Notes from the Thursday January 22, 2009 Meeting

NYS VESID-OASAS Consortium
Thursday, January 22, 2009


Attendees: Angela Lockhart, OASAS, Laurie Harris, Queens VESID, Don McManus, VESID, Wendy Hersh, Brooklyn VESID, Lorraine Linton, Queens VESID, Joanna Asperger, Brooklyn VESID, Ellen Stein, Brooklyn VESID, Jaik Schubert, NYS DOCS, Frank Tavella, Daytop, Carolyn Turner, Queens Treatment Court, Hector Moreno, Anchor House, Vaughn Webb, ARTC, Mike Smith, EPRA, Rob Hamm, EPRA, Paula Franklin, CASH & Sunita Manjrekar, NADAP

Laurie Harris started the meeting by doing a training on the OASAS-VESID Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Lorraine Linton reviewed the MOU as follows:

Key Points reviewed:

Housing: Needs to be stable. Mailing address needed to send mail.
Medical: All medical and physical disabilities completed. Indications of client medication and how they affect them need to be mentioned.
Legal: Good to have a copy of client rap sheet. Wendy H. mentioned that it is difficult to read the client rap sheet. Angela asked if drug courts assist in obtaining client rap sheets. Legal Action Center was awarded a contract by VESID to assist VESID clients obtain rap sheets. Laurie also mentioned a website that allows you to look up client rap sheets. Jaik from DOCS mentioned that the DOCS website allows you to look up client rap sheets by putting in their last name and birth year. Angela mentioned that OASAS is expecting a lot of clients to be referred to treatment programs from the prison systems. She also mentioned that OASAS (within the last two weeks) obtained the monies that Parole lost.
Discharge Planning: It would be good to know where client is going to be discharged so that VESID can continue to assist the client. It is imperative to obtain more addresses. If a client has successfully completed treatment (w/n a year), he can still go back to VESID (Client does need to be in aftercare or making meetings – needs to be documented).
Don asked a question: If a client comes to VESID and is not in a program, what is the policy? In order for a client to obtain VESID services, he needs to be enrolled in a substance abuse program. He could see a therapist but this needs to be documented. In addition, VESID also administers a Substance Abuse Assessment screening. There also needs to be a documented disability.
Additional Information to be included: Clients cannot come back time and again. Time is not an issue. If the client has obtained VESID training in the past but needs retraining, it needs to be justified. VESID can also help with displacement. Jaik Schubert stated that one can call him (212 961-4344) to obtain an Employability Profile which each client coming out of prison is given. The Vocational Counselor working with the client needs to ask client for it.
Fast Track is currently on hold.

This MOU is to be revised over the next year by OASAS-VESID.

Ellen Stein – Presented information on Long and Short Term Substance Abuse programs: As Programs are shortening the length of programs, from 18 months to 12 months to 6 months; it is affecting statistics at VESID. Ellen shared statistics from one program which showed a decline in number of clients retaining employment as they were given program completion within a year. Wendy stated that she goes to her programs and attends the orientation process once a month and is thus able to weed out clients that will not be able to complete the VESID process.

Angela informed the group about the Local Services Bulletin (LSB) that will be sent by the Commissioner of OASAS to all OASAS funded and licensed programs. The LSB speaks to Vocational Rehabilitation regulations and the intent of the LSB is to count Vocational Rehabilitation as core services.

Challenges to that: Vaughn mentioned that as Vocational services are not billable they are counted as ancillary services and not core services.
Don stated that one way to ensure participation of client in Vocational Services is to include the criminal justice system as leverage.

The next topic – Review of VESID’s consumer involvement policy was tabled for the next meeting.

The next two meetings were scheduled as follows:

March 26th from 2-4 pm. Location: Queens VESID
59-17 Junction Blvd. – 20th floor
Corona, NY 11368

June 11th from 1-4 pm. Location: Brooklyn VESID
55 Hanson Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217

Agenda for the next meeting:
• Consumer Involvement Policy
• Guidelines for what constitutes client readiness for obtaining VESID services or eligibility criteria

Save the Date: Treating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People March 6, 2009

The Addiction Institute of New York
6 Mar 2009

TOPIC:
Treating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Petros Levounis, M.D., MA.

DATE:
Friday, March 6, 2009

LOCATION:
St. Luke’s Hospital
Muhlenberg 4 - Auditorium
421 West 113 Street, Chapel Entrance
New York, NY 10025
Between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive

SPONSORING AGENCY:
The Addiction Institute of New York

FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Vangie Burch: 212.523.6841 or Eburch@chpnet.org

FOR EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITES PLEASE CONTACT:
Rosalyn Cedeno-Vigo: 212-523-6864 or rcvigo@chpnet.org

Thank you for supporting The Addiction Institute of New York.

Save the Date-A Pledge to Healing

Brooklyn Treatment Court of Kings County Supreme Court
in partnership with Samaritan Village, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Nassau County Treatment Court

Presents a free one day training on Friday, April 17, 2009

A Pledge to Healing

A Multi-System Approach to Treating Chemically Dependent Veterans
at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
899 Tenth Ave
New York, NY 10019

8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:30-4:30 Conference
CASAC, CLE, and CEU credit eligibility pending approval
For more information contact Herb Hardwick, BTC @ 347 296 1140 or hhardwic@courts.state.ny.us

Links for Criminal Justice Information

http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us
http://a072-web.nyc.gov/inmatelookup/inmateLookup
http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcrim_attorney/Login
https://www.vinelink.com/vinelink/initMap.do

Agenda for Meeting on 1/22/09

Queens Bklyn Substance Abuse Meeting Scheduled for January 22, 2009 from 1pm-4pm
location OASAS 501 7th avenue, New York
conference room A


AGENDA

-Review of Memorandum of Understanding between VESID and Substance Abuse Treatment Provider
Lorraine Linton, SVRC
handouts-work readiness form
examples of completed referral packets
-Presentation of difference in rehabs. in short or long SA TX program- Ellen Stein, VRC
-Consumer involvement policy-Joanna Asperger SVRC, Laurie Harris DOC
-Discussion and setting up future meetings

NRA Save the Date

SAVE THE DATE

METROPOLITAN NEW YORK CHAPTER, NATIONAL REHABILITATION ASSOCIATION, INC.
presents a training session

Counselor Wellness: Health Considerations for the Helping Professional

Wednesday, January 14, 2009
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

New York University/ Wasserman Center for Career Development
Union Square area, New York, NY


For an electronic announcement of the finalized program (including fees and registration info), send a blank email to paula.lee@nyu.edu.

Notes from October 08 Meeting

And thanks to Laurie Harris, excellent note taker.

Commissioner Karen Carpenter Columbo will be speaking at the AVRASA meeting next Friday, Oct. 24 at 54 west 40th street from 8:30-4:30.
AVRASA is advocating making it known to all the treatment programs that vocational services is important. They are also trying to reinstate the online reporting system. Establishment of new liaisons.
John Nardozzi asked about the OASAS standards and regulations in the delivery of services in the treatment programs. Angela Lockhart said that they were never on the books. The plan is to create: sending out letters, measuring outcomes, reporting and the development of local service bulletins. This will be printed on the OASAS website. The policies will vary for each modality: methadone maintenance, outpatient treatment, inpatient services. John said that these services were substantial. Dave Greenberg said that these still existed. Some of the representatives from the treatment programs said that they have these rules.
John spoke about CDL and some of the issues that the treatment programs could help for VESID to move individuals forward. Some of the providers said that the issues are discussed in the orientation and referred to the vocational services.
Dec 5 and Dec 15- OASAS is going to have a “state of vocational services meeting: at the OASAS headquarters.
John also brought up the issue of the MOU with VESID and the vocational treatment programs.
One of the treatment providers questioned what the standards of the referrals are.
John Nardozzi reviewed some of the issues that were addressed prior to a referral from the treatment programs to VESID. The work readiness form does address some of the issues.
Dave Greenberg discussed the establishment of best practices.
Discussed a need to come up with a common definition of what work readiness is.
Mark Weinstein discussed that some of the basic issues are common sense. Getting ID’s, ability to work in this country. Sometimes it appears that the clinicians and the voc counselor in the programs are not connecting with each other. The establishment of a viable plan.

One of the issues for VESID is that a change of treatment status, VESID would be informed in writing. The programs have to report there employment statistics to hra, oasas. The issue is about communication.
Issues regarding the work readiness form and who can complete it.
Discussed the need to look at work readiness skills before referral to VESID.
Question regarding if a program has no professional VR counselor, the fact that they still need to observe behaviors.
Oasas used to have a rehab counselor academy. As part of the consortium we could put together some a training package.
We discussed the MOU and will bring it to the next meeting.
Avrasa and oasas working together to develop a local services bulletin.
Technical assistance bulletin is on the website.
Discuss the needs to work collaboratively.
Jaik Shubert from DOC said that parole is an ally and we need to look at them especially when it comes to tracking.
EPRA is a parole funded organization.Treatment court is also helpful.

Discussion of the work readiness form-
Beth Israel and Alpha said that they use this form
Question about the differences in how each office works.
Daytop said that they are not being asked to use the work readiness forms.
Discussed the question about having the parole probation form completed.
Jaike presented that he would be a resource for the parole officer information.
Angela is bringing the parole/probation form to oasas legal dept to see if we can use it.
Dave Greenberg wants to put the work readiness form on the avrasa website. This form is vocationally oriented. The psychiatric form has to accompany it. Angela will send Dave Greenberg an electronic copy of the work readiness form.
Send VESID’s psychiatric form and the addiction work readiness form to Dave Greenberg from AVRASA.
The forms will be on the Brooklyn and queens websites as a pilot as substance abuse forms.
We need to start in-service training as soon as possible.
Discussed the cdl medical exams that IMA can do.
Dina’s best practice at Daytop is to meet with VESID referred consumers after they meet with their counselor to discuss the process.