Message from our CEO

Mental Illness: An individual, family and community struggle!

Historically, The Resource Center has been known for supporting people with developmental disabilities. With strong involvement of families and friends, we have helped improve the lives of thousands of individuals over the years.

The Resource Center, at the same time, has also been committed to supporting individuals with severe mental illness, who because of their condition are prevented from achieving maximum independence, contributing to their community, experiencing lifelong growth, and enjoying quality of life. People that go through this experience, as well as their families, face many major and unique challenges:

Despite passage of mental health parity legislation (in which equal insurance coverage for deductibles, co-payments, visit limits, annual spending limits, and lifetime limits is provided for treatment of mental health conditions, as is provided for treatment of other health conditions), actual reimbursement coverage still tends to not view mental health conditions as medically related.

Because, historically, mental illness has carried a stigma that continues to be perpetrated within various aspects of interpersonal and community support systems due to the lack of common knowledge and information, there exists an inability to adequately address mental health conditions.
Comprehensive planning functions, which could shape policies, interventions, family supports, and effective outcomes at the Federal, State and Local levels, are fragmented and tend to place the burden and responsibilities on one another. The Federal government lacks any overarching support; the State places the responsibility on planning on Local governments; Local governments claim lack of resources at the Local level.

While there is an incredible level of known expertise, as well as technical, medical and professional capacity to address these conditions, and the possibility of positive outcomes with adequate supports is well-known, the reality is that most individuals deal with an abysmal array of confusing and ineffective supports that limit their ability to recover from their illness and stabilize their condition.

Stories we hear on an almost daily basis, involving traumatic events impacting people with various levels of mental instability, as well as the growing number of individuals with mental illness who are homeless or incarcerated in correctional facilities (which have become the new institutions), are but the tip of the iceberg that evidence this large problem that we all face as a society.

Families and friends of individuals with mental illness also experience a heavy burden of responsibility, often feeling guilty and inadequate in their efforts to effectively support their loved ones. More importantly, they are oftentimes excluded from the system of care dedicated to meet the needs of their family member. We know that we may not always be able to change the whole world, but where change is possible and can take place is where individuals become involved, support one another and build on the force of a collective strength.

As an organization based on family support and participation, The Resource Center urges family members to let us know how we can be of assistance. We invite you to join one of our “New Hope Family and Friends Support Groups.”

Together, we can find ways of reaching out through other family and friends who experience the same struggles. And together, we can find ways of gaining strength to improve and support the individual struggle of people recovering from mental illness, and to begin to significantly improve our collective responsibility to effectively invest in the support necessary to meet the pervasive and devastating mental health conditions and needs in our community.

Paul Cesana

Comment

Paul Cesana is the Executive Director of The Resource Center and the President of TRC Foundation, Inc. Paul first worked for TRC as the Director of Clinical Services until 1981. After moving to Aspire, he was offered the position of Executive Director of Opportunities Unlimited of Niagara. In 1988 he returned to The Resource Center as its Executive Director. During his tenure, TRC's budget has grown from $17 million to $80 million annually; the number of employees has swelled from about 750 to more than 1,200; and the number of individuals who benefit from the services and supports that TRC provides to individuals with disabling conditions, their families and the community at large has reached more than 17,000. Paul invites everyone to support the work of The Resource Center and TRC Foundation by becoming a member. For a small contribution, you can experience the sense of warmth and satisfaction that comes from knowing that you really are "Making a Difference in People"s Lives". Paul welcomes your comments and suggestions at steve.waterson@resourcecenter.org