Here is my statement in response to recent legislation extending Kendra's Law through June 30, 2020:

Manhattan is slowly building up its groups for those hearing voices, seeing visions, and experiencing other sensory phenomenon. We now have THREE free groups that are open to the public!

Community Access prides itself on being more than just a housing provider; it is a place for people to enrich their lives and find satisfaction in the things that they do. With that in mind, Community Access hosted its first Vocational Achievement Awards this past Friday.

"May you never lay your head down
Without a hand to hold;
May you never make your bed out in the cold."

- John Martyn

On April 21, Community Access co-sponsored (along with CUNY) a Tobacco Harm Reduction Conference – the first time in the U.S. a conference has specifically addressed smoking among people with a psychiatric diagnosis. It was a resounding success!

As New York shifts toward a more holistic and peer-driven approach to mental health, the Hearing Voices Movement has begun to gain momentum.

Having an overdose means having too much of a drug, or combination of drugs, for your body to handle. Not all overdoses have a deadly outcome, but way too many do. For over a decade the number of overdose deaths in the US has increased every year. The most recent data show that almost 5 people per hour died of an overdose in the US in 2013. This makes drug overdose the leading cause of accidental death in the country.

For the very first time this Sunday, Community Access staff and participants will be walking in New York City's annual Pride March.

I’m writing this message on a train to Washington, D.C. At the last minute, I was asked to testify before a congressional committee at a hearing examining H.R. 2646, the “The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act,” better known as the Murphy Bill. The most comprehensive federal mental health legislation in more than 50 years, the bill has attracted both praise and criticism.

Mayor de Blasio made two important announcements this week, both related to retraining police officers.

The 10th National Harm Reduction Conference was held October 23 to 26, and Community Access was actively involved.

I am pleased to announce that Community Access has been selected as a finalist in the 2014 New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards. This is a substantial honor and follows a rigorous review that covered eight key areas of performance:

Many of us know that people with mental illness live—on average—25 years less than the overall population. There are many pieces to this puzzle: unequal access to health care, poverty, discrimination, metabolic syndrome, smoking, drug use... the list goes on and on.

Immense and towering, the United Nations (UN) building is a key landmark on the East Side of Manhattan. But aside from creating traffic when the President, Senators, and other VIPs visit, how does the UN affect our daily lives?

It all started at 5.30 a.m.! Friday, September 27, at NYC’s Port Authority Bus Terminal…

We (CA’s Training Department) are on our way to Hartford, Connecticut, for a conference about human rights, mental health and activism sponsored by The National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA).

NARPA has held an annual educational conference for over 30 years, in which speakers and attendees include people with experiences of psychiatric intervention, advocates, civil rights activists, mental health workers, and lawyers – with many people whose roles overlap.

We’re excited to attend (both of us for the first time), but so early in the morning are wondering Did we make the right decision to attend the conference for only one day? One long day of travelling and workshops!

We arrive at 8:45 a.m. just in time for…

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Key Note Speech

By Jim Gottstein, J.D., from the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights)

(…something we’re especially looking forward to as Community Access sponsored a talk by Mr. Gottstein in 2010 about his work holding Medicaid and psychiatrists accountable for medicating children with unapproved psychiatric medications.)

He introduced his talk by describing the “Transformation Triangle” where (1) public education/public attitudes, (2) strategic litigation (his primary focus as a lawyer), and, (3) creating alternatives to the current system, interact together to create transformation in the mental health system. And he went on to discuss the “Forced Drugging Defense Package,” which can be used to fight against the locking of people up and drugging of individuals against their will. He also shared an exciting recent ruling from the 7th Circuit that rules that prescribing off-label psychiatric drugs to children is Medicaid fraud.

• For more information about PsychRights, 
  go to: www.psychrights.org

Next up, was the Lunchtime Key Note Speech:

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“Changing Paradigms: From Guardianship to Supported Decision Making”

By Judge Kristin Booth Glen

As we sat down to eat, we had no idea just how powerful and inspiring this speech was about to be. Judge Glen shared her vision of different communities – individuals with psychiatric disabilities, individuals with intellectual disabilities, and seniors – advocating together to dismantle the guardianship system in the US. She explored the possibility of utilizing Article 12 of the Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) as the legal basis for ensuring all individuals have the right to the support they need to exercise their right to make decisions. Few models of supported decision-making exist, she continued, and therefore we should all come together to consider what supported decision-making might look like for individuals diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities.

• To learn more about concerns relating to guardianship, and the work Judge Kristin Booth Glen is doing to counter these, check out “The Ruling That Could Change Everything For Disabled People With Million-Dollar Trusts” in the Village Voice.
• For more information on the CRPD, visit www.chrusp.org, as well as this online petition.

Afternoon workshops were just as rich. Starting with:

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“Holding Law Enforcement Accountable”

We were given examples of how Vermont and Connecticut are working to combat excessive use of force by police officers against individuals with psychiatric disabilities – by focusing on police training, advocating for Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs), and reducing the use of Tasers.

• Find out how Community Access is advocating for CITs in New York City at www.ccitnyc.org
• Further Reading: 
  Vermont State Police Mediate Agreement with Disability Rights Vermont (press release)

Then:

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“Fighting the School to Prison Pipeline: IDEA, 504, and the ADA, and School Discipline”

by Ellen Saideman, J.D.

This session focused on the increasing trend for school discipline to bring minors to the juvenile justice system, even for minor infractions and truancy. She shared how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be used to protect students with disabilities from entering the school to prison pipeline.

Get Involved:

• Ending the School to Jailhouse Track (Advancement Project)
• Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign (Children's Defense Fund)

And finally...

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Mental Health Law

By Susan Stefan, J.D.

An annual talk covering significant developments in mental health law over the past year, ones with both positive and negative impacts on our community.

• 2013 Mental Health Law Update: a comprehensive list of cases, compiled by Susan Stafan

*****Because of Amtrack delays, we didn't make it back to New York City until 12.30 a.m. Not only, though, did the trip take four and a half hours, we had the bad luck of being stuck in the train's quiet car... All we wanted to do was debrief and process our amazing day! We hope this blog post has at least offered a good overview of what we learned - please send us an This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you'd like to find out more.

On October 1st, a bright sunny morning in New York, a man named Julius Graham randomly stabbed five people in Riverside Park with a pair of scissors. No one was killed, but a father was seriously wounded while defending his 18-month-old son. There was no apparent motive for the attack and little is known about Mr. Graham other than he arrived in New York a year ago and was living in a homeless shelter in the Bronx, sleeping on a cot in a communal room with nearly 100 other men. Mr. Graham obviously has some serious problems, and quite possibly had been using drugs. We do know he was disconnected from family and community, and not accessing any mental health services. He will probably end up in prison for his awful deed, costing taxpayers $60,000 plus per year.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal published an article titled “New York State Rethinks Medicaid: Seeks to Relocate Thousands of Patients.” It opens with the statement:

“To bring down its soaring Medicaid budget, New York State wants to move thousands of low-income patients from hospitals, homeless shelters, group homes and nursing facilities into apartments.”

The saying goes: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

But not this time!

On Tuesday July 23, Steve Coe, Community Access’ CEO, opened our organizations’ first community-wide Participant Planning Advisory Group (PPAG) meeting. Steve introduced himself, then welcomed all of the elected tenant and program-participant representatives, and senior staff.

Community Access is excited to take part in the NYC CoolRoofs program. Eight of our buildings are getting new white reflective roof coatings this summer, completely free. The coatings reduce cooling costs and decrease carbon emissions, helping to combat the urban “heat island” effect, which is caused by dark surfaces like roofs and paving. Community Environmental Center in Long Island City is coordinating the CoolRoofs project for the City, obtaining donations of materials and lining up workers, many of them volunteers.