MICA (Mentally Ill and Chemically Addicted) services became a part of mental health treatment for individuals over ten years ago, to help those who have issues with psychiatric disabilities and substance abuse. One important service that has helped MICA's progress in their recovery are MICA residences that provide housing, treatment, and linkage to the MICA community.
I would like to provide our readers with information about The Patchen MICA Residence at 53-55 Patchen Avenue, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The program is part of Services for the Under Served (SUS) Mental Health Programs Inc., under the leadership of Executive Director Steve Warren. SUS has been providing services to mental health consumers for the past twenty-one years. "Services for the under served" could stand as their mission statement alone; SUS accepted me into their MICA housing program in 1996 after I was turned down for acceptance by three other agencies as a "high risk."
Patchen MICA Residence opened its doors in 1991. Patchen MICA Residence has three floors and consists of two 22-bed facilities. The residence provides housing for 44 males who are referred from homeless shelters, the FEGS (Federation Employment Guidance Service) LINK program, and city and state hospitals. There are double and single rooms available for residents. The requirements to be considered for admission into the program are a psychiatric disability with a secondary substance abuse history, NY/NY eligibility, and a documented history of medication compliance.
The Director of Patchen MICA Residence is Winslow Drummond, CSW, who has many years of experience in the mental health system in a variety of areas. Patchen MICA residence provides residents with short term (6-18 months) transitional supports that include full time staff on site 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Upon graduation from the program, residents are assessed by staff to determine what type of housing they will be referred to. During this time residents are also assessed for employment readiness. Staff assist residents with individualized service plans to enroll in programs of daily activities such as Day Treatment, Vocational Training, Educational programs or mental health treatment. There are two substance abuse specialists on staff who are available to provide support to the residents up to 10pm. The staff receives training periodically to address the unique issues that the MICA residents have.
I was provided with a tour of the facility and introduced to a friendly staff that was culturally reflective of the residents. The residence has a basement, where there is a laundry room and day room with a television, exercise equipment and a pool table. On the first floor of the building there is a library, a spacious community room with a television and a separate smoking area and a cafeteria where meals are available to residents three times a day, seven days a week. The program has a bus that is used to transport some residents to other programs in the community and to social events such as sporting events, dances and movies.
A program enhancement planned for the Patchen MICA residence is a transitioning to a Modified Harm Reduction Therapeutic Community mode of service delivery, to provide more structure for the residents and supplement the treatment that residents receive in the community. To get more information about the Patchen MICA Residence you can call the director, Winslow Drummond, at (718) 919-1900.
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New MICA Issues Editor
My name is Julius B. Green. I am 40 years old, and have been a dually diagnosed consumer of mental health services for ten years. I graduated from MICA supervised housing in 1996 to interdependent living. I attended the HTH/PSC (Howie the Harp Peer Specialist Center), and with the support of the staff I completed an internship as a case manager and was hired full time. I worked as a case manager for two years at Community Access Inc. I then transitioned to work as a research assistant at the National Development Research Institute for one year. The research project was focused on consumers who are dually diagnosed and which supports are helping them to recover and remain stable in the community.
I am currently the Assistant Director at the HTH/PSC, where I graduated, and which has provided me with the training and support to work consistently for the past four years. This is the longest time that I have been consistently employed in my life. This has been due to addressing my MICA issues and the training and support I have received through self-help and formal treatment. I am very grateful and honored to have the opportunity to be the MICA Issues Editor for New York City Voices. I am open to feedback about how this important mental health issue can be presented.
The MICA Issues section will consist of three articles per edition. One article will be presented by the Editor. Another article will be presented by a MICA consumer in the community that is 400 to 600 words in length; a picture with the article is optional. The third article will focus on MICA services in the community, to give the MICA community and providers more information about resources and supports that are available.
Consumers and providers of MICA services who would like to submit articles of 400-600 words for the next MICA Issues edition should contact Julius Green at (212) 780-1400 x777.