Gentleman get your tux, and ladies put on your gown because this November 9th at 7pm we are going to have a ball!

Promote your business and support a healthy community!

In recognition of National Mental Health Month in May, Genesis Behavioral Health will print an educational insert in 5 of the Salmon Press Newspapers (Meredith News, Gilford Steamer, Plymouth Record Enterprise, Alton Baysider and Winnisquam Echo). The insert will be distributed to over 27,000 area households. All proceeds will be used to support direct mental health care to over 3,000 children, families and adults in the Lakes Region.

Advertising opportunities start at just $100! For more information about ad pricing, please contact Kristen Welch at 524-1100 x445 or email kwelch@genesisbh.org. We thank you for your support!

N.H. mental health: from success to suit
Decline attributed to funding, politics
By Maddie Hanna / Monitor staff
February 12, 2012

It's a historical point that makes the present more striking: New Hampshire, now under fire for confining too many mentally ill people in institutions, was once admired for developing a community mental health system.

Attorneys who filed a class-action lawsuit last week on behalf of people with serious mental illness drew attention to that contrast, noting how the National Institute of Mental Health recognized New Hampshire as a model in the late 1980s, after the state downsized its psychiatric hospital and sent patients into the community.

Today, New Hampshire is no longer touted as a success story. Group homes have closed, hospitals have shuttered psychiatric units, and admissions to the state's institutions have soared, from 900 in 1989 to 2,300 last year.

The overburdening of the state hospital prompted the state's health and human services commissioner to declare the system "broken," and federal officials followed by accusing the state of failing to provide community services and needlessly institutionalizing people with mental illness, a claim that also forms the basis of the lawsuit filed by the Disabilities Rights Center last week.

But while the contrast is stark, what drove the deterioration is less obvious. Mental health providers say there was no single factor, instead citing an ongoing lack of rate increases that led to cutbacks at community mental health centers.

And several people involved in the mental health system said they think a lack of political will and a change in governing philosophy have also contributed to its failure.

"You can talk about plans, you can talk about whether they were implemented or changed, but I think the fundamental starting point is an acceptance of responsibility," said Don Shumway, president and CEO of Crotched Mountain, who headed the state Division of Mental Health in the 1980s and oversaw reforms that moved the state toward a community-based mental health system.

In those years, leaders from both political parties believed that providing a quality mental health system was "a public commitment that had to be made and a responsibility borne by the state," Shumway said.

"That is in question at this time."

 

System in transition
 

Shumway became director of the Division of Mental Health under former governor John Sununu in 1984, just as a state study commission had produced a report calling for the downsizing of New Hampshire Hospital and the development of community services.

"Experience in New Hampshire has shown that when community services are in place, admissions to the state hospital are greatly reduced," according to an excerpt from the report reprinted in the lawsuit against the state. The state shut down units at New Hampshire Hospital and built a new version off Clinton Street, transitioning from a facility that had once served 2,800 patients in the 1970s to a hospital with capacity for fewer than 200, according to state reports.

It also developed the network of 10 outpatient community mental centers that exists today. While the centers pre-existed those reforms, they had been limited to providing therapy - services that were useful, but not geared toward people with more severe forms of mental illness, Shumway said.

Under his tenure, the centers developed the ability to treat people with illnesses like severe depression and paranoid schizophrenia. Group homes were developed, and specialized treatment teams providing intensive outreach services were set up across the state.

The state also developed new laws, including a conditional discharge policy, which allowed the state hospital to readmit people who didn't take their medication.

"It was very progressive, but it was also conservative," Shumway said of the law.

Read the full article

Thursday, February 23rd
7:00 - 8:30 pm
Community Room, Busiel Mill
One Mill Plaza, Beacon Street East, Laconia

Health care in the Lakes Region is changing and facing new challenges because of many factors, including new financial pressures and healthcare policies. We all need to be aware what this means to us, our families, our businesses and to NH's way of life. Come and join us at a public event to understand the current state of healthcare in our community and what the future may bring.  

Our distinguished panel includes:

Henry Lipman, Chief Financial Officer of LRGHealthcare, and Laconia City Councilman

Margaret Franckhauser, Executive Director of Community Health and Hospice

Chris Santaniello, Executive Director, Lakes Region Community Services

Kristen Welch, Director of Development and Communications, Genesis Behavioral Health

This event, open to all, will be hosted by the Belknap County Democratic Committee.  For more information, please contact Ed Allard at 366-2575.

‘Tis the season of giving— and of giving thanks. We have much to be grateful for this year, and you—our community— deserve our heartfelt appreciation.

The past year was one of financial challenges, a shifting political climate and an increase in the numbers of people in need of help from Genesis Behavioral Health and many of our community partners. The community’s response to these challenges was tremendous. You showed your support by giving your time, talents and financial support, despite a tough economy. You acted as advocates for us when we needed a strong voice for mental health, a sector of health care that is so often silenced because of persistent stigma. You supported our mission through in-kind donations. Perhaps the most enthusiastic response came as we embarked upon an online auction, our first major fundraising event in recent history.

Times are tough for everyone, and it was humbling and heartwarming to witness the community’s generosity and support throughout the auction. You donated, you bid, you contributed to a successful event that raised muchneeded funds to support essential behavioral health care services for over 3,000 of our neighbors in the Lakes Region.

Sponsored by Nassau Broadcasting and Northway Bank, the auction reached hundreds of donors throughout the country, and helped educate many on the importance of mental health in our community. The auction closed the day after our Annual Meeting, for which the Inns & Spa at Mill Falls provided the setting with décor generously given by Belknap Landscape Company, Inc. and Appletree Nursery. Their support helped stretch a limited budget and ensure a lovely event for all in attendance. The giving spirit of Belknap Landscape Company, Inc. and Appletree Nursery continues, as they are also providing greenery for our employee holiday appreciation event in December. The support of the business community is key to our work, and we are grateful for all you do to contribute to our mission.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation go to the following businesses and individuals for donating items and services to the auction: All My Life Jewelers, Ann Nichols, Appletree Nursery, Bailey Brown, Beane Conference Center, Berry Delicious Bakery, Blissful Lotus Yoga, Boni Gross, Boston Red Sox, CADY (Communities for Alcohol and Drug-Free Youth), Charles and Nefeesa Peterson, Chuck Plante, Circle K (Union Avenue), Creative Treasures, Cydney Shapleigh- Johnson, Cynthia Reiffen, Dave Garneau, Dawn Lacroix, Doris Duff, Dynamic Ceramics, Donna Davison & Granddaughters, Ed Drury, Forever Bonnie Tattoos, Gilmanton Winery & Vineyard, GourmetGiftBaskets. com,Harris Family Furniture, Hart’s Turkey Farm, Heavenly Confections by Jean Cadrette, Hector’s Fine Food & Spirits, Heritage Farm Pancake House, Holland Hill Studio, Hughes Automotive, Ippolito’s Furniture, Irwin Toyota Scion Ford Lincoln Hyundai, Janice Porell, Jennifer Stevens, John Kealey, John Rogers, Kayleigh Moran, Dr. Kelley White, Kim Beardwood Smith, Kristen Cadwallader, Laconia Athletic & Swim Club, Laconia Village Bakery, Lakes Region Acupuncture, Lakes Region Community College, Linda Hagan, Liz Merry, Lochmere Golf & Country Club, Maggie Pritchard, Magic Foods Restaurant Group, Manchester Monarchs, Maui Tanning Company,Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, Meredith Village Savings Bank—Laconia Branch, Miller Lovett, Music Clinic, New Hampshire Ball Bearing, Oooey Gooey Confections, Patrick’s Pub & Eatery, Paula Clearwater, Petal Pushers Farm, Piano Lessons by Ann Winchester, Plaistow Army & Navy Store, Planet Fitness— Belmont, Plymouth State University Ice Arena, Prescott’s Florist, Rain Water Arts, Rosie Traynor, Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., Shang Hai Restaurant, Shooter’s Tavern & Pizzaria, Simone Maglio of Style of Boston, Staff & Board of Genesis Behavioral Health, Star Nails, Steele Hill Resorts, Susan Stearns, Terry Murphy’s Court Street Auto, Terry Wright, The Boulia- Gorrell Lumber Company, The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, The Clip Joint, The Galleria Salon & Day Spa, The Home Beautiful, The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls, The Meat House, The Onion, The Wine’ing Butcher, The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Tiffany’s Beauty & Tanning Salon, Tina Hayes, Trish Weatherbee, U-Frame We Frame, Vickie and Terry Trudelle, Whittemore’s Flower Shop, and Woodie and Susan Laverack.

Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” So many of you have improved the lives of our patients—and improved the work we do—with your generosity this year and throughout our 45 year history. This holiday season,we thank you and wish you much health and happiness in 2012.

Genesis Behavioral Health is designated by the State of New Hampshire as the community mental health center serving Belknap and southern Grafton Counties. A private, non-profit corporation, Genesis serves over 3,000 individuals each year. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 524-1100 or visit the Web site at www.genesisbh. org

MEREDITH — With a mixture of humor, candor and determination, the board of directors of Genesis Behavioral Health held its 45th annual meeting at Church Landing on Tuesday, while learning how mental health courts, as they seem to be doing in Grafton County, could be a way to balance mental health and public safety in the Lakes Region.

Lara Saffo, the Grafton County Attorney, in giving the keynote address, said the effort that Genesis had a role in there was paying off dividends in mental health courts in Littleton and Lebanon by providing mental health services to those offenders who need them, something which is typically less expensive and has a better outcome for the individual and community rather than incarceration.

The criminal justice system and the mental health system have to work together to reduce recidivism, said Saffo, which has a huge financial impact on society, drawing money away from paying for improvements to schools, roads, or, she said, expanded mental health services.

Of the more than two million Americans currently incarcerated, almost 17 percent have a serious mental illness, she said, adding that a recent study has shown that “some of the largest mental health facilities in the United States are jails.”

With 15 years as a prosecutor, Saffo said she quickly learned that “I can’t give victims back what they’ve lost,” be it the overall sense of security or a prized possession, “and I’ve long since learned that the only way I can help victims is to stop crime,” including by working with groups like Genesis.

In Grafton County, the Grafton County Mental Health Group — of which Genesis is a member — helped advocate for the creation of two mental health courts which may soon be joined by a third in Plymouth.

Susan Stearns, who is chair of the Genesis Development Committee, said a mental health court in Hillsboro County that was funded on a temporary basis was so successful that the county decided to formally include it in the coming year’s budget.

Earlier, Stearns took Maggie Pritchard, who is Genesis’ executive director, to task for winning a special raffle, but not rejecting the prize: a pie.

“Maggie, Maggie, Maggie,” Stearns intoned sardonically, “have you no shame?” to which Pritchard shot back “apparently not” and Stearns concluded “I’m not surprised.”

The exchange delighted the attendees and Stearns later went on to present the Helen Holbrook Leadership and Service Award to Ann Nichols, an executive with Laconia Savings Bank, and the Dr. George “Pete” Harris Award to Dr. Jim Pilliod, a pediatrician and long-time State Representative from Belmont.

Pilliod, who worked with Harris soon after Harris founded Genesis Behavioral Health in 1966, said he initially wondered “what on earth do we need it for,” adding, however, that over the past five decades he has found out exactly why it was needed.

As a word, “genesis” means a beginning, said Pilliod, but as for Genesis, the organization, “it should never end.”

© 2011 citizen.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Marcille was one of more than 500 people who attended an afternoon budget hearing yesterday, with more expected for an evening hearing that was scheduled to last late into the night. Patients and advocates, people with mental illness and physical illness, homeless advocates and bridge builders, all came to advocate for their causes. The most concern was for the services provided by the state Department of Health and Human Services. Gov. John Lynch proposed a $10.7 billion biennial budget that would give Health and Human Services - the state's largest department - $621 million less than what the agency calculated it would need to maintain current services. The House Finance Committee recently asked Health and Human Services Commissioner Nick Toumpas for a list of an additional $346 million in cuts, which would bring the department back to its 2004 funding levels.

Terry Marcille, 48, lives in Concord and has a master's degree in geography.

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