Addition of a conference room, reconfiguration of existing work space, and assembly of a new team signal the arrival of new services and new efficiencies. The new services are called Care Coordination.  The opportunity to provide them stems from legislation passed last year in which people with disabilities, like mental illness, who receive health care from the Medical Assistance program, were asked to enroll in a Special Needs Basic Care (SNBC) health plan for their care.  SNBC is a managed care program, meaning it’s available through different health plans, like UCare. 

Top left: White board in new conference room shares a welcoming message; and right, a full view of the space. Bottom left: Beth, Director of Nursing, hard at work in her new office; while on the right Bill, RN Care Coordinator, sets up medication for a client in the new Medication Room and Nurse's Office.

UCare’s SNBC plan is called UCare Connect.  And, they asked us to provide care coordination services for their UCare Connect members.  Our staff will help members coordinate care for their medical and mental health conditions while helping them reach wellness goals.  Promoting access to primary and preventive care and assuring members get the right care, at the right time, and in the right amount is the ultimate goal. 

Providing Care Coordination services for UCare is yet another step toward our strategic goals of increasing access to care and expanding services that minimize use of high-cost healthcare resources.  Perhaps that’s why the services make so much sense to Beth Allen, Director of Nursing Services.  As a Registered Nurse leading the new team Beth says, “I believe our care coordination services are a natural extension of our strengths as an agency.”  Her team will get the chance to demonstrate those strengths when UCare makes its first referrals in June.

The strengths of our residential staff are evident in new efficiencies in our Intensive Residential Treatment and Crisis Services.  Recognizing that our nurses needed more space to set up medications for residents, staff devised a plan – reconfiguring existing space to create a Medication Room and Nurse’s office.  The new rooms provide space for medication education, consolidated storage of medical supplies, and a readily available place for residents to engage in spontaneous, confidential conversation about medications and psychiatric and medical needs.  Though creating the new spaces required reassigning several staff to different offices, Director of Residential and Community Support Services, Mandie Kender, says the effort is paying off.  “This is really helping us care for people in the moment,” she says.  “The quicker you address something, the more likely it will be resolved.  We are trying to create an environment that nurtures and allows immediate care to occur.”

On Monday, April 30 the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) services team hosted Joyce McGee Brown, an educator from the University of Minnesota Extension, for the first in a series of cooking and nutrition classes offered for clients. Melissa Mikkonen, Guild St Paul ACT Team Leader coordinated the series as part of continued work within the 10×10 Initiative.

During this first session clients:

• Reviewed nutrition guidelines under the new Choose My Plate model,
• Learned how to use everyday items as a reference for healthy portion sizes,
• Took home a tip sheet for following these guidelines and building a
  healthy plate each day,
• Received a Minnesota Grown Directory with details on where to find locally grown produce, and
• Participated in a hands-on cooking class where they prepared a healthy
  one-skillet meal selected to fit everyone’s cooking skill level and use
  easily accessible kitchen equipment and ingredients.

Watch our Facebook page and email newsletter for updates on the classes and the whole health education clients will receive through this series.

Meet our May 2012 Everyday Angel:  

 John Hornor

Business Leader. Volunteer. Friend.

Read John’s full profile here.

John Horner, May 2012 Everyday Angel (photo credit: Susan Sparling Micks)

John, right, pictured with his client match Jim enjoy time together at one of our 2011 Ladder of Hope fundraising events.

 Launching the County-wide Plan to End Homelessness:

 Monday, May 14, 2012

 6:30 – 8:30PM

 Hosted by:

Mary,  Mother of  the Church, Parish Center

 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville (Park in lower lot)

All are welcome for an evening of inspiration, unity, and action!

Learn: Hear community leaders present successful and promising solutions

Connect: Ending homelessness is about making connections and sharing information

Act: Join this community-based effort to act on these solutions

Organized by: MICAH – Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing and CATCH – Coalition for Affordable Transitional Community Housing

Contacts: Jean (952-894-2033) jeanmacfarland@comcast.net

or Robin (651-216-3611) Rlkieffer@charter.net

You can view the full plan to end homelessness in Dakota County here!

Meet our April 2012 Everyday Angel:  

 Melissa Hensley

Professor. Mentor. Volunteer.

Melissa Hensley, April 2012 Everyday Angel ( photo credit: Sandi Thompson)

Since March 2011, Melissa Hensley has led a monthly self-empowerment group for Guild Incorporated clients at the Community Support Program. The group has discussed a variety of topics, including chemical dependency, stigma, coping skills, and self-esteem. “A lot of the topics so far have revolved around stigma and self-esteem,” says Melissa. Read her full profile.

Celebrating our volunteers and their impact on our mission!

National Volunteer Week (April 15 – 21, 2012) is a signature event of the Points of Light Institute, celebrating ordinary people doing extraordinary things to improve communities across the nation.

 Our volunteers are an integral part of our work here.  Today, more than 220 volunteers partner with us to achieve our mission.  This month, we celebrate the contributions our volunteers bring to Guild Incorporated— enhance the quality of life for our clients,  those who help lighten the load for staff,  and assist the organization in other ways.  Together, their efforts foster hope  and encourage recovery for the individuals we serve! 

 Volunteers add value in many ways…

Our friendship mentor volunteers help individuals beat isolation.  Front office volunteers compile mailings, or greet visitors.  Students help out with painting projects.  Member hours assistants help set up game day and facilitate activities at the CSP. 

 Volunteers help establish a sense of community spirit and caring for others.  By working together, either in one-to-one relationships with clients, or in group settings, our volunteers engage and interact with others fostering growth, encouragement and recovery.  A simple outing to have a cup of coffee can lift the spirit of someone who is struggling with isolation and loneliness.

Get Involved! Become a table captain or volunteer at a Ladder of Hope event, bring your talents to a variety of events, become a members hour assistant at Guild Community Support Program, or a 1:1 Friend Match for a client!

 At each Get to Know Guild presentation, we ask our panel, “How do you see volunteers fitting into the work of Guild Incorporated?”  The answers are many.  Volunteers set an example that each person is a valuable, contributing member of society.  Having a friend who is not a service provider can make all the difference in the world to the individuals we serve.  

 It is my honor to thank each Guild Incorporated volunteer for his or her time, energy and dedication to our mission. 

 Get Involved!

Share your time and talent with us and get the satisfaction of knowing you are helping people with mental illness lead quality lives.  Call us today to learn about our volunteer opportunities  

One way clients shared their voice during this legislative session was creating valentine messages to share with their legislators during the February 14,2012 Mental Health Day on the Hill. Some simply wrote letters and others chose to create valentine greetings - all shared their concerns and what it means to their life to have access to community based mental health services.

 

Empowerment is 1 of 10 Fundamental Components of Recovery as defined by the National Consensus Statement on Mental Health Recovery. “…..Through empowerment, an individual gains control of his or her own destiny and influences the organizational and societal structures in his or her life.”

Want to learn more?  View the full statement.

Meet our March 2012 Everyday Angel:  

 Ron Hauglie

Courier. Music Lover. Volunteer.

Ron Hauglie, March 2012 Everyday Angel (photo credit: Sandi Thompson)

Every week for the last three years, Ron Hauglie has provided volunteer courier service between the Guild Incorporated offices in the Twin Cities area. Much of his work takes place behind the scenes, but it’s incredibly important.  Read his full profile here.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 – Mental Health Day on the Hill

• Grace Tangjerd Schmitt, President of Guild Incorporated spoke from the Employer’s Perspective as part of the rally event program that took place at the Capitol. 

 “I’ve been asked to speak from a service provider perspective.  It is my honor to do so. I’m also here this morning because I believe our community is the strongest when all citizens are included in community life – when we live together – in neighborly fashion – and support each other.”

•  Representative Kurt Bills met privately with Dave in his office and then joined him for the walk over to the Capitol for the rally event in the rotunda.  

Representative Kurt Bills with clients, staff and board members.

• After the rally event, clients and staff met with Representative Rick Hansen in his office.   Rep. Hansen even included a mention of the visit, along with our website, in his weekly legislative update to his constituents.

Representative Rick Hansen meeting with clients and staff in his office.

Meet Dave: Self-advocate. Sculptor. Volunteer.

 For Dave, a member of Guild Community Support Program (GCSP), the experience of participating in Mental Health Day on the Hill created an amazing feeling of HOPE.  He had never participated in the legislative process in this way before, and when he first noticed some of his friends at GCSP creating valentines to share with legislators on February 14^th, he didn’t quite know what to think. He listened closely as Mary Pankonien, Social Rehabilitation Specialist, shared the many opportunities clients would have to participate that day and he quickly saw an opportunity to become a self-advocate.  Dave took the initiative to set an appointment with his representative on rally day and started drafting a letter to mail in advance of the meeting.  Mary supported him in the letter writing process to ensure Dave’s representative would know what concerns he has as a person with mental illness. The result?  The representative remembered the letter and during their meeting he vowed to support Dave in navigating the system and getting needed paperwork processed. That vow has been kept and with some persistent follow-up by Dave, he is beginning to get answers to questions and the process of receiving needed resources is moving along.

 “My persistence paid off.  I’m pretty proud of what has happened – it’s a great sense of accomplishment.”  

This is how the process starts: rough, some progress, the edges begin to smooth.

Dave, who has recently taken up wood sculpting for its calming and therapeutic benefits, was moved to represent the experience in a piece of sculpture as a gift to Grace, President of Guild Incorporated.   For Dave and other members of GCSP who have become his friends, the parallels are difficult to deny.  You start with a rough piece of wood and with some persistence, and needed supports, the edges begin to smooth out.  Dave created the wood sculpture and some of the GCSP members worked together on the message to include on the piece.

A few days later it was delivered

 to  Grace with this message…

To: Grace

Guild Support helps smooth out the edges. 

Thank You – CSP Members

 Thursday, March 8, 2012 – Homeless Day on the Hill

 Members of our Delancey Services team, who work with people experiencing long histories of homelessness, created an “I Resolve…” video as part of Minnesota Coalition of Homelessness 2012 awareness and engagement campaign.   You can also view individual team members’ resolutions.  Just scroll down and you’ll see those listed on the right side of the screen.

 Clients of Delancey Services and staff met with Senator Jeff Hayden at the Capitol.  He shared his concern for those experiencing long histories of homelessness and offered some insight into the hectic pace of a Senator’s day and why patience is a virtue while trying to connect personally with your legislative representatives. 

Also on that day, clients and staff had the opportunity to meet with Representative Rena Moran and her willingness to share her personal story of experiencing homelessness was especially moving.  She also encouraged the group to exercise the right to vote as the ultimate way to share your voice in the process.  

Representative Rena Moran met with clients and staff in her office.

By Eileen Chanen, Guild Incorporated Board of Directors and

Chair, Public Policy Committee

Events like this year’s Mental Health Day on the Hill really stir me up.

I wish I could feel this kind of energy every day:  standing shoulder-to-shoulder with 18 Guild clients and staffers, all proudly sporting Guild T-shirts, clutching our banners and generally making our presence known in the state Capitol rotunda.

Our group of clients, board members and staff stood on the rotunda steps in the State Capitol before heading off to meetings with their legislators.

 On Feb. 14, state legislators learned our names, saw our faces – and most certainly heard our voices – as we and hundreds of other Minnesotans rallied for improved quality and availability of mental health services. We’re honored that our own Grace Tangjerd Schmitt was an invited rally speaker. She represented us well, reinforcing Guild’s significant role in the mental health services community.

 As fun as it was, the important part came after the rally. We spent the afternoon meeting face-to-face with our representatives and senators, delivering valentines made by our clients. Then we got serious – sharing personal stories and asking legislators to consider the needs of ALL people who live with mental illness as they make decisions during this legislative session.

 How Guild Influences Public Policy (continued from enews) 

Every action we take at Guild supports our Vision Statement:  that individuals and families living and coping with mental illness have easy access to cost-effective mental and physical health care that provides responsive, customized and practical services, so they can achieve optimal health.

With so many competing funding priorities, we took this opportunity to remind legislators about our clients’ very real needs.  Guild’s Public Policy Committee exists to remind them of these needs.

We’re a committee made up of board members, staff and people from the community – advocating on behalf of the people Guild serves, whether that’s at the local, county or state level.

The state’s legislative session is a busy time for us. We follow the policy issues that affect Guild, and we do our best to get in front of the state’s leaders to tell our story. How do we do this?

• Through events like Mental Health Day on the Hill.
• Through our active membership in the Mental Health Legislative Network of Minnesota.
• Through hosting special “Get to Know Guild” meetings – just for elected officials.
• Through personal meetings with county commissioners, state senators and representatives.

We also work to ensure the people Guild serves – our neighbors, children, siblings, friends – understand their own role in making change:

• By making it easy to be active in the legislative process, encouraging their participation in rallies, driving them to meetings with their representatives.
• By hosting voter workshops and teaching our clients about their RIGHT to be involved (especially important during this election year).

 There is much to do – but isn’t it great to know we can have an impact through advocacy?  Want to join us? Contact me any time.