Health Department Forms Folder 0065, 1999-2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

S.

❑ Improving Employment Opportunities for the Mentally III

The Department has taken a leading role in the mental health sector to improve employment opportunities for the mentally ill. In addition to the Treatment is Working campaign, the Department has successfully sought grants and funded several important initiatives to assist persons with mental illness to find competitive, marketplace jobs. Using a "place - train" model, as opposed to the more traditional "train - place" model, programs such as CASP and ERA work towards finding "real jobs for real pay" for consumers and then supporting both the consumer and their employer to make certain the placement is successful. In collaboration with the New York State Office of Mental Health, the Department is creating the WorkNet program. Operated by a voluntary provider, WorkNet will provide support and technical assistance to mental health providers. Services will include establishing a job bank, serving as a clearinghouse for information on successful employment strategies, and training mental health providers to be more successful at finding competitive jobs for their clients.

❑ Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities

Over the period of 1994 through 1999, the Department has significantly enhanced the services available to mentally.retarded and developmentally disabled persons in New York City. In Fiscal 1998, the Department developed programs offering work-readiness skills training for adults and after-school activities for children with a $1 million appropriation of City tax levy funds. In Fiscal 1999, the Department received another $1 million appropriation that was used to expand the work-readiness and after-school programs as well as to create weekend respite programs. In addition to these services, the Department is working towards the implementation of New York State Creating Alternatives in Residential Environments and Settings (NYS CARES), a five-year plan that will create nearly 4,900 new community beds state-wide, with approximately half being developed in the City.

❑ Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

The substance abuse and alcoholism treatment system in New York City is in the process of being significantly expanded with an annualized appropriation of $9.5 million in City funds. These funds, part of which will be used by the Health and Hospitals Corporation and part of which will be used by voluntary providers, will enhance the treatment capacity for adults and adolescents throughout City. In addition, the Department has conducted an outcomes study involving four alcoholism treatment programs. The preliminary findings of the study indicate that, after six months in these programs, clients showed a decrease in alcohol and other drug use, an improvement in psychiatric functioning, and a reduction in legal problems.

NYC-WTC 000137992