The emergence of Steinway Forum as an online blog is a reminder of how rapidly the world changes. During my 33 years at Steinway we have seen a substantial transformation in how we treat people with emotional problems. So, I want to use this occasion to remind you why Steinway remains so important.

This agency is constantly implementing new strategies to serve people who lack access to the high quality, culturally competent services that Steinway offers. We continue to move into communities that lack sufficient mental health and social services.

Mental health care has been and remains Steinway’s core service. We began as a very small mental health agency but we have grown considerably. Now, we offer many more programs and we have the ability to treat people whose mental illness range from mild to the severe.

Steinway which started with a single clinic now has four. We also bring mental health services to schools and run two residences for children and adolescents with emotional disturbances unable to live at home. Those in our mental health programs get individual, group and family therapy. When necessary, a Steinway psychiatrist will prescribe medication and we help clients manage their medications.

We are expanding our community-based mental health services. Our new CourtIandt Avenue clinic in the Bronx has almost doubled in size in just two years. I am pleased to announce a new satellite mental health clinic in Brooklyn. Located at the headquarters of the Black Veterans for Social Justice, Steinway will be reaching out to those who have served our country and their families.

SCFS has also become a large provider of case management services. We have 5 programs in the Bronx and Queens and have just expanded our Bronx programming to serve adults.

Recently, we’ve had some unsettling reminders of why our mental health work is so valuable. A national study of young people with serious emotional disturbances found that youngsters insured through Medicaid are 4 times more likely to be treated only with psychotropic drugs. Those with the ability to pay for their own care are far more likely to receive talk therapy in conjunction medication.

While most of Steinway’s clients, young and old, are insured through Medicaid, they get all the services they need — not the most expedient treatment. We level the playing field by evaluating each client and designing culturally sensitive treatment regimes. Socio-economic status, race or type of medical insurance do not dictate treatment decisions.

The other reminder of Steinway’s value is a recent study of New York State’s infamous juvenile prisons. These jails warehouse a disproportionate number of minority adolescents. Many don’t need to be imprisoned but they do need and don’t get mental health care.

Frequently, imprisoned adolescents come from the same backgrounds and share the same problems as the youngsters we treat at Steinway. If they had been referred to us rather than sent to a punitive facility their futures would be a good deal brighter.

The importance of being Steinway lies in the fact that we are and have always been committed to helping all of our clients function at their optimal level.

Despite our growth and achievements, this has been a difficult year for our agency. Because of the budget crisis, Steinway no longer offers supportive housing to people with HIV/AIDS or to families at risk for child abuse and neglect. These programs were dear to me. It was a comfort to learn that so many who know SCFS share my sadness at their loss. I thank all who contributed to our supportive housing and preventive services programs over the years.

Because of the recession, growing numbers of people use the Pantry; it is now Steinway’s fastest growing program. In the last three years the number of pantry users increased from 37,152 to 64,594. “Some Fridays we have to close early because we just run out of food,” says Jannett Taylor, Pantry Coordinator.

Those joining the Friday line now represent a more diverse sample of New York’s population. “We’re seeing all types of people now” says Mary D. Redd, Steinway’s President and CEO. “It is no longer just those in obvious need. People come in business clothes but clearly they’re not at work.”

What the Pantry gives out varies from week to week and depends on what Steinway receives. “Our goal,” emphasizes Mrs. Taylor, “is securing healthy foods so that Pantry users will have a balanced diet. We’re always looking for fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Pantry bags consist of food items from the five basic food groups. Each bag contains enough food for three to four meals. Steinway’s concern about diet means that pantry users also get nutritional information and help in getting food stamps and other income supports.

The ability to distribute healthier foods has been enhanced by the acquisition of professional refrigerators and freezers. Of the Pantry’s three refrigerators and three freezers, 5 were donated. The latest gift is an industrial freezer and refrigerator given by the United Way of New York City in 2009.

Opened in 1996, the Pantry started because Steinway clients worried about going hungry. In this respect, the Pantry was and remains an outgrowth of SCFS’ belief that clients preoccupied with day-to-day needs are less likely to benefit from clinical interventions.

In addition to clients, the Pantry serves people living in Western Queens. Mrs Taylor says “we are good neighbors.”

As the pantry grew, Steinway reached out to New York City’s emergency food network. It is now linked to The Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Hunger Prevention Nutrition Program, United Way of New York City, City Harvest and Feed the Children. These linkages provide Steinway with a regular source of food or with lines of credit to buy food.

For Steinway Human Services With A Human Touch is more than a motto. It means nourishing the body as well as the mind.

Until this year Steinway’s Bronx case management programs only served children and adolescents. To extend these services to adults, the Queens-based Adult Blended Case Management Program was expanded at the end of 2010. Now, 88 Bronx adults get this critical service at any given point in time.

Steinway created two new case management teams in the Bronx. Each includes two Intensive Case Managers and one Supportive Case Manager. Case management services are provided along a continuum. Clients less able to address day-to-day needs work with an intensive case manager. Those better able to cope are assigned a supportive case manager. 

Karen Clark, Director of Steinway’s Case Management Programs, says that: “Our case management programs are premised on an individualized care model which means that we offer client-specific services to each consumer we serve.”

“Case management is a program consistent with Steinway’s belief in providing comprehensive care,” says Dr. Pat DePetris, Steinway’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are delighted that New York State authorized this much needed expansion.”

According to Amber Mallory, who heads the expanded program: “we keep people with chronic mental illnesses at home, at work and in the community. The need for psychiatric hospitalization among case management clients is far lower than for other chronically ill individuals.”

The other contributor to Steinway’s rapid growth in the Bronx is the Courtlandt Avenue Clinic. Opened just two years ago, the clinic is now the fastest growing of Steinway’s four freestanding clinics. In its first 6 months, the Courtlandt Clinic served 28 adults and 94 children and adolescents. Since then, the number of client, young and old, has almost doubled.

The need for the Courtlandt Clinic was evident from its opening day. The clinic had a waiting list from the start. And the list keeps growing, despite the addition of new Steinway staff. 

Adelaide Jacquet, who directs the Courtlandt Avenue Clinic says a number of factors explain the growth. “In the South Bronx, mental health services are in short supply. In addition, Steinway’s other Bronx-based programs have a good reputation. People know us and believe that we’ll provide high quality, culturally competent care.”

Other factors explaining the growth include Steinway’s ties to numerous Bronx-based partners which provide referrals to the clinic. Ms. Jacquet, who has worked for Steinway for 21 years, is accomplished at doing community outreach and got the word out. As with other Steinway programs word of mouth also played a role in the Clinic’s growth. Current and former patients traditionally refer family members and friends and this is the case for the agency’s new Bronx programs.

To commemorate Ms Pitts, Steinway established the Lydia M. Pitts Memorial Fund. To make a donation, CLICK HERE.

Her new job is helping youth overcome difficult problems. According to Nicole, “When I was at Steinway, I wished that I’d had someone my own age to share experiences. I like making people happy.”

Steinway believes in the importance of peer advocates and uses them in several programs. Talking with a peer has been found to be an effective therapeutic tool in turning around the lives of young people with severe emotional disturbances.

Being a Youth Advocate is just one of Nicole’s current activities. She is also a full time student at Queensborough Community College and works at a law office two days a week. Her goal is to go on to a 4-year school and pursue a career in music or science.

The valedictorian of her high school class, Nicole received a partial scholarship to attend college from the Harvey Milk School. She was been honored by Mayor Bloomberg in a ceremony for high school leaders.

Nicole is a major success story with a bright future. But when she came to Steinway this remarkable outcome was not clear.

She was introduced to Steinway as a client of the agency’s Queens Children’s Blended Case Management Program. This program gives youngsters between the ages of 5 and 17 a variety of services to address both their emotional disorders as well as other problems affecting their lives.

But her case manager thought she needed more support and referred Nicole to the HCBS. The program is designed for children and adolescents at highest risk for out-of-home placement or psychiatric hospitalization. Every year, 126 children and families are assisted and children graduating from the program leave with more insight about the issues that made them eligible for HCBS.

At the HCBS, Nicole met Kimberly Tibbs, her Individualized Care Coordinator (ICC). It was Ms. Tibbs’ job to address all of her new client’s needs.

In Nicole’s case she was experiencing problems at home, in school and with a difficult relationship. Ms. Tibbs developed a comprehensive service plan for her or as Nicole says: “Steinway gave me everything.”

Her ICC tracked Nicole’s individual, group and family therapy to insure that she was progressing. An intensive home worker came to her home at least twice a week. When she needed clothing, she and Ms Tibbs went shopping together. Steinway encouraged her to transfer to the Harvey Milk School, which offered a more individualized educational experience than her first high school.

In a little more than a year, Nicole progressed to the point where she was ready to leave HCBS. Steinway was delighted to have been there when needed.

It is equally delighted to welcome her back as a staff member.

Mrs. Taylor’s responsibilities grew along with the agency. “When I first got here Steinway was just a single mental health clinic. Things have changed so much. Now we have 17 programs in 4 Boroughs.

Today, she has a dual role. Ms. Taylor is both Director of Administrative Support Services and the Food Pantry Coordinator. As Director, Mrs. Taylor oversees the work of Steinway’s entire administrative support staff. Altogether, she supervises 19 people at 5 locations.

Mrs. Taylor was instrumental in creating the Food Pantry (to read more about the Pantry click here). Ms Taylor lives near to Steinway’s headquarters and is active in her community. By listening to neighbors, she became aware that for many in Western Queens buying food was a heavy financial burden.

Every Friday, no matter what the weather, Mrs. Taylor can be seen outside Steinway overseeing the Food Pantry. She mixes easily with Pantry users who rely on her as friend and advocate. During the week, she is not quite so visible but her work is just as important. She orders food, pays bills and handles the myriad bureaucratic details that make the Food Pantry possible.

For virtually all of her years at Steinway, Ms. Taylor has worked closely with Mary D. Redd, Steinway’s President and CEO who came to Steinway only a few years after Ms. Taylor. Ms Redd says that: “Taylor’s dedication, commitment and energy are prerequisites for the success of any non-for-profit organization. Mrs Taylor, in turn, credits Ms Redd “for always urging me to move on and up.”

Born in South Carolina, Mrs. Taylor was raised in Brooklyn. She moved to Queens 40 years ago. Taylor is a wife, the mother of two children and a proud grandmother of two.

Her professional career started at the Greater New York Mutual Life Insurance Company. Before coming to Steinway, Mrs. Taylor worked at Big Brother, Big Sisters, where she became familiar with the social service world and those needing a helping hand.

Not a stay-at-home, Mrs Taylor for 23 of the last 37 years has had a unique evening job. She works at a bingo hall where she has been known to occasionally dabble in a game or two.

Mrs Taylor has very specific memories of Steinway during her early days at the agency. “We were poor and chronically short of cash. There were weeks that we couldn’t meet payroll. So I went unpaid. But I knew the importance of what we were doing. For me, that is what really matters about working at Steinway.”

By Betty Turner Ross LCSW-R
Director, Mental Health Services

Steinway’s has always specialized in mental health care. We are particularly skilled in treating children, adolescents and families. Fifty-five percent of Steinway’s clients are young people and they account for over 50% of our mental health clients.

In the last issue of Steinway Forum, I discussed the difficulties parents may experience determining whether or not their child needs mental health services. Now, I want to talk about finding an appropriate therapist and what to expect when treatment starts.

The first step is identifying a qualified therapist that you and your child trust and respect. I urge you to shop around. Get recommendations from your doctor, a guidance counselor or your religious leader. Don’t hesitate to ask friends. You’ll be surprised at how many have already gone through this experience.

You can also call Steinway. We too can recommend clinicians and clinics in your community or we might suggest that you come to our agency.

I want to tell you a bit about what will happen when you bring your child to Steinway. Knowing what is going to happen in advance makes the intake process far less stressful.

Steinway believes in the concept of a system of care. In short, a system of care is about giving you and your child all needed services – not just clinical care. We are also committed to making services available in your language with professionals who respect your values and beliefs.

When you get to Steinway, the first steps are assessing and evaluating your child. That means sitting down with a trained intake specialist and answering questions. If we determine that your child has an emotional disorder, he or she will be referred to a Steinway therapist. In instances where we find that a youngster may not require therapy, we’ll be glad to suggest other alternatives.

The next step is what we call admission. So many people who come to Steinway worry about the cost of treatment. However, many may be eligible for help, including Medicaid. We help you secure this type of health insurance. No one who comes to Steinway and needs treatment is ever denied care because of an inability to pay.

Next, we develop a treatment plan for your child. The plan sets therapeutic goals and provides a time frame for care. The average time a child or adolescent spends in treatment at Steinway varies depending on his or ability to reach treatment plan goals.

To do a treatment plan that is effective, we need your input and cooperation. It is expected that you and your child, if he or she is old enough, will guide us in developing treatment goals and outcomes. Meeting these goals determines how long a child remains in treatment.

Lastly, treating a young person successfully depends on the involvement of a parent or guardian. We will meet with you periodically and we will want you to reinforce your child’s treatment goals at home.

Starting therapy is not easy. Over the years we have worked hard to create intake and enrollment procedures that are quick and effective. In the next issue of Steinway Forum, I’ll be discussing what to expect as treatment progresses.

Work on Steinway’s 2010 Consumer Satisfaction Survey is almost finished. Consumers have been filling in their questionnaires and sharing their feelings about agency programs.

A remarkably high percentage of consumers complete the voluntary survey – 86% in 2009. A higher participation rate is expected this year. Last year’s survey showed that an overwhelming majority of consumers were highly satisfied with the services they received and would recommend Steinway to friends and family.

Nardine McLeod, Director of Quality Management, which runs the survey, says that: “Steinway uses the survey in its Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) effort. This process, based on a model developed by New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, allows the agency to make small incremental improvements in its programs. Having an indication of what consumers think is instrumental to the CQI process.”

HOWARD BEACH CLINIC STARTS NEW THERAPEUTIC GROUPS

Howard Beach, the largest of Steinway’s freestanding clinics, has two new therapeutic groups: one on anger management and the other, targeted to adolescents, on relationships.

The anger management group, headed by Henry Fishel, a Howard Beach therapist, offers both guidance and peer support. Fishel says that: “our goal is to help clients channel their anger in nondestructive ways. We also want to insure that clients who are the focus of another person’s anger know how to respond.”

Anger is a major issue for clients, especially those dealing with domestic violence issues and problems at work and at school. It is a particular problem for women with depression, the most common diagnosis among females at the Howard Beach Clinic.

The second Howard Beach group is for adolescents with relationship issues. This group was started by Lauren Hayden and Michelle Green, who are doing a one year intensive psychology internship at Howard Beach.

“Virtually all adolescents experience relationships issues, says Susan Appelman, Howard Beach Clinic Director. “It is a time of experimentation and confusion. Adolescents with emotional problems may have a tougher time coping with relationships and we want to help them in a setting where young people can talk openly and frankly.”

STEINWAY MOURNS THE DEATH OF GERALDINE FERRARO

All at Steinway joined the rest of the nation in mourning the passing of the Honorable Geraldine Ferraro, a long term Honorary Steinway Board Member. In a joint statement Mary D. Redd, President and CEO and Renold Damiani, Chairman of the Board of the Board said “we knew Ms. Ferraro as a good neighbor from Queens who both supported Steinway and provided us with wise counsel. She was always there when we needed her. She believed in Steinway. We cannot count how many Steinway clients benefited from Ms. Ferraro’s involvement.”

KEEPING OLDER PEOPLE HEALTHY

GEM and NORC, Steinway’s two programs for older Harlem residents, are expanding efforts to help members maintain their physical and mental health. While the programs serve different constituencies, they are both investing in wellness.

Members are regularly screened for diabetes, high blood pressure, prostate cancer and cholesterol levels. They also get annual flu and pneumonia vaccines. Women are encouraged to get mammograms. A partnership with Harlem Hospital makes all of this possible. In addition staff from both programs will escort members to the doctor. Seminars on health and wellness are frequently offered.

Mary D. Redd, Steinway’s President who supervises GEM and NORC, says that “we’ve become very assertive about wellness. As a rule, older Blacks are less healthy and more prone to chronic disabilities than the elderly population as a whole. We are working to beat the statistical odds and insure that members from our programs live long, productive and healthy lives”

The membership of both organization attest to the need for a focus on health and wellness. Over 90% of GEM and approximately 75% of NORC members live with mild to severe chronic disabilities.