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On the beautiful Thanksgiving Day, I want to reach out and send blessings for a joyful time with your friends and family, an abundance of delicious food, and hopes for a healthy, sweet year ahead.

Our family just returned from a Thanksgiving morning tradition where we provide food to the homeless in Berkeley.  When we talk to the individuals we meet sleeping in the park, I often think of the incredible things you do every day on behalf of those we serve, and I feel very grateful for your work. Last year, we served over 35,000 individuals at �黨ɫ��Ƭ, including older adults, adults, and kids, helping them to re-build and re-imagine their futures. You worked with them to reduce the harm in their lives, make healthier choices and re-gain a spirit of hope. You did this with tremendous heart and teamwork, implementing all the evidenced based practice available to you, including �黨ɫ��Ƭ’s recovery centered clinical system (RCCS).

In the book the Prophet, which I am reading this holiday, the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran writes, “Work is love made visible….It is to charge all things you fashion, with a breath of your own spirit.” On this Thanksgiving Day, I am thinking of you and am very grateful for the passion and spirit you bring to our work, and all the ways you reach to advance our mission of recovery and excellence.

Happy Thanksgiving and warmest regards from our family to yours,
Anne

Submitted by: Teresa E. Thomas, Ph.D.
Clinical Director / Garfield Neurobehavioral Center

On October 22, 2014, received an award by the Oakland City Council and the mayor for our community work in sponsoring monthly neighborhood clean ups. Each month, many of our staff and residents walk through our Garfield neighborhood and help to clean up the streets of Oakland. This helps us to be good neighbors and our residents love helping to beautify our community. We were all honored to have been selected.

Thank you to our awesome team at Garfield!

By Peter Olson
Wellness Committee Co-Chair /

EMBARGOED RELEASE: October 23, 2014; 09:00 a.m. EDT

GLADMAN MENTAL HEALTH REHABILITATION CENTER COMMITS TO SERVING MEAT AND POULTRY WITHOUT UNNECESSARY ANTIBIOTICS
JOINS 400+ HOSPITALS IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS

Oakland, California — On October 24, 2014, Gladman Hospital served meals that featured poultry raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics.

Joined alongside Health Care Without Harm and more than 400 other hospitals across the country, Gladman Hospital celebrated National Food Day through its efforts to eliminate the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture and build a healthy, sustainable food supply.

“At Gladman, we treat the entire person and help them in their recovery. Food is obviously a very important factor,” said Gladman Chief Administrator David Damschen. “As healers, we have an obligation to do no harm and to take the longer view of what supports health, in the individual and in the communities to which they - that is, we, belong. That’s why we’re joining in this National Food Day celebration and the sustainable practices being highlighted.”

The connection between the unnecessary use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and antibiotic resistance in humans is a major concern among health experts. Four times the amount of antibiotics are used for industrial animal agriculture (29 million pounds) compared to human medicine (seven million pounds). This overuse in animals contributes to antibiotic resistant “superbugs”. These superbugs are responsible for 23,000 deaths each year, eight million hospital stays, and $55 billion in health costs and lost productivity.

“In order to solve the growing antibiotic resistance crisis in medicine we need to transform animal agriculture,” said Gary Cohen, President and Co-Founder of Health Care Without Harm. “Hospitals - like Gladman and others participating in Food Day, can lead this transformation by using their purchasing power to serve healthier food to their patients and employees as well as drive healthy, sustainable practices in the communities they serve.”

Across the country on National Food Day alone, participating hospitals collectively spent $87,000 on 9,000 pounds of chicken, 6,300 pounds of beef, and 2,700 pounds of pork and other meats that are raised without non-therapeutic antibiotics. The majority of these facilities serve these healthier options every day, and amplified over the course of a year, this represents more than 26 million meals and $32 million spent on more sustainably-raised meat and poultry.

“We’re thrilled to have so many hospitals across the country join in Food Day this year,” said Lilia Smelkova, Food Day Campaign Manager. “Conditions on large factory farms are causing significant human and environmental health problems, and this type of market-based advocacy sends a direct message to meat and poultry producers that these practices need to change.”

About Health Care Without Harm
Heath Care Without Harm works to transform the health sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it becomes ecologically sustainable and a leading advocate for environmental health and justice.

About Food Day
National Food Day inspires Americans to change their diets and our food policies. Every October 24th, thousands of events around the country bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies.

About the Calculations
Participating hospitals provided the estimated number of pounds of meat and poultry raised without routine antibiotics to be served in cafeterias and/or patient meals on Food Day (October 24), as well as their total cost. The total number of meals was estimated using the standard meat protein serving size reported in hospitals of 4oz (raw) / 3oz (cooked). This serving is also in line with USDA MyPlate Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommendations to consume less than an average of 5.5oz of meat equivalent daily for individuals over 9 years of age.

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The involvement of Gladman MHRC in celebrating National Food Day grew out of our Wellness Committee getting in touch with Health Care Without Harm. They represent a growing body of healthcare facilities looking to support more sustainable and responsible food systems, with a particular focus on the dangerous non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in meat production. National food Day is just one, eye-catching, step in our process.

Gladman’s Wellness Committee is co-chaired by Peter Olson and Daisy Slader, ADON (Assistant Director of Nursing).

By Norma Bermudez
Admin & HR Assistant / �黨ɫ��Ƭ San Bernardino ACT & MAPS & IEHP

(Assertive Community Treatment), San Bernardino MAPS (Members Assertive Positive Solutions) and IEHP (Inland Empire Health Plan) recently held two fundraisers for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

One was a Rummage Sale where staff and members participated by donating items for the sale. Members made the signs and we raised close to $400.

We also had a Bake Sale/Auction. Staff participated in the baked goods auction by bringing baked items to be auctioned off. The bidding “war” lasted two hours. It was a fun way to raise money.

By Rendell Requiro
Senior IT Solution Architect / �黨ɫ��Ƭ

Image: Netsmart Technologies via Flickr

 at the Hilton Anaheim was a rockin’ success. This year’s event held Oct. 6-9, 2014, was packed with more than 140 sessions and 200 speakers. Over 1,000 client agencies attended this year’s event.

Attendees from �黨ɫ��Ƭ IT were Megan Andrews, Bob Guyer, and Rendell Requiro.

Rendell Requiro co-presented a session (with Mark Winslow, County of Fresno) entitled Interoperability within California – Current and Future Plans.

The session description follows:

This session will cover current and planned interoperability projects in the California market. A current inventory of County to Provider and myAvatar to HIE projects will be discussed. Current and future plans for integration of CareConnect Referrals capability with myAvatar will also be covered.

The session was well attended with nearly 50 County and Provider staff providing lively discussion and counterpoint throughout the presentation. The primary takeaway was the importance of the LA County DMH web services and 837 data interchange project currently underway with LA County and many of its Contract Providers, including �黨ɫ��Ƭ.

Lastly, I wanted to announce that I was named Chair of the Avatar National User Group, representing myAvatar users across the United States (States, Counties, and Community-Based Organizations) to Netsmart Executive Management. This one-year term will culminate at Netsmart CONNECTIONS2015 in Washington, DC.