA MyPlate Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommendations to consume less than an average of 5.5oz of meat equivalent daily for individuals over 9 years of age.
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The involvement of Gladman MHRC in celebrating National Food Day grew out of our Wellness Committee getting in touch with Health Care Without Harm. They represent a growing body of healthcare facilities looking to support more sustainable and responsible food systems, with a particular focus on the dangerous non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in meat production. National food Day is just one, eye-catching, step in our process.
Gladman’s Wellness Committee is co-chaired by Peter Olson and Daisy Slader, ADON (Assistant Director of Nursing).
By Norma Bermudez
Admin & HR Assistant / Telecare San Bernardino ACT & MAPS & IEHP
San Bernardino ACT (Assertive Community Treatment), San Bernardino MAPS (Members Assertive Positive Solutions) and IEHP (Inland Empire Health Plan) recently held two fundraisers for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
One was a Rummage Sale where staff and members participated by donating items for the sale. Members made the signs and we raised close to $400.
We also had a Bake Sale/Auction. Staff participated in the baked goods auction by bringing baked items to be auctioned off. The bidding “war” lasted two hours. It was a fun way to raise money.
By Rendell Requiro
Senior IT Solution Architect / Telecare Corporation
Image: Netsmart Technologies via Flickr
Netsmart CONNECTIONS2014 at the Hilton Anaheim was a rockin’ success. This year’s event held Oct. 6-9, 2014, was packed with more than 140 sessions and 200 speakers. Over 1,000 client agencies attended this year’s event.
Attendees from Telecare IT were Megan Andrews, Bob Guyer, and Rendell Requiro.
Rendell Requiro co-presented a session (with Mark Winslow, County of Fresno) entitled Interoperability within California – Current and Future Plans.
The session description follows:
This session will cover current and planned interoperability projects in the California market. A current inventory of County to Provider and myAvatar to HIE projects will be discussed. Current and future plans for integration of CareConnect Referrals capability with myAvatar will also be covered.
The session was well attended with nearly 50 County and Provider staff providing lively discussion and counterpoint throughout the presentation. The primary takeaway was the importance of the LA County DMH web services and 837 data interchange project currently underway with LA County and many of its Contract Providers, including Telecare Corporation.
Lastly, I wanted to announce that I was named Chair of the Avatar National User Group, representing myAvatar users across the United States (States, Counties, and Community-Based Organizations) to Netsmart Executive Management. This one-year term will culminate at Netsmart CONNECTIONS2015 in Washington, DC.
Telecare supporters of NAMI at a wine tasting fundraiser in Long Beach, California on Friday, September 12, 2014 .
(L-R) Tiffany Jump, Tamara Webber, Nona Hall-Sandoval, Monica L. Martocci, Rich Widerynski, Barber Rouch, Jennifer Knoll, Kim Ishimine, Elaine Bertieri and Mary Okoli.
Submitted by: David Damschen
The year was 1972. Men were walking on the moon, Godfather was playing in theaters and the President of the United States was resigning.
The year was 1972. A gallon of gas cost ¢0.35, the average monthly rent was $165.00 and you could buy a brand new Pinto for $2,078.00.
The year was 1972. People were becoming addicted to a new thing called Pong and a young, optimistic man named Bill Woodle walked into Gladman MHRC looking for a job.
The year is now 2014 and, 42 years later, a not so young, but still optimistic Bill Woodle, has decided to retire from Gladman. Sorta.
When I asked Bill why he stayed so long at Gladman, he said, “I am happy here. I have always been happy here.” Then after a moment he added, “It’s always been interesting. I have never got up in the morning and dreaded going to work.”
I then asked Bill why he decided, after all these years, this was the time to leave Gladman. He replied with a smile on his face, “Well, I am getting older…and our clients are getting younger. I just thought it was time to wind down a little bit. But I’m not leaving.”
“What did you enjoy most while working at Gladman?” I inquired. Bill said, “I loved taking our clients on outings. It was so great seeing them back in the community. It really meant something to me. And they seemed to enjoy it a lot.”
“I thought you were retiring”, I said.
“Oh no.” he replied. “I am still going to be around; I am going to work on-call.”
After my interview with Bill I could not stop thinking what a wonderful and modest man he is. And, after more than four decades at Gladman, how he still oozes with optimism.
And it was comforting to know that evening, that when Bill fired up his orange Harley Heritage Softail — with serious gangster white walls and chrome, glittering in the dying sunlight, that this would not be the last time we would see Bill. In fact, I am willing to bet he will be around for a very long time to come.
50 Years of Services to People With Serious Mental Illness
