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South Beach Psychiatric Center in Staten Island may be a state-run psychiatric hospital, yet it is among the most progressive of its kind in terms of its point of view.

South Beach willingly established a close relationship with a non-profit business years ago that is today called the Baltic Street Mental Health Board, Inc., the largest employer of people with mental illnesses in New York City. Consumers at this organization serve as directors and staff members, currently numbering near 100 consumer-employees. Baltic Street’s mission is to provide hope and empowerment through employment, housing, advocacy and other services and activities that help consumers make their recovery from serious mental illnesses.

South Beach employs consumers as state mental health workers and has given Baltic Street Mental Health Board office space where its consumer-employees run two programs on the grounds of their facility.

Peer services that allow consumers who are further along in their recovery to aid consumers who have had setbacks are an established feature among the South Beach Psychiatric Center thanks to its willingness to provide for state employees with mental illness and through its partnership with Baltic Street.

The photos seen on this page were taken from a conference that was planned by South Beach Psychiatric Center and the Baltic Street Mental Health Board that featured inspirational speeches by people who have not allowed mental illnesses to deny them of meaningful lives. Workshops taught consumers how to access housing in the community, employment, how to maintain good physical health and even to start their own businesses if they wanted to.

Ideally, other large state facilities will recognize the value of peer services as South Beach had done years ago in order to increase employment among people with mental illnesses who can connect to mental health patients in important and useful ways. Hiring peer employees couldn’t hurt and may very well foster positive outcomes and deliverables for any hospital to ensure its longevity in a New York economy that does not yet fully appreciate the value of mental health services.