NEIGHBORING staff member and husband selected as Volunteers of the Year

Congratulations to our very own Mary Jane Ruttinger and her husband Jim for being selected as the Volunteers of the Year by the Lake ADAMHS Board (http://www.helpthatworks.us/). Mary Jane and Jim repair, fix and rehab bicycles at no cost for people in need. A number of NEIGHBORING clients have been beneficiaries of their generous donations as well.

NEIGHBORING joins the Leadership Team for ACHIEVE in Lake County

In 2009, the Lake County General Health District was selected as 1 of 43 communities in the United States to receive funding from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to initiate this project to improve the overall health of citizens in our community, focusing on nutrition and physical activity. (Action Communities for Health, Innovation & EnVironmental ChangE)

Read More:
Lake County, Ohio ACHIEVE – www.lakecountyohio.gov/achieve
National ACHIEVE – www.achievecommunities.org

NEIGHBORING is the 2009 Organization of the Year

At the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce 44th Annual Awards Banquet (March 11, 2009), NEIGHBORING was honored as the 2009 Organization of the Year. The Chamber chose NEIGHBORING as Organization of the Year for the commitments staff members have made outside of their dedication to adults with mental illnesses and drug and alcohol addictions. More than half of the 99 workers there are known to volunteer with United Way, serve on nonprofit boards and lend their time to activities at churches all over the area.

Read More:
NEIGHBORING was recognized for its award in the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce - MACC newsletter and the News-Herald.

NEIGHBORING Receives 2008 SAMHSA Award

In 2008, NEIGHBORING received a Co-Occuring Disorders Service Award from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for its implementation of the evidence-based Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT) model, with training and consultation from Ohio's newly formed Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Coordinating Center of Excellence (SAMI CCOE). 

Annual independent Fidelity Reviews conducted by the SAMI CCOE have confirmed NEIGHBORING's strong implementation of IDDT.  Fidelity ratings have increased for four consecutive years, with our most recent scores averaging 4.45 on the 5 point scale.

Sustaining this level of fidelity has led the program's clients to attain significant improvements in community functioning. These areas included lower hospitalization rates, stability of housing, lowered rates of incarceration, increased employment and school participation, and symptom reduction. A sustained stage-wise treatment approach has supported consumers with building their internal motivation for change, their hope and confidence in their ability to reach personal recovery goals, and their transition to becoming more productive members of their communities.

SAMHSA's Science and Service Awards are non-monetary awards designed to recognize community-based organizations and coalitions that have successfully implemented one or more recognized evidence-based interventions.

Awards are bestowed in five categories:

For additional details regarding SAMHSA Science and Service Awards visit www.samhsa.gov/scienceandservice/cod2008.aspx

NEIGHBORING named the 2008 recipient of the Ohio SAMI CCOE's third annual Lynn Goff Spirit of Integrated Treatment Award

Now in its third year, The Lynn Goff Spirit of Integrated Treatment Award has become an annual tribute to a service organization that consistently goes above and beyond the expectations of the Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) model and, in doing so, raises the standard of exceptional care.

A few years back, the city of Painesville had a population of homeless people stationed in its town square. To find a solution that was both sensitive and helpful to all, including the homeless, the local United Way convened a group of community service organizations and other stakeholders.

NEIGHBORING and its IDDT team began collaborating with 12 other organizations in a new assertive-outreach initiative that would benefit the city and the homeless. This initiative illustrates one of the reasons why NEIGHBORING is the 2008 recipient of the Ohio SAMI CCOE’s third annual Lynn Goff Spirit of Integrated Treatment Award.

To read the full story visit:
www.ohiosamiccoe.case.edu/news/2008/09/neighboringprofile.html

Mental Health Agency Honors Sheriff, Judge

News-Herald article from June 29, 2009 - Click to read. PDF