InvisALERT Solutions – ObservSMART

Archive for the ‘Spring 2020 Issue’ Category

Managing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue Through Self-Care Strategies

We care about our family members, close friends, our clients, our students, and many others in our lives. We experience their accomplishments and excitement as well as their struggles and despair. Because we care about others and want to do all that we can in their best interests, this relationship...

Supported Housing Saved My Life

This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors of this column facilitated a focus group of their peers to inform this writing. The authors are served by Services for...

Addressing the Psychological Fallout of The Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic in the United States has led to great efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and to prevent fatalities. But the problems that people will face due to the pandemic will go beyond medical issues. In addition, it will be important to address a variety of psychosocial...

Permanent Supportive Housing: A Foundation for Wellness and Recovery from Chronic Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions

Three years ago, Jeannette Lewis and her 16-year-old son spent Christmas in a homeless shelter in the Bronx. With a history of chronic substance use and a disability due to a traumatic brain injury, Ms. Lewis struggled to maintain stable housing and care for her family. Her two older sons no longer...

Housing as an Innovative Solution in Medicaid Redesign

As state leaders and stakeholders look to contain spending growth in New York’s Medicaid program, one proven way to a more cost-effective care system with better outcomes, is through supportive housing services for high-cost Medicaid recipients. Housing and health are deeply interconnected....

Investing in Whole Person Care in Supported Housing: Improving Health, Enhancing Recovery

At ICL, we offer a range of housing opportunities for people with serious mental illness – people who have been homeless, living in a shelter or on the streets, with long histories of mental health and substance use issues; some with HIV/AIDS; many from prison, state hospitals and adult homes....

Hoarding Disorder Condition: There Is Hope

Many wonder as to when collecting, saving and accumulating large quantities of things becomes a problem known as hoarding. When individuals collect items that are useless, is not functional to them or others, the individual rationalizes a need to have and are unable to let go of. So, when does a...

Four Considerations for Behavioral Healthcare Design

A well-designed healthcare environment is essential for successful treatment. This is especially true for the millions of vulnerable Americans utilizing behavioral healthcare and addiction treatment facilities. These spaces must be designed with treatment of the whole patient in mind. We adhere to...

Dr. John Ngai Named Director of NIH BRAIN Initiative

National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced today the selection of John J. Ngai, Ph.D., as director of the NIH’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Dr. Ngai is expected to join NIH in March. “The BRAIN...

Aging in Supportive Housing: One Fall Away from Institutionalization

Lucy is a 62-year-old woman who has lived in supportive housing for over a decade. She has been treated for bipolar I disorder and has a history of suicidality. Like many older adults with mental health challenges, Lucy has several chronic health problems which are monitored by her primary care...