TASC News
Mental Health Court Graduates Honored
(Chicago, November) The spirit of joy and accomplishment filled a Cook County courtroom at a recent Mental Health Court graduation ceremony. Sixteen graduates, their families, and supporters gathered to celebrate the graduates' successful completion of the mental health court program and to bid farewell to the life that initially drew them to the courtroom.
"I'd like to thank the TASC workers—Pam, Dion, and Kyle—and Officer Hargon and Judge Crane, for their relentless work and sincere concern through my transition from addiction and drug use to sobriety," said one of the mental health court graduates.
"I'm nervous because I never thought I'd see this day,” said another. “God sent angels in my life who believed in me until I learned to believe in myself."
Under the direction of Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division Paul P. Biebel Jr., the Cook County Mental Health Court program offers mentally-ill offenders medical treatment, intense supervision, classes, and other services to help them address their substance use and mental health issues. Participants work closely with the mental health court team—which is comprised of judges, lawyers (e.g., a prosecutor and public defender), probation officers, social workers, and mental health advocates—to help prepare for a life free of drugs and crime.
The program also features case management and client advocacy through TASC so that participants will learn responsibility and self-sufficiency.
"Everything this program has given me are tools I can use throughout my life,” said a third graduate.
Other speakers at the graduation included Judge Biebel, Mental Health Court Judge Clayton Crane, Mental Health Court Judge Thomas Gainer, State's Attorney's Drug Program Coordinator Mark Kammerer, Mental Health Court Probation Officer Michelle Hargon, and the very first graduate of the Cook County Mental Health Court.
To date, the Cook County Mental Health Court program has had 40 graduates since its inception in April of 2004.
TASC Vice President Appointed IADDA Vice Chair
(Chicago, October) TASC Vice President Peter Palanca has been elected to serve as vice chair of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA). IADDA represents substance abuse prevention and treatment providers across the state, and advocates for sound public policy to create healthier families and safer communities. TASC has been an active member of IADDA for more than 20 years.
Mr. Palanca also serves as the chair for the Governors State University Addictions Studies Advisory Board and board member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. He holds a faculty appointment at Governors State University where he is a senior lecturer in the College of Health and Human Services.
(Chicago, October) TASC Mental Health Court Supervisor Al Pizza served as an expert panelist for a workshop at the 60th Institute on Psychiatric Services conference. The workshop, titled From Patient to Partner—Reversing the Criminalization of the Seriously Mentally Ill, featured mental health experts who discussed the benefits of peer counseling to mental health clients in recovery.
“Peer-to-peer exchange allows the client and the peer counselor to grow,” said Pizza. “When the client realizes that the person helping her was once in a similar situation, recovery becomes more realistic and attainable. The peer counselor, on the other hand, is able to utilize her experience to gain the client’s trust and therefore build her confidence as a professional.
"So, it is just wise to offer programs that advocate for the hiring and training of recovering mental health patients. Peer counselors can really help advance the field.”
The 60th Institute on Psychiatric Services conference is sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and is the leading educational conference on public and community psychiatry. To learn more about APA, visit their website at www.psych.org.
TASC Leader Receives IADDA’s Dr. C. Vincent Bakeman Memorial Award
(Oakbrook, September) In late September, the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association (IADDA) awarded TASC Director of Community Partnerships George Williams with the Dr. C. Vincent Bakeman Memorial award during its annual conference in Oakbrook, Illinois.
“It was an honor to receive the Dr. C. Vincent Bakeman award," said Williams. “Dr. Bakeman was a leader who spent his life working for the health, interests, rights, and needs of all people.”
IADDA's Dr. C. Vincent Bakeman Memorial award is given to individuals who are dedicated to speaking up for prevention and treatment, have a clear vision for the future of the field, consistently communicate their vision, and are tireless leaders dedicated to the advancement of substance abuse prevention and treatment.
Williams has served in the substance abuse prevention and treatment field for more than twenty years with a primary focus on helping formerly incarcerated men and women.
TASC Executive Vice President Serves as Expert Panelist for Recovery Month Webcast
(Washington, D.C., July) TASC Executive Vice President Pamela Rodriguez served as an expert panelist for the July Recovery Month Webcast--Real People, Real Recovery: Effectively Delivering Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care.
The webcast featured a panel of field experts who examined strategies to effectively deliver treatment and support services to those dealing with substance abuse and mental health disorders.
The panel also explored ways to increase awareness to those in need of these services.
To view the webcast click here.
TASC President Receives SAAS "Excellence in Leadership" Award
(Orlando, June) TASC President Melody Heaps was awarded the State Associations of Addiction Services (SAAS) “Excellence in Leadership” award at the SAAS National Conference in Orlando, Florida in June 2008. This award recognizes an individual who exemplifies excellence in leadership in advocating for addiction treatment and prevention.
For more than 30 years, Ms. Heaps has worked to change the myriad of behavioral, social, and physical conditions that contribute to poverty, with particular focus on communities suffering from substance use disorders, HIV, child abuse, and mental illness.
Benneth Lee Shares Insight on Gang Culture
(Chicago, April) Benneth Lee, once a high-profile Chicago gang leader, shared his insight on gang culture with a room full of professionals at a TASC External Training workshop titled “Gangs: Inside and Out” held at the University of Illinois on April 23.
Benneth Lee, now a respected counselor, serves as the community liaison and reentry specialist for TASC.
TASC Speaks at Rock Island Forum to Combat Substance Abuse Among Youth
(Rock Island, April) TASC joined community leaders and residents at a community forum to discuss strategies to help youth prevent alcohol and drug use, and to provide treatment and rehabilitation for those who need it.
“Substance abuse is a health issue,” said Sara Meyer, TASC clinical supervisor, while presenting at the forum. “We need adequate prevention, early intervention, treatment, and long-term recovery support services in place if we’re to effectively tackle this issue.”
Nearly 100 individuals attended the the forum held at Trinity Regional Health System on Tuesday, April 22.
CHJ President, Congressman Danny K. Davis Call for National Criminal Justice Reform
(Washington, D.C., March) The Center for Health and Justice (CHJ) at TASC President Melody Heaps, Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-7), and other members of Congress called for President George W. Bush to sign the Second Chance Act at a news conference in Washington, D.C., in mid-March.
Speakers called for a commitment to comprehensive solutions to reverse the flow of non-violent, drug-involved individuals into and through the criminal justice system. Congressman Davis co-sponsored the Second Chance Act, which passed the U.S. Senate on March 12 and is in place to be signed into law by the President. Other solutions offered were the No Entry strategies recommended in a plan developed by CHJ at TASC in Illinois.
The call for action followed the recently released report from the Pew Center on the States “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008.”
TASC Entreats Illinoisans to Support No Entry Plan
(Chicago, March) TASC Executive Vice President Pamela Rodriguez encouraged Illinoisans to support CHJ at TASC's No Entry plan in a letter to the editor published in the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday, March 9 titled "Too Many Prisons."
The plan offers public policy recommendations to provide drug treatment to all non-violent, drug-involved offenders in lieu of incarceration.
NBC 5 Chicago, WMAQ-TV Spotlights TASC
(Chicago, March) TASC was featured on NBC-5's Chicago "Leading the Way in Chicago" series that promoted Chicago businesses that have made a positive difference in Chicago.
Click here to view the video footage.
