The Center

Medicaid Buy in For Working People with Disabilities Provider Survey

The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery is gathering information to determine the number of consumers with psychiatric disabilities in New York City who could potentially benefit from the Medicaid Buy-In Program for Working People with Disabilities (MBI). We need your assistance.

The survey below is intended for Adolescent Skills Centers, Adult Clinics, Employment (e.g. ACE, VESID Supported Employment), Clubhouses, Continuing Day Treatment (CDT), Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation Treatment (IPRT) and Psychosocial Programs. If your program has not already done so, please email your completed survey to Marc Kutner, MPA, MSW at mkutner@coalitionny.org.

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Resources

Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery has generated a number of project reports since its inception in 1999.

The following reports reflect these activities and are useful in assisting the mental health community towards success in employment and ultimately in recovery and rehabilitation.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation

The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Approach includes a philosophy and an evidence-based process for involving recipients in rehabilitative activities underscoring particular psychiatric rehabilitative values that will be reflected in the trainings. The focus is on recovery and the approach is a well defined service that is complimentary to treatment, case management, and other types of mental health services. This approach can be applied in a range of programs and settings.

• Articles on the Five Strategies
• PowerPoint Modules
• Technical Assistance Forms

Cognitive Remediation

The Center undertook a research study to examine the effectiveness of combining cognitive remediation and supported employment services for mental health recipients. The study targeted four community based employment programs in New York City since the beginning of the project in January 2003.

• Project Summary
• American Journal of Psychiatry (2007) article: Cognitive Training for Supported Employment: 2-3 Year Outcomes of a Randomized Controlled Trial (PDF)
• Schizophrenia Bulletin (2005) article: Cognitive Training and Supported Employment for Persons with Severe Mental Illness: One-Year Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial (PDF)
• Mental Health News (2003) article: Can Cognitive Remediation Services Improve Employment Outcomes for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities (PDF)
• New York City Voices (2003) article: Mind Over Emotion: How to Keep a Job with Clear Thinking

Ways to Work

The Ways to Work demonstration project began in January 2002. Five New York City community mental health agencies received grants from the Center to employ employment staff and to integrate clinical and vocational services. The main goal was to increase employment outcomes for mental health consumers attending Continuing Day Treatment and Clinic Programs.

• Integration of Employment and Clinical Services- APSE Conference, April 2006 (PDF)
• Evaluation of the Ways to Work Demonstration Project, November 2005 (PDF)
• Second Year Summary/Final Report on the Ways to Work Project, November 2004 (PDF)
• Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Ways to Work, January 2002-October 2004 (Word)
• Summary Presentation on Ways to Work, September 2004, (PowerPoint)
• First Year Summary Report, Jan-Dec 2002 (Word)
• Project results for the initial 9-months, Jan-Sept, 2002 (PowerPoint)
• “Embracing Innovation: Making it WORK”, presentation to the Urban Institute for Behavioral Health conference, Quality in Urban Behavioral Health: From Vision to Practice, October 25th, 2006 (PDF)

Work and Recovery Project

The Work and Recovery Project was a two-year initiative that began in July 2002 and ended in June 2004, under the Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery (The Center) and the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies at the request of the New York State Office of Mental Health. The project was aimed at improving consumer employment opportunities and outcomes in five New York City Continuing Day Treatment Programs. The following documents illustrate how the project shifted programming, trained staff towards targeted skill and role development, and promoted collaboration among programs.

• Final Report: Change Toward Work and Recovery (Word)
• Status and Activities at each project site (HTML)
• Work and Recovery Curriculum (Word)

Working with Employers

The Center in collaboration with Columbia University's Workplace Center undertook a two year study started in 2002 involving eleven mental health agencies and Human Resource Departments in New York City. Various reports and usable forms were generated from this project that looked at creative ways to develop jobs and utilize existing agency relationships fostering a lucrative network towards increased employment outcomes for mental health recipients.

Reports:

• Promoting Effective Connections between Community Mental Health Care Providers and Employers (PDF)
• Final report showing the inter-related components of the Vendor Project and the Human Resources Project (PDF)

Usable Forms:

• Building Partnerships between Human Resources Management and Mental Health Care Providers (PDF)
• A Guide for Mental Health Agencies to Connect with their Vendors as Potential Employers (PDF)
• A Roadmap for Connecting with Human Resources Representatives (PDF)
• Data Elements to Include in your Database (Word)
• Sample Vendor Correspondence (Word)
• Employer Information Form (Word)
• Vendor Identification and Profile Form (Word)

Employment and Clubhouses

The employment enhancement project with the International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) was undertaken by the Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery in 2002. With involvement of the New York City Clubhouse Coalition (NYCCC), the project resulted in the development of a best practices manual on employment, technical assistance efforts with specific New York City clubhouses, and training on developing and operating diverse employment programs in clubhouses.

• Clubhouse Employment Manual (PDF])
• NYCCC Employment Statistics, Fiscal Year 2003 (PDF)
• NYCCC Employment Statistics, Fiscal Year 2002 (PDF)
• Employment Baseline Statistical Report (PDF)

Cost Analysis (Measuring the True Cost of Providing Supported Employment Services in New York City)

The Center undertook a study to measure the true cost of providing supported employment to individuals with psychiatric disabilities. This study was spurred by a RFP released by Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), the New York State Vocational Rehabilitation agency. The two methodologies employed for this project were process mapping and staff questionnaires. The following documents assist the reader in understanding the need for this project in a rapidly changing funding environment, the process involved, and the results of the actual costs of providing supported employment services.

• Measuring the True Cost of Providing Supported Employment Services in New York City (PDF)
• Supported Employment Process Steps for intensive and extended services (PDF)
• Report showing the total average direct service hours per client for intensive services (PDF)
• Supported employment activity survey and time allocation grid for direct service staff (PDF)
• Supported employment activity survey and time allocation grid for administrative and fiscal staff staff (PDF)

The Role of Employee Assistance Programs in Supporting Workers with Mental Health Conditions

The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery and Columbia University's Workplace Center of the School of Social Work undertook a study to look at the role of employee assistance programs (EAPs) in supporting workers with mental health conditions. This report examines ways that EAPs can collaborate with providers of the mental health community to improve employment retention. The following documents reflect the scope of the project and show practical ways to implement these ideas through three different training manuals that help to enhance the connection between EAPs and the mental health community:

• The Role of Employee Assistance Programs in Supporting Workers with Mental Health Conditions- the full report (PDF)
• A training manual designed for EAP professionals (PDF)
• A training manual designed for mental health care providers (PDF)
• A training manual designed for consumers of mental health services (PDF)
• Mock EAP brochure as part of the training for mental health recipients (PDF)

The Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale (QSEIS)

Supported employment services designed for persons with mental health disabilities vary. The Center along with researchers from Indiana University, Purdue University examined the properties of supported employment utilizing the QSEIS (Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale) a 33-item scale measuring the implementation of evidence-based supported employment. The following documents are the tools and products of the study:

• Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation (2002) article: A Scale to Measure Quality of Supported Employment for Persons with Severe Mental Illness (PDF)
• Survey of employment programs (PDF)
• QSEIS poster (PowerPoint)
• QSEIS instrument (PDF)
• QSEIS questions for non-supported employment programs (PDF)

Statewide Educational Advisory Board (SWEAB)

A Statewide Educational Advisory Board was convened by the Center in collaboration with the State Office of Mental Health and Cornell University to develop a portfolio of employment services educational curricula that could be of use throughout New York State. Membership consisted of individuals from both public and private universities, think tanks, consultants, consumer organizations, and selected state, city, and federal agencies. One of the goals of SWEAB was to blend evidence-based practices and perspectives on recovery. The following are documents describing this project and include products of the Board's efforts:

• Work and Mental Health in New York: A Statewide Educational Advisory Board Report on Employment, Education and Training – the final report (PDF)
• SWEAB mission and activities (PDF)

The Role of Unions in Promoting the Employment of Individuals with Mental Health Conditions

The Center along with Columbia University's Workplace Center of the School of Social Work undertook a study to examine the role of unions as a potential conduit between the workplace and individuals seeking employment from within the mental health system. This report is a description of unions as a potential resource for consumers and providers. Training materials for union representatives, mental health providers, and consumers of mental health services are also available.

• Unions Helping Workers with Mental Health Conditions: A Guide for Consumers, Providers and Union Representatives – the full report (PDF)
• Training materials for union representatives (PDF)
• Training materials for mental health providers (PDF)
• Training materials for consumers of mental health services (PDF)