Meet our February 2012 Everyday Angel:  

 Peter Koeleman

(insert photo)

Photojournalist. Teacher. Volunteer.  

Read his full story here.

One mild, sunny afternoon, Guild Incorporated employees, clients and volunteers gathered for a barbeque at the University of Minnesota President’s House. Peter Koeleman, former Director of Photography at the Star Tribune, was there as a volunteer, snapping photographs of the event for later publication in Guild’s promotional materials.

“I’ve photographed so many interesting and kind people,” says Peter, “and I’ve learned so much about mental illness. Guild deals with clients with respect and dignity and genuine interest. I really admire them. Working with Guild has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my career.”

Yes, we focus on integrated treatment and services for people with mental illness. This includes supporting individuals served in their efforts to improve their over-all health, nutrition and wellness. One of the many ways we demonstrate that commitment is through our support of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 10×10 Wellness Initiative.

(Learn more starts here)

 You might ask why this is important.  People with mental illnesses die decades earlier than the general population, often due to chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.  The goal of this campaign is to promote wellness for people with mental illnesses by taking action to prevent and reduce early mortality by 10 years over the next 10 years.  That’s why we’re committed to a wholehearted approach to health and wellness. The fact is we were showing our commitment to this long before participating in the 10×10 initiative. 

Here are just a few examples:

• The treatment planning process includes review of overall physical health as well as mental health needs.  Case managers encourage and help clients get in to see their primary physician on a regular basis and address specific health issues such as weight, high blood pressure, and dietary issues.  Nurses focus on health promotion and work toward the integration of physical and mental health care while supporting clients to meet their personal health-related goals.  This may mean assisting clients with medications, coordinating care with community providers, or providing tailored education to clients regarding management of chronic conditions (both physical and mental health issues).
• Our Assertive Community Treatment service teams have developed specific goals to support the 10×10 initiative.  As of December 1, 2011, 70 percent of clients served by the ACT Teams had obtained a physical exam within the last year.  These results represent significant improvement over 2010 baseline data and goals for continued increase have been set for 2012.
• Also since 2009, we have been a partner in the Hospital to Home (H2H) initiative, engaging and serving individuals who are homeless, have complex, chronic health conditions and have few resources.  People in this situation often turn frequently to hospital emergency departments for help with ongoing health concerns.  This initiative is demonstrating results in improved health, stability and quality of life.
• Wellness, cooking and nutrition workshops are offered at our Community Support Program.  This includes trying different kinds of movement like yoga, stretching and even ballet!
• Also available at our Community Support Program is a meditation room where relaxation and reflection classes are held.
• In 2011, we presented Moving Matters, a community arts learning opportunity including movement and arts workshops. 
• Since 2009 we have participated in the Preferred Integrated Network(PIN) a joint project with Dakota County and Medica to provide integrated health care to clients. The purpose of the project is to support and improve the health of and well-being of clients by providing assisting clients in accessing mental health services as well as physical and social services. Case managers have assumed the additional role of Wellness Navigators to provide this coordination of care.      

Stay tuned throughout 2012 as we share our continued efforts in supporting individuals to achieve their health and wellness goals!

To find out more about the 10×10 Wellness Campaign, visit http://www.10×10.samhsa.gov.

February is all about the heart. During this month Saint Valentine’s Day is celebrated widely and we are all encouraged to express our love to those we care about most.  Those expressions come in all forms – some are traditional, while others are more creative and take full advantage of today’s technology. Call us traditional if you like, but one of the greatest impacts on our clients’ hearts is the gift of time from a volunteer.  So, during this month we want to encourage you to show your support for Guild Incorporated by volunteering.  Share your time and talent with us and get the satisfaction of knowing you are helping people with mental illness lead quality lives. A volunteer says this about their experience, “It is so rewarding helping someone by simply spending time together and being myself.”

“I very much enjoy volunteering as a friendship mentor with Guild Incorporated.  And, I’m very happy for the opportunity to do so.  I believe that people of a compassionate nature would benefit greatly from an experience as a friendship mentor.  And it’s fun!”

“Being a Phone Buddy has given me the opportunity to provide weekly social support to someone who would otherwise be more isolated.”

“Both of us enjoy museums and coffee!  We always have a lot to talk about.”

Here are just a few of our volunteer opportunities:

Friend A few hours a month makes a big difference for an individual who is isolated. Help your new friend stay active, improve their health, and fulfill their dreams.  See what the relationship does for your friend.  Feel what it does for you.

Phone Buddy Call and chat with an individual we serve once a week. A quick conversation can really make a difference and give you a boost, too!  Phone Buddy Plus supplements weekly phone calls with occasional get-togethers.

Driver Take people to the grocery store, appointments, and other necessary places as it fits your schedule. 

Member Hours Assistant   Chat and play games including pool or cards in the relaxed atmosphere of our Community Support Program (link).  Hours include four weekday afternoons and one evening each week.  Choose the time that fits your schedule.  Volunteer with a spouse, partner, or friend for even more fun.

Ready to learn more? E-mail volunteer@guildincorporated.org, or call directly at 651.925.8456, for more information about individual or group volunteer opportunities.

The month of January has always been a favorite of mine, named after the Roman God Janus for the ability to turn one face to reflect upon the past with yet another face freshly pointed to the future.  I cannot think of a better representation of this than Hospital to Home.  This initiative is demonstrating reduction in avoidable hospital emergency department visits while improving housing stability and health for individuals who are homeless, and who have complex, chronic health conditions and have few resources.  People in this situation often turn frequently to hospital emergency departments for help with ongoing health concerns.

Since 2009, we have been a partner in the Hospital to Home (H2H) initiative, engaging and serving these individuals to help them improve their health, stability and quality of life.  This past December we released the first outcomes summary, prepared by Wilder Research, for individuals participating in this innovative project.

Each of these individuals is now “looking back” on homelessness, poor health and a sense of hopelessness; while “looking forward” to improved health and the safety and security of stable housing. Meet Bill, a client served through this initiative. (see page 2 for Bill’s story)

Bill: Individual Served, Son, Friend, Neighbor

“It feels good to have some independence back and contribute to the needs of my daily life”!

Guild’s community health services team ensures access to permanent supportive housing and allows services to follow participants, wherever they are, keeping them engaged and providing continuity and coordination in their care.

Guild Incorporated, Hearth Connection, Regions Hospital Departments of Emergency Medicine and Behavioral Health, and the Office of Performance Measurement and Quality Improvement within the Minnesota Department of Human Services have partnered to develop and implement Hospital to Home. The information in this outcomes report includes participant outcomes through October 2010, approximately one year after most participants enrolled in Hospital to Home.

(To learn more detail about this H2H initiative, read the initial report and Factsheet published by Wilder Research in June 2011.)

Core elements of Hospital to Home effectiveness:
Hospital to Home staff have identified the following three core elements of the model that should continue to be evaluated and supported through resource allocations and policy initiatives:

• Coordination across all elements of the healthcare and social services systems
• Mobile services that “follow” and remain available to participants regardless of living arrangement
• Upfront and continued housing support services and subsidies

Future directions:

• The findings from this report support the need for replication and expansion of the Hospital to Home model. In addition, there is need for the continued measurement and evaluation of costs, benefits, and participant outcomes.
• Additional outcomes will be reported in the fall of 2012, when data are available to examine longer-term outcomes.

Meet our January 2012 Everyday Angel:  

 Dr. Marie Louderback

 Mobile Veterinarian. Innovator. Community Partner. 

Read her full story here.

Marie provides veterinary services at cost through her business 3 Pound Cats. Because she has little overhead, her prices are much lower than those at veterinary offices. When she was studying veterinary medicine at the University of Minnesota five years ago, she knew this is what she wanted to do. “There are more people in the community than those who walk through the doors of veterinary offices,” she says. “Those are the people who need help the most, and those are the people I want to help.”  

This amazing gift will serve GCSP  members in their rehabilitation efforts  and will be used for things like:

• Community Outings
• Mental health advocacy events
• Volunteer opportunities
• Attending NAMI meetings

Left: Our Donor turns the keys over to George Broostin, Guild Incorporated Director of Development

Center: Donor with GCSP members and staff

Right:  Personalized plates to express our gratitude each day!

Thanks to the generosity of Guild supporter Bill Foussard, and his organization Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels, Inc., 400 clients and their loved ones were treated to a feast on Thanksgiving Day!   The organization prepares meals consisting of turkey, dressing, potatoes, peas, corn, cranberries, rolls, pumpkin pie and milk for families in need and delivers those meals right to their homes.  The founders, Bill Foussard and Barb Aslesen, work together with 2,000 volunteers that prepare and deliver the meals on Thanksgiving Day. The organization has grown from preparing 24 meals for 3 families on Thanksgiving Day in 1970, to preparing 14,500 meals delivered to over 2,700 families last year.  You can learn more about their work and record breaking year in 2011 in this KSTP story.

Artist Jason Najarak to host gallery opening December 16 & 17 supporting Guild Incorporated

Many of you will recognize Jason Najarak’s name as the talented artist who gifted us with the Ladder of Hope painting, which honors our supporters, and is the centerpiece of our Donor Recognition Wall.  You can read the story about the unveiling of this work here.

Friday, December 16 and Saturday December 17 Jason will open the doors to his studio for a showing of his retrospective works.  Jason will generously donate 20% of the proceeds from sales of original works and prints back to Guild Incorporated.   You’ll find a gift for yourself, or someone special in your life, and help Guild Incorporated move our mission forward!

Dates: Friday, December 16 and Saturday December 17

Time:  12 to 8pm each day

Where:  Gross Given Manufacturing Company, 75 Plato Blvd, St. Paul, MN , 55107

View the event invitation here for full details.

 …but its good works continue with endowment through Guild Incorporated.

Our founding organization, Guild of Catholic Women, Inc. (GCW) was featured in the Villager in this article penned by Judy Woodward.  And also in this Pioneer Press article by Nick Ferraro.  We are honored to continue the legacy of the good work they began and nurtured for so many years!

We have a tradition here at Guild Incorporated.   During the latter months of each year, we invite others to gather with us. 

And, together, we listen.  

We listen to individuals we serve and their family members tell stories.  Stories are about who they are…about getting sick and getting better…about where they’ve been and where they’re going…and about getting help from us along the way.

Now, in its seventh year, we call this tradition our Ladder of Hope.  It’s our speakers who relay the hope. Their stories illustrate, in a way that nothing else could, the profound difference that occurs in people’s lives when health and stability are restored. 

Guests experience the inspiration that comes from seeing that with the right treatment and services, recovery is possible.  And, they want to lend their support.  That’s exactly what many of them did at this year’s events; I’d like to share some of the results with you.

(Read More begins here)

Ladder of Hope Results:

• Nearly 600 guests attended this year’s events.  
• Approximately 302 monetary gifts were given. We also received gifts in the form of ideas shared and new volunteers. 
• We have nine new members of our Ladder of Hope Five Year Giving Society, bringing our total number of members to 101. 
• The Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation inspired others to give by matching all new and increased contributions up to $25,000.  With their generosity, and your help, we received these matching funds.
• Anchor Bank was our Gold Sponsor in 2011. Their support, along with others, allows the gifts we received to go directly to our mission.
• And, ten other local businesses also provided sponsorship for the events, further ensuring all gifts directly support our mission:   Bremer Bank, CBL Floors, Curlee State Farm Agency, Deloitte Tax, Maguire Agency, Quality Auto Care Center, Transcend Communications, Trust Point Inc., Waterous, and Wilkerson Associates. 

Funds received will sustain current services and continue to increase our capacity to “extend the ladder” to individuals and families who need our help. 

Thank you to the many people who gave time to participate in our annual Ladder of Hope tradition and to those who have been inspired to give financial gifts throughout the year.

May your own traditions bring you and your family peace, comfort, and joy this holiday season.

P.S.  You don’t have to wait for an invitation to next year’s Ladder of Hope event to participate in our tradition of sharing stories.  Join us for an upcoming Get to Know Guild event or contact our Development Director, George Broostin at 651.925.8454 to learn more.