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Page 1July 2011In This IssueSay Cheese!Submitted by WestCare Florida StaffThis photograph represents:A. PowerBall winners celebrating?Page 2“Uplifting the Human Spirit” in Key WestJuly Flower of the Month – Delphinium(Mike Lavin has the ticket inhis mouth).Page 3WestCare Makes an Early Impression inthe Volunteer StateTennessee Governor Signs “I Hate Meth Act”B. The 2011-2012 cast of “Glee?”C. Frank Rabbito’s Florida/Caribbean Leadership Teamsat a 2-day meeting in Miami?Page 4Happy 4th of JulyFLORIDA COMMUNITY COUNCIL SPOTLIGHTGuidance/Care Center Honors CommunityCouncil Member Janine GedminBy Patricia-Ann Unferth – Executive AssistantThe Guidance/Care Center’s CommunityCouncil honored Janine Gedmin for her manyyears of service to the agency and MonroeCounty children and families.Even as she was honored, she stated “Childrenare often voiceless victims, silent in the faceof their oppression and abuse. If there is onething I can ask, it is that you keep on doing it!”We wish Janine well on her new journey inretirement and thank her again for her manyyears of service to GCC and to our Florida Keyscommunity.Page 1COMMUNITY COUNCIL SPOTLIGHTGuidance/Care Center Honors CommunityCouncil member Janine GedminPage 5AZ Hosts Veterans Roundtable WorkshopOfficials Say Reformulation of OxyContinHas Increased Interest in Abuse of OtherNarcoticsPage 6Prevention Coalition and High SchoolPresent: Boulder City Behind the ScenesGirls with ADHD More Likely Than Boysto Abuse Alcohol or DrugsPage 7Taking a Minute to “Check In” with KathyGubbinsImmersion Training at SheridanPage 8Immersion Training at Sheridan (Con’t)Thought for the MonthPage 9“From the Penthouse to the Outhouse,”a Former NBA Player Tells WC Clients HisOwn Story of Heartache and HopePage 10SJVV Reaching Out to Veterans in Tent CityArmy Takes Steps to Curb PrescriptionDrug AbusePage 11July CalendarArmy Takes Steps to Curb PrescriptionDrug Abuse (continued from pg 10)Page 12WestCare Wellness WatchPage 13July is National Blueberry Month!
July 2011“Uplifting the Human Spirit” in Key WestBy Larry Prescott – Site Director/ KOTS initiativeAinvaluable in terms of reminding students thatSpirit” as WestCare’s motto and our sharedwe are talking about human lives and that thegoal not only for clients, but for staff as well.work they will be doing will be life-savingThrough its many programs, WestCare stafffor many. I also find that teaching theseexemplifies this commitment every day incourses helps me to stay on top of the latesta variety of ways and settings. We highlightdevelopments and research in the field. Isome of those ways in this issue with thereally enjoy teaching.”ll of us are aware of “Uplifting the Humanwork of Larry Prescott and Daniela MenardiFloridaIn addition to his other duties, Larry isof WestCare’s Guidance Care Center in Keyalso on the Mayor’s Committee forWest. Larry is our Site Director in Key West, asHomelessness in Key West and superviseswell as the Director of the Addiction StudiesGCC/WestCare’s KOTS initiative. KOTS,Program at Florida Keys Community College.Keys Overnight Temporary Shelter, is aDaniela is a therapist and Certified Yogaprogram in conjunction with the FloridaInstructor and practitioner at GCC, as well asKeys Outreach Coalition, where homelesshaving a private practice. In addition to theirindividuals in the Lower Keys spend theclinical work, they are the sole instructors fornight from 7pm until 7am. On any giventhe Addiction Studies Program. Since 1994,night, there are approximately 150they have helped over 100 students attainhomeless adults who receive help fromtheir Certificate in Addiction Studies andGCC in attaining identification, birthbecome certified addictions and mental healthcertificates, mental health and substanceprofessionals. The Program consists of 39abuse counseling, housing placement,college credits with coursework in substanceassessments, medical referrals, andabuse and mental health with studentspsychiatric services. “I was really surprisedattending classes on weekends. “I neverto see so many individuals who wereimagined that when we started the Programpreviously self sufficient who, because ofthat it would become so popular and reachthe economy, have now become homeless.so many people. It has been wonderful to seeThese are people who never imagined thatthe community support, not only from thethey would be in this type of situation.College, but agencies such as WestCare,” saidBeing able to help them help themselvesLarry. “It is difficult to find a human serviceswith the services we provide is extremelyagency in the Keys that does not employ atrewarding.” “The KOTS Program has shownleast one of our graduates.” Daniela agreedme that when we are Uplifting the Human Spiritand related, “For me, the ability to bring realof another; we are also upliftingclinical experiences into the classroom isour own.”Flower of the Month: DelphiniumWith its lush, dolphin-shaped flowers, theaptly named delphinium – or larkspur – symbolizesan open heart and ardent attachment. Alsosignifying a feeling of lightness and levity, thegentle hues and refreshing fragrance of thissummer birth flower give it a refreshing anddistinctive natural beauty.2
July 2011WestCare Makes an Early Impression in the Volunteer StateBy Leslie Wilson – Coordinator-Rural Health NetworkWestCare was invited to Hancock County in 2009 by the Hancock County Substance Abuse CoalitionTennesseein an effort to help address the community’s increasing need for substance abuse prevention. Throughcollaboration with local agencies, the Hancock County Rural Health Network was formed and awardeda one-year HRSA Network Planning Grant that began in early 2010. Since that time, the Network hasformed a Board of Directors, created and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, and WestCareTennessee has been formed as an independent affiliate of WestCare Foundation, Inc. Some projectscompleted throughout the planning grant have included a Community Needs Assessment, a ProgramMapping Project, an Information Technology Readiness Assessment, and a Network Sustainability Plan.Under the leadership of WestCare’s Jenifer Noland as Project Director, and Leslie Wilson as NetworkCoordinator, the Hancock County Rural Health Network has been awarded a three-year HRSA NetworkDevelopment Grant to continue the work of the planninggrant. Over the next three years, we plan to open aCommunity Involvement Center to offer licensedoutpatient treatment services and ancillary educationalservices to the community. We will further integratesubstance abuse treatment services into primary care byuse of Tele-Health services. Additional programs andtraining that are planned for network members includeMental Health First Aid and use of the SBIRT (Screening,Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment). A lot ofexciting things are happening in Tennessee!Tennessee Governor Signs “I Hate Meth Act”TBy Join Together Staff – June 9, 2011ennessee Governor Bill Haslam has signed. . . The Tennessean reports. Pseudoephedrine, athe “I Hate Meth Act,” which classifies preparingkey ingredient in many cold medicines, is also usedmethamphetamine in front of a child as aggravatedto make meth.child endangerment.The new law also bans pharmacies from sellingMore than 2,000 meth labs were shut down inTennessee last year and 484 children were removedmore than 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine per dayfrom homes in meth-related incidents, theor more than 9 grams per 30-day period to onenewspaper reports.person, unless he or she has a valid prescription,Currently the state requires consumers to showa photo ID and give their name and address to apharmacist before purchasing pseudoephedrine.That practice will continue under the new law.Pharmacies now log information onpseudoephedrine into their computer systemsand there is a lag of six to eight weeks before lawenforcement receives the information. Under thenew law, pharmacies will have to log informationon pseudoephedrine sales at least daily to theTennessee Meth Information System database.3
July 2011Happy Birthday America!On July 4, 1776, we claimed ourand family gatherings. Through theindependence from Britain and DemocracyInternet, we are learning about andwas born. Every day, thousands leave theircommunicating with people of differenthomeland to come to the “land of the freenations, with different languages andand the home of the brave” so they candifferent races throughout the world.begin their American Dream.Bringing the world closer with understandingThe United States is truly a diverse nationand knowledge can only benefit all nations.made up of dynamic people. Each year onWe invite all nations to celebrate withJuly 4, Americans celebrate that freedomAmericans online this Fourth of July.and independence with barbecues, picnics,July 4th 2011Independence DayHappy Birthday, America!Time to Heat Up the Grill!Rib Eye with Garlic-Thyme MarinadeCourtesy: marthastewart.comYou can also try this recipe with different cuts of meat: strip, T-bone, porterhouse, or tenderloin.Prep Time 10 minutes Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes Yield ServesIngredients 2 tablespoons olive oil,plus more for grates 6 cloves garlic, smashedand coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons (about 15 sprigs)fresh thyme leaves 2 rib-eye steaks, each about1 pound and about1 1/2 inches thickDirections1. In a medium baking dish (or bowl), combine oil, garlic,and thyme. Add steaks, and turn to coat. Cover dish andrefrigerate; let marinate, turning steaks occasionally,at least 1 hour and up to overnight.2. Heat grill to medium-high; lightly oil grates. Remove steak from marinade,letting excess drip off (discard marinade); season with salt and pepper.Place steak on grill; cover. Cook, turning once, until meat is desireddoneness, 12 to 16 minutes for medium-rare. Coarse salt and pepper4
July 2011Arizona Hosts Veterans RoundtableBy Tracy Stevens – Area ManagerWorkshopOn Saturday, June 18th, WestCare Arizonain foster homes rather than in group shelter home-hosted a Veterans Roundtable Workshop atlike environments. Arizona has been looking atKingman Regional Medical Center in Kingman,different options and programming for the facilityAZ. Discussions were spearheaded by CEO Dickand began pursuing and building relationshipsSteinberg and SR VP of Veterans Services, Judiwith various local veterans organizations overKosterman. There were over a dozen veterans in9-months ago. The vacant CRRYS facility wouldattendance including: representatives fromseem to be an ideal location and setting for someWestCare Foundation, WC Arizona’s Communitytype of veterans housing and services.Council, the Commander of the local KoreanAfter watching a short video produced by theWar Veterans Association, a young Army vet fromorganization, “Grace After Fire,” and discussionOperation Iraqi Freedom, a female Navy vet, andabout the different needs of female and male vets,three veterans who currently work for the Arizonaa consensus of the workshop attendees felt theState Department of Veterans Services offices inCRRYS location would be ideal for female veteransKingman and Lake Havasu.services, particularly women and children/families.The group held a lively discussion centered onand that committee will meet in the next 2-3Tri-State area, as well as provided input as to whatweeks at the CRRYS facility and begin formulatingthey perceive are needed priority services. Everyonea plan to move forward. Arizona is hoping thatat the table agreed that there is a need for housingour goal to bring veterans services to the Tri-Statefor male vets, however accommodating female vetsarea with the support, input and dedication fromwith children/families is also a very big issue.Veteran’s organizations will become a reality in thefacility in Mohave Valley which formerly housed(Left to right) Foundation Board memberBill Porter, WC consultant Frank Lemus,Sr. VP Maurice Lee, CEO Dick Steinberg,and Alicia Porome-Arizona Dept. ofVeterans Services.A technical assistance committee was identifiedwhat services for veterans are lacking in theArizona currently has a vacant 10,000 sq. footArizonaMark Doyle-Arizona Dept. of VeteransServices, and Judi Kosterman-WestCareSr. VP.near future.WestCare Arizona holds the belief that is truehomeless and runaway youth. The Colorado Riveracross the WestCare world that, together, we canRegional Youth Shelter (CRRYS) suspended servicesmake a difference in the lives of others includingin 2009 due to State funding cuts and a shift in theour veterans who have made a difference forState’s philosophy determining to house childrenall of us!Bill Ekstrom-WC Arizona Board Chair,and Commander William Gilfoil-KoreanWar Veterans Association.Officials Say Reformulation of OxyContin Has IncreasedInterest in Abuse of Other Narcotics By Join Together Staff – June 16, 2011Now that OxyContin has been reformulatedto make the opioid harder to snort, inject or chew,led to many overdose deaths.Now that the maker of the drug, Purdue Pharma, 20 to 30, the article states.The Food and Drug Administration is requiringThe New York Times reports that demand for otherhas made it more difficult to abuse, demand hasPurdue Pharma to conduct clinical trials of the newnarcotics has increased.risen for pure oxycodone pills in a 30-milligramversion of OxyContin, called OxyContin OP, beforedose, according to the article. Another time-releasethe company can say that it is less prone to abuse.OxyContin is designed to slowly release its mainingredient, oxycodone, over the course of 12 hours.painkiller, Opana, is also becoming more popularBut after it was introduced in 1996, people beganas a drug of abuse. Police and rehab centers alsochewing, or crushing and then snorting orreport a sharp rise in heroin use.injecting the drug, to get an instant high. SomeWhile the old formulation of OxyContin soldareas of the country have seen high rates offor as much as 80 per 80-milligram pill on theOxyContin addiction, and abuse of the drug hasstreet, a 30-milligram tablet of oxycodone sells for5
July 2011Prevention Coalition and High SchoolPresent: Boulder City Behind the ScenesIBy Polly Keene – Prevention Specialist andAlyson Martinez – CoordinatorCommunity Involvement Center, WestCare Nevadan the beginning of this year, Boulder City HighJermaine Wroten-Outreach Worker, andPolly Keene-Prevention Specialistand Illicit Substances, Marijuana, andSchool administration asked Nevada CommunitiesDiscrimination. The presentationsPrevention Coalition (NCPC) to meet with some ofwere completely researched andtheir students to find out what challenges they facedeveloped by the Boulder Cityin their school, at home and in their community.Breakfast Club. In addition to theAs representatives of NCPC, Polly Keene,subjects listed above, they alsoCommunity Involvement Center’s Preventioninitiated a school-wide projectSpecialist and Jermaine Wroten, Communitywhere they gave each student, inInvolvement Center’s Outreach Worker, set up aevery English class, a slip of papertime to meet twice a month during school hoursthat read, “If you only knew me,with a group of 10 students who were selected byyou would know . . .” The idea wasthe staff. These students all had diverse lifestylesto get kids to tell their parents,in and out of school. As a result, the Boulder Cityanonymously, what they could notBreakfast Club (BCBC) was formed.tell them in person. There wereBy the end of the second BCBC meeting,Nevadasome riveting responses to theeveryone in attendance came to the same“If you only knew me, you would know . . .”conclusion: that they did not have to gripe aboutproject and many of the responses were read onproblems and challenges that they face, insteadparent night. One in particular read, “If you reallythey could do something about them. Theyknew me, you would know that most nights I cryrealized they would also need the support of theirmyself to sleep because my father drinks and isparents. To have the parents as a part of thealways angry.” It was an enlightening and humblingsolution, first they would have to understandnight for all who attended.the problem. From that, Boulder City Behind theThe BCBC has decided to continue their work inScenes was developed as a night when studentsthe 2011-2012 school year and to increase the sizewould educate their parents.and diversity of the group. It should prove to be anThe four subjects that the BCBC chose tointeresting school year as they develop more infor-present on were: Alcohol & Partying, Prescriptionmation to teach their parents and the community.Girls with ADHD More Likely ThanBoys to Abuse Alcohol or DrugsABy Join Together Staff – June 14, 2011new study suggests that girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are moreillegal drug use at age 14.By age 17 ½, parents’ reports of teens’likely than boys with ADHD to abuse drugs andinattentiveness and hyperactivity were significantalcohol.predictors of frequent alcohol use in both boys andUPI reports that the Finnish study included1,545 teens, and found that ADHD symptomsgirls, but the findings were more predictive in girls.The study was presented this week at thewere less common among girls than among boys.symposium of European Society for Child andAmong girls, but not boys, having ADHDAdolescent Psychiatry in Helsinki, Finland bysymptoms at age 11 or 12 was a significantresearchers at the University of Helsinki andpredictor of alcohol abuse and dependence andUniversity of Jyväskylä, Finland.6
July 2011Taking a Minute to “Check In” with Kathy GubbinsBy Charlene Hamann – Recreation TherapistToday we “Check In” with WestCare Sheridan’sclinical manager. Kathy knew that SCC and thein 8th grade putting together floral arrangementsKathy Gubbins to welcome her as the new clinicalprogram here is so unKathy knew that SCC and thefor a local florist and also making pizzas for themanager. Kathy comes to the WestCare family withprogram here are so unique and have such aneighborhood pizza parlor. We want to welcomea variety of clinical experience. With a solid back-nationwide impact, she wanted to return. “I literallyKathy to our Sheridan WestCare team as herground in counseling psychology, and thinking, asthink we are making history here and I wanted todedication to this field, expertise and new ideas aremany do when we all start out, that she would bebe part of that again,” she said enthusiastically.truly going to be a wonderful and much appreci-working with children, Kathy never went that route.Kathy is an LCPC (Licensed Clinical ProfessionalInstead, she focused her work in the communityCounselor) and has also served as a chairman for themental health area with the belief that serviceshomeless coalition for west Cook County. Sheshould be open to all, not only to the ones whovolunteered her time in college on a suicide hotline,could afford it or to the ones with healthcarewhich originally directed her toward the counselingbenefits. Kathy especially enjoyed working with thefield. Some other areas that round out Kathy’s non-chronically mentally ill population. She believes inwork life include golf (although she says she “isn’thelping people be the best they can be.good at it”). She enjoys participating in the gameFrom the community mental health sector, Kathymystery novels and is looking to replace the loss offinally, to director of a mental health center for 18an 18-year-old Labrador with a dog that resemblessuburbs in western Cook County. She then movedthe one in the “Caesar” dog food commercial.SCC project statewide.Illinoisa couple of times per week. She also loves to readwent from counselor to manager to supervisor and,on to Safer Foundation and was the director for theated asset.An odd fact Kathy shared was that when she was5 years old she and her family endured a “Nor’easterKathy was responsible for bringing the job fairHurricane.” During this storm, huge trees in bothinto the prison. Kathy then left Safer and SCC for athe fr
Kingman Regional Medical Center in Kingman, AZ. Discussions were spearheaded by CEO Dick Steinberg and SR VP of Veterans Services, Judi Kosterman. There were over a dozen veterans in attendance including: representatives from WestCare Foundation, WC Arizo
