>> THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION WILL BE OPENING TWO NEW
RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS IN THE REGION THAT FOCUS ON SUBSTANCE
ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH. THE PROGRAM IS CALLED GRIT, ONE WILL
OPEN IN THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD, AND THE OTHER IN HOLYOKE.
I SPOKE WITH CHRISTINE PALMIERI, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF RECOVERY &
HOUSING SERVICES AT MHA TO LEARN MORE.
>> IT'S BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE I THINK INITIALLY WE
ALL LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD HAVE KIND OF REACTED TO TRY TO
FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO MOVE FORWARD.
OUR SERVICES NEVER STOPPED SO WE DIDN'T REALLY SLOWED DOWN.
WE JUST HAD TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE WAY TO PROVIDE GOOD
AND SAFE CARE TO THE PEOPLE THAT WE SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE HAD TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND WE HAD TO DO A
LOT OF THINGS REMOTELY AS WE'RE DOING NOW BUT LIKE I SAID, YOU
KNOW, THE WORK CONTINUED. WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT
AND MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WE SUPPORT WERE SAFE, HAD
ACCESS TO THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEEDED DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE
REALLY COULDN'T DO A LOT OF FACE-TO-FACE.
>> TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF THE TWO NEW GRIT
PROGRAMS. AND I KNOW PART OF YOUR JOB IS
HOUSING, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS SERVICE THAT'S GOING TO BE
OFFERED. >> SURE.
SO WE HAVE ONE RESIDENTIAL RECOVERY PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN
OPERATING FOR ABOUT A YEAR THAT SERVES INDIVIDUALS WHO SUFFER
BOTH A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION AND IN EARLY RECOVERY FROM
ADDICTION AND WE ARE EXCITED TO BE OPENING TWO MORE PROGRAMS IN
THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, ONE RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM IS GOING TO
SERVE 16 YOUNG MEN WHO ARE AGED 18 TO 24 AND THE OTHER IS GOING
TO SERVE 16 ADULTS WHO IDENTIFY AS LGBTQ+.
>> AND WHERE WILL THOSE RESIDENTIAL HOMES BE LOCATED?
>> THE PROGRAM FOR YOUNG MEN IS IN SPRINGFIELD AND THE ONE IN
LGBTQ+ IS IN HOLYOKE. >> CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE GRIT
PROGRAM BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AS WELL AS
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND HOW THE PROGRAM KIND OF ADDRESSES BOTH
IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING. >> SURE.
SO WE BELIEVE VERY MUCH THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS BOTH
MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS AND ADDICTION AT THE SAME TIME,
TRADITIONALLY SERVICES HAVE BEEN REALLY PROVIDED TOWARD ONE OR
THE OTHER AND WE REALLY BELIEVE IN KIND OF AN INTEGRATED MODEL
OF SUPPORTING PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING BOTH CONDITIONS SO
WE HAVE CLINICIANS WHO ARE TRAINED BOTH IN MENTAL HEALTH
AND ALSO IN ADDICTION AND ALL OF OUR SUPPORT SERVICES AND ALL OF
OUR TRAINING AND ALL OF THE GROUPS THAT WE PROVIDE ARE
REALLY GEARED TOWARD A RECOGNITION OF BOTH CONDITIONS
AND HOW THEY INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER.
SO WE OFFER GROUPS THAT ARE RELATED TO COPING AND IT'S
COPING BOTH WITH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION BUT
ALSO HOW TO EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION WITHOUT USING
ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUGS SO IT'S A REALLY -- AN INTEGRATED WAY TO
PROVIDE SERVICES TO GIVE SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING BOTH CONDITIONS BY THE SAME TEAM IN THE SAME HOUSE.
>> HOW DID YOU MANAGE THAT FOR THE FIRST PLACE WHEN YOU OPENED
DURING COVID. WAS IT A LOT OF SORT OF REMOTE
COUNSELING AND DID THEY REMAIN IN THE HOME AS WELL?
>> YEAH, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH.
WE CAN'T PROVIDE RESIDENTS 24-HOUR RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS SO
WE CAN'T PROVIDE THE FACE-TO-FACE CARE REMOTELY.
WE HAD STAFF IN THE PROGRAMS 24/7/365.
THEY ARE A DEDICATED AND AMAZING GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO REALLY
PUT THE HEALTH AND THE SAFETY OF THE RESIDENTS ABOVE EVERYTHING
ELSE. SERVICES CONTINUED AND WE DIDN'T
STOP. WE THOUGHT A LITTLE BIT
DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING INTO THE PROGRAM
EVERY DAY AND WE THOUGHT ABOUT HOW TO MAKE SURE OUR STAFF ARE
PROTECTED AND OUR RESIDENTS ARE PROTECTED.
EVERYBODY HAD PPE AND, YOU KNOW, WE TRIED TO MANAGE SOCIAL
DISTANCING AS MUCH AS YOU CAN IN A HOUSE THAT SERVES 14 PEOPLE SO
WE DID THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE WAY WE PROVIDED SERVICES.
WHEN POSSIBLE WE DID THINGS REMOTELY BUT THE 24-HOUR CARE
WAS PROVIDED IN-PERSON BY OUR AMAZING STAFF TEAM.
>> AND HOW LONG DOES THE PROGRAM LAST FOR PEOPLE?
>> IT DEPENDS ON WHAT INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
IT'S NOT A TIM TIME-LIMITED SERVICE SO WE'VE HAD INDIVIDUALS
WHO HAVE COME AND SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE PROGRAM IN SEVERAL
MONTHS AND THEN WE HAD OTHERS WHO ARE STILL WITH THE PROGRAM
AFTER A YEAR. THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO HAVING
SOMEBODY TO GRADUATE IS TRYING TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE AND THAT
WAS SWIFTLY COVID AND TRYING TO FIND PEOPLE SAFE PLACES TO LIVE
AND APARTMENTS TO MOVE TO BUT THINGS ARE SETTLING DOWN LITTLE
BIT HERE SO WE'RE HAVING MORE PEOPLE MOVE OUT AND MORE PEOPLE
MOVE IN. >> TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
JUST THE FACT THAT WE HAD COVID-19 AND THERE'S SO MUCH
ISOLATION HOW HAS THIS AFFECTED PEOPLE WHO ARE STRUGGLING NOT
ONLY WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES BUT ALSO SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THE ISOLATION IS SOMETHING THAT'S
HELPFUL? >> ABSOLUTELY.
ISOLATION IS VERY CHALLENGING FOR ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, WHETHER
YOU EXPERIENCE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION OR ADDICTION OR NOT
AND IT'S EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S STRUGGLING SO I
THINK LIKE MOST PROVIDERS WE TRIED TO DO AS MUCH WE COULD
REMOTELY. YOU KNOW, WE KEPT CONNECTION
WITH EVERYBODY THAT WE SERVE IN THIS PROGRAM AND ACROSS OUR
CONTINUUM BY PHONE AS WE ARE DOING NOW VIA TELEHEALTH AND WE
DID FACE-TO-FACE VISITS, YOU KNOW, PRACTICING SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND WEARING PPE BECAUSE ISOLATION IS ABSOLUTELY
A TRIGGER FOR MANY PEOPLE FOR MANY THINGS SO, YOU KNOW, WE
RECOGNIZE THAT -- NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
AND NOT LESS SUPPORT SO, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAD TO THINK MORE
CREATIVELY HOW TO DO THAT AND A WAY THAT'S SAFE.
>> THAT'S A BIG CHALLENGE FOR EVERYBODY.
YOU STILL NEED THAT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU
CAN DO IT SAFELY. TELL ME ABOUT A TYPICAL DAY OF A
RESIDENCE. >> SURE.
IT'S A LONG DAY. FOLKS GET UP EARLY AND, YOU
KNOW, WE START EVERY DAY WITH KIND OF A CHECK-IN ABOUT WHAT
EVERYBODY'S PLANS ARE FOR THE DAY, WHAT THEY HOPE TO
ACCOMPLISH, EVERYBODY IS WORKING ON DIFFERENT THINGS SO SOME
PEOPLE MIGHT BE TRYING TO GET HOUSING AND SOME PEOPLE MIGHT BE
TRYING TO GET A JOB AND SOME PEOPLE MIGHT BE JUST TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO COPE IN A DIFFERENT WAY SO WE HAVE GROUPS
THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THERE'S 3 OR 4 GROUPS EVERY DAY, INDIVIDUAL
MEETINGS WITH THERAPISTS AND CLINICIANS THAT WE HAVE EMBEDDED
IN THE PROGRAM, INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO
PRESCRIBE MEDICATION. WE ALSO HAVE CARE COORDINATORS
WHO WORK WITH EVERY INDIVIDUAL KIND OF AN AFTERCARE PLAN OR
DISCHARGE PLAN SO WE'RE SETTING UP PEOPLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN
THEY LEAVE. SO IT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL DAY
OF GROUPS AND CONVERSATIONS AND MAKING SURE INDIVIDUALS HAVE THE
SKILLS THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE
COMMUNITY. >> AND CAN YOU TELL ME ANY OF
THOSE SUCCESS STORIES BECAUSE I KNOW FAMILIES WHO ARE STRUGGLING
WITH THIS RECOVERY IS LIFELONG AND THAT GRIP OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE
CAN SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO LOOSEN AND IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU
COULD SHARE THAT CAN GIVE PEOPLE HOPE WHO ARE IN THE THICK OF IT.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE AROUND PEOPLE WHO ARE
SUCCESSFUL. IT'S A STRUGGLE.
IT'S NOT THE ONLY ROAD. WE CALL THE PROGRAM GRIT TO BE
SUCCESSFUL ON THIS LIFELONG JOURNEY BUT WE HAVE WORKED WITH
MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COME THROUGH OUR PROGRAM AND LEARNED
SOME SKILLS IN ORDER TO THINK ABOUT THE WAY THEY COPE
DIFFERENTLY AND PEOPLE HAVE LEFT OUR PROGRAMS AND ARE LIVING
INDEPENDENTLY AND GET JOBS AND CONNECTED BACK WITH THEIR
FAMILIES. IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
IT'S NOT EASY BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
>> WHEN DO YOU MOVE PEOPLE IN? >> THE PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ADULTS
WE'RE HOPING IS GOING TO OPEN, HOPEFULLY, IN AUGUST WE'LL BE
ABLE TO -- PROBABLY THE LATER END OF AUGUST WE'LL START MOVING
PEOPLE IN AND THEN SEPTEMBER FOR THE LGBTQ.
>> AND PEOPLE JUST APPLY, THEY REACH OUT TO MHA AND SAY, YOU
KNOW, I'M INTERESTED IN THIS? THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF
PROCESS. >> ABSOLUTELY.
ANYBODY WHO IS INTERESTED OR HAVE QUESTIONS 1844MH WELL IS
THE PHONE NUMBER FOR OUR CENTRAL INTAKE PERSON AND SHE CAN ANSWER
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM. SHE CAN START THE KIND OF INTAKE
OR REFERRAL PROCESS AND GET PEOPLE TO THE PROGRAM THAT'S
RIGHT FOR THEM.