Fellowship Place Board Member, Daniel Koenigsberg, MD, awarded 2012 NAMI Exemplary Psychiatrist Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 25, 2012

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has honored Fellowship Place Board Member, Daniel Koenigsberg, MD, as a recipient of their 2012 NAMI Exemplary Psychiatrist Award. He is recognized for his substantial contributions to NAMI activities in providing treatment to those with mental illness, educating families and the public about mental illness, and his efforts to eliminate prejudice and discrimination for those with mental illness. One of 15 Psychiatrists honored, and the only one from Connecticut, Dr. Koenigsberg received the honor at a special ceremony during the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May 2012.

Dr. Koenigsberg is the Former Chairman of the Dept. of Psychiatry at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, CT and Associate Clinical Professor, Yale Medical School. As a member of the Board of Directors of Fellowship Place, a non-profit that provides psychosocial rehabilitation services and supported housing for adults with chronic mental illness, Dr. Koenigsberg has served on numerous Board committees as both Chair and member. He is a strong advocate for community based mental health programs and has worked with other members of the Fellowship Board to preserve state funding for supported housing, access to medication, and other services. “We are proud of his contributions as a member of our Board” states Fellowship Place Executive Director, Mary A. Guerrera, “his tireless efforts in our community to improve the quality of life for those with mental illness, and his dedication to educating family members and the public about mental illness.”

“I was pleased to be acknowledged by the preeminent mental health patient advocacy group in the US at its annual meeting in Washington DC,” says Dr. Koenigsberg, “having spent a career developing programs for the mentally ill and promoting access to care more broadly, it was particularly gratifying to be recognized by this distinguished organization.”
According to the NAMI Connecticut website, NAMI is the nation’s leading grassroots family and consumer organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with serious mental illnesses and their families, NAMI-CT is now the strongest family and consumer organization in the state, serving thousands of people and promoting community health and awareness.

For over a half century Fellowship Place has provided critical services to adults suffering from chronic mental illness in our community. On a campus setting in downtown New Haven, nearly 600 people are served annually. We are the only agency of its kind in the greater New Haven area supporting the severely mentally ill population 7 days a week, 365 days per year, offering a comprehensive program of supportive services that include Employment Services, Supported Housing, Supported Education, Social Rehabilitation, Homeless Engagement and CREST, an alternative to incarceration program. For more information about Fellowship Place, please visit www.fellowshipplace.org or contact Melissa Holroyd, Development Director, (203) 401-4227 x1211 or mholroyd@fellowshipplace.org.

Fellowship Place helps the Dwight Central Management Team celebrate 20 years of Community Building

On Saturday, June 16th, Fellowship Place participated in the Dwight Central Management Team’s (DCMT) 20th Annual Community Family Festival. To help mark the special anniversary during the festival, Fellowship Place staff hosted a mural table where children in the community, along with their parents, were able to contribute their own very special works of art. As a community-building tool, the mural project was a resounding success with over 50 individuals, children and parents, contributing to the nearly 15 foot long piece. The children worked side by side in creating their own personal tributes as part of the whole, so engaged in their work and connected with the other children contributing alongside them, many stopped only for lunch and then returned to complete their pieces. The finished mural will hang in the DCMT’s office at Amistad Academy.

DCMT hosts the annual festival to bring together and honor the diverse members of our community. This year’s event, hailed as a huge success, included involvement from local community partners such as Yale New Haven Hospital, Hospital of St. Raphael, Stop & Shop, The Connection Inc., and Fellowship Place.

Young Adult Program Sparks Community Interest

To meet the needs of a growing number of young adults coming through our doors, in March 2010 Fellowship Place utilized private funding support to develop specialized services for adults, ages 18-25 who suffer from mental illness. This program helps young people connect with their peers and engage in positive activities. They are encouraged to assess their interests and plan for their futures, through building healthy relationships, developing life skills, & exploring the community. The group meets 4 days a week. Weekly programs vary and are planned by the young adults and a Staff Facilitator. The Calendar includes dinner, pool, ping-pong, trips to the mall, museum, library and zoo, grocery shopping and healthy cooking lessons, pizza in the park, an HIV educational presentation, peer group discussions, and holiday themed events.

The successful implementation and popularity of the program has sparked further interest from the community, resulting in a collaboration with Community Services Network in New Haven to establish a Young Adult Services work group, co-chaired by Fellowship Place’s Executive Director and Carolyn O’Keefe, from the Connecticut Mental Health Center. This group is working on the development of training for professionals working with young adults and identifying the most effective ways of engaging the population.

Smoking Cessation Program

Fellowship Place has partnered with Communicare, Inc. to offer smoking cessation services. The program is designed to focus on key issues related to smoking, such as health and wellness and financial issues. The program offers two levels of support, Kicking Butts for those who are ready to quit and Learning about Healthy Living for those who might not yet be ready to change their tobacco usage, but may have some interest in learning more about tobacco use, how it affects them, and ways they can lead a healthier life.

Program participants are eligible to receive smoking reduction resources such as over the counter drugs & prescribed aids at little or no cost. The agency is proud of the program’s first year results: 33 individuals participated in a quitters group, of this group, 12 people reduced smoking and 5 stopped smoking. This program is funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

State Bond Commission Approves Release of Bond Funds

On February 24, 2011, the State Bond Commission approved the release of $1 million in bond funds for the renovation of Fellowship’s main program building. Groundbreaking will commence in summer 2011. Construction is expected to take approximately 6 months. During renovations, all programs will continue to operate from temporary quarters located at 48 Howe Street in New Haven.

Finalist for Citizens Service Before Self Award

In April 2011 Fellowship Place founder Phyllis McDowell was selected as one of 20 finalists for the Citizens Service Before Self Award, for her efforts to develop a social program for people with serious mental illness that eventually evolved into Fellowship Place, an agency that provides a broad range of support and rehabilitation services, including housing, vocational services, case management, and counseling to adults recovering from mental illness. Citizen Service Before Self Honors are given out by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, to individuals who have demonstrated courage and selfless service in their civilian lives, a nominee’s actions must epitomize the concept of “service before self and must be performed “above and beyond” one’s professional area of responsibility or conduct. Hundreds of nominations were received from all over the country. McDowell has devoted her life to the organization which today, in its 50th year of existence, serves more than 600 individuals per year. McDowell continues to be an inspiration and a credit to the state of Connecticut and to her fellow Americans.