A Publication by PA Treatment & Healing

www.pathtochange.org

January 2009, Volume 1, Issue 15

Board of Directors

Timothy Gage

Chairman  

Jerilyn Keen

President

Fred Martin

Director

Mary Tiffin-McGarrity

Director  

Chris Bingaman

Director

Dr. Chris Boyatzis

Director  

Erica Frey

Secretary

Gene McCarty

Treasurer

Advisory Committee

Jerilyn Keen

Scott Constantini

Stephen Gaito

Robert Vanderwall

William Rossnock

Joseph Talarico

Dr. Liz Ciaravino

Thomas Bell

William Weber

Larry Weidman

John Gigunto

Matthew Yonkin

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their former university professor whom they had become quite fond of and stayed in touch with through the years from time to time. As they began to catch up, sharing the happenings of their lives, conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work, relationships and life.                              

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, crystal, china, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all of the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and your stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups….And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money, position in society are the cups. They are just the tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.”

God brews the coffee not the cups…Enjoy your coffee!                              “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything – they make the best of everything.”

Remember, People Don’t Care How Much You Know… Until They Know How Much You Care.

All my very best to you,

 Jerilyn

Jerilyn A. Keen, M.A.

President

News from our Corporate Office…

President Keen would like to congratulate the Central Region offices, (Bloomsburg, Milton , Middleburg, Williamsport , State College and Corporate) for their successful outcome to the annual Department of Public Welfare inspections. State Representatives, Faith Compton, George Stauffer and Frank Adams each had wonderful comments on what they observed at the centers they visited. Jerilyn knows first hand how extremely stressful inspections can be especially while you are trying to do all of the necessary daily work with the clients and she would like to thank everyone on the team for their professionalism and hard work! She is extremely proud of your efforts and all that  you do each and everyday to make the agency shine! 

Welcome to New Human Resource/Administrative Assistant Heather Bickhart to the Corporate Team. The former HR person left without notice and Heather stepped up and into this role and all the duties and responsibilities without batting an eye! She is doing an amazing job and we are so glad to have her on the Corporate Team in this new capacity! Keep up the great work!

Congratulations to D&A counselors Deb Nelson and Amy Seamon and D&A Program Director, Michele Barrows on completing the Drexel University College of Medicine Co-Occurring Disorders certificate course sponsored by PA OMHSAS! Way to go Ladies!

Risk Management News...

     In our last safety meeting we encouraged all drivers to use careful driving skills, obey traffic laws, and not engage in aggressive driving and to watch out for "black ice".  It was emphasized to use caution when navigating in the icy weather on roads and sidewalks, and to keep adequate snow and ice removal supplies on hand. The committee was also reminded of the major causes of vehicle accidents and how to avoid them. 

Be safe out there – Spring is on its way, soon we hope!

This is “What’s Happening” at our Centers…

PATH - East Stroudsburg:    Recently we returned 6 AEP students back to their home schools as they have achieved their goals and maintained positive status normatively.  Well done to these students and to the staff who helped guide them!  Over the Christmas holidays, the Day Treatment Clients took part in a play with our Labor of Love group.  It was about making positive change.  This really helped the clients focus on our Path of Life groups.  Steve, Lisa, and Pete attended a Youth at Risk in the Community night at East Stroudsburg University.  PATH was a sponsor of this event together with The Brown School.  The even turned out to be a great chance to meet many new people from the community and get the word out about all of the treatment programs offered by PATH.

PATH - Honesdale:     The AEP continues to run smoothly mainly due to the amazing dedication of Dean Linda O’Hagan & Teachers Aide, Dolores Frick. This is the first time ever that the AEP has had over 75% of its students at a rating of “positive or above”. Their ability to provide balance and consistency through structure is the primary reason for this. We want you to know that your commitment does not go unnoticed and thank you for all of your hard work! Livio Viola, Community Monitor, continues to provide healthy, well-balanced meals to the Day Treatment Clients and he prepared a delicious holiday meal. Put on your snow boots and winter gear because it is arctic time for the Northeast. Unfortunately treatment and school have had several cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. A purchase request for an All Wheel Drive Van with a snow plow is currently being sent to the President’s desk. If not approved, dog sleds would be greatly appreciated. The Day Treatment staff continues to do a good job with ensuring the clients are getting the most professional level of treatment possible. Keep up the great work gang!

PATH - Middleburg: Congratulations to the staff/team at the Halfway House as they just completed their 3rd  inspection of the year! During the recent DPW inspection the House received only one minor citation. This type of success is attributed to the overall focus and vision of the team! Thank you for Staff for your drive and commitment to have the House in such excellent standing!  We are so proud of you! Also two residents tested and passed their GEDs. This is a great accomplishment for them and our facility. They now are looking into job training and college when released from the Halfway House. The example was set into motion by another former resident who also passed his GED and is now enrolled at Penn Tech in Williamsport. Another resident tried out for the Midd-West basketball team and now plays for the Mustangs at Midd-West. The only down fall to his success is that he has gotten better than the staff.  The residents, with staff supervision and help accomplished the huge task of painting the majority of the inside of the House. The also hung curtains and set up new lamps in each of the resident’s rooms. The House looks and feels more like home than ever before. We welcome each of the new staff who have joined the team! Many have years of previous experience in residential environments and bring much to the table with regard to ideas and assistance to the residents!

PATH - Milton:  The Milton Center has been operating at a high level throughout December. Both the Intensive Adolescent and After School Evening Program have been able to maintain substantial client numbers while still providing the high level of services that has come to be expected from the PATH agency. The staff have been able to rally as a team while several key positions have been filled. In December, the center underwent its DPW Inspection. Thank you to each and every member of the treatment team for all their support in making this inspection a success. The staff have been developing and presenting groups that have been interesting while still hitting core issues. The AEP has also seen some very positive success over the last month. The number of students attending the program has risen and the future looks extremely positive! The Teachers have been doing a fine job of presenting extremely well developed lessons while still being able to focus upon enhancing the Normative culture. Clients have been helping to set up for the weekly community dinner for all in the area who would like to attend. They are responsible for setting up all the resources for the meal. They also have helped to breakdown the events at night. The clients have also been assisting the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce with the monthly

PATH - Scranton: Things at the center are back in motion after the nice holiday break. AEP students are working hard to complete all their work by January 30^th, the end of the second marking period. Only two more to go!!! The IA/After School program clients spent time cooking over the past few weeks to shape their “life skills”! The IA program is now seeing an increase in new clients and we would like to welcome them. AEP clients have been working on interesting art projects such as; holiday projects, bracelets, canvas paintings and a collage of self-reflection. The IA clients have been completing power groups on teamwork. The wonderful snow has kept the community service projects low at this time, not to mention the COLD! The staff is looking at this time for some nice warm indoor community service project until the weather warms up.  

PATH - Scranton: Things at the center are back in motion after the nice holiday break. AEP students are working hard to complete all their work by January 30^th, the end of the second marking period. Only two more to go!!! The IA/After School program clients spent time cooking over the past few weeks to shape their “life skills”! The IA program is now seeing an increase in new clients and we would like to welcome them. AEP clients have been working on interesting art projects such as; holiday projects, bracelets, canvas paintings and a collage of self-reflection. The IA clients have been completing power groups on teamwork. The wonderful snow has kept the community service projects low at this time, not to mention the COLD! The staff is looking at this time for some nice warm indoor community service project until the weather warms up.

PATH - South Montrose: Clients have returned from Christmas break and all is well. Students are working to boost their grades before the end of the second marking period and they are preparing for the P.S.S.A testing. The staff would also like to congratulate Danielle, Monica, Joey, Zach, Jerry, and Chuck for the completion of AEP and wish them all good luck in their schools. Day Treatment continues to grow at a fast pace and is keeping busy. On January 21^st, a speaker from the Department of Health visited our center to speak with our clients about current health risks for teens and young adults.

PATH - State College: It has been a cold, icy, and snowy winter so far in State College, but things have been heating up at PATH. The ASE is reading poetry written by American Poets, learning about the Reconstruction in History, and developing skills to write PowerPoint presentations. The art program is flourishing as the kids are constructing elaborate paper Mache masks. The school and day treatment programs are focusing their energy on community service activities. The clients in the school will be making valentine cards for a local nursing home and the day treatment clients will deliver the cards on the 14^th.  The Day treatment after school programs have also volunteered time to assist the Salvation Army with their Christmas bell ringing and storing food for the local food bank. Along with the regular therapeutic activities, the Day Treatment staff has been focusing on developing life skills in the areas of banking and food preparation. There is a general sense of well being at the State College PATH, but we are all looking forward to warmer weather!

PATH - Williamsport: While the weather outside has been bitterly cold, things have been heating up at the Williamsport AEP. Students have completed science projects in which they examined alternative energy sources and the impact they have on society. AEP students are preparing for the upcoming PSSA tests. We would like to extend a heart felt thank you to all who helped with the AEDY data collection. A special thanks to Sally, Anna, Katie, Mark, CJ, Dana & Dave for compiling the data from all nine centers. More referrals continue to roll in for the IA program and keep Clinical Supervisor, Cleveland Way, very busy. Thanks Cleveland for all your hard work and dedication. We would also like to welcome Chris Glica & Rebecca Poust to the Williamsport staff.  Congratulations to Gary Shipman, on his promotion to Program Manager and Shannon Tagliaferri to Day Treatment Supervisor. We are pleased to announce that Stanley Gould has joined our team, bringing over thirty years experience as a Social Worker.  Due to the snow and freezing temperatures back to back Be-Challenged weekends were cancelled Brrrr! Makes for some cold camping!  Bundle up gang! 

OUr Management Team

Each month we feature a member of our Management Team as a way to honor their dedication and commitment to making our Agency the very best it can be!  This month we highlight...

Erica Frey, Program Compliance Manager

Corporate Office

Erica graduated from Philips Junior College with an Associates Degree in Drug & Alcohol. She then attended Penn State University and obtained a certificate as a Family Childcare Specialist.  Prior to working at PATH she worked for the Northumberland County SPOC program for 3 years. She also owned the Main Street Tavern in Watsontown for 3 years and in addition all of her other duties served as secretary for Frey’s Disposal, Inc for 11 years. Erica has been a landlord for 10 years. 

   Erica and her husband Brent have been married for 19 years, 6 of those years she served as a Navy Wife. They have 3 children together, Tyler who is 17, Brooke who is 15, and 10 year old Bailey. 

Erica is very active in all types of sporting and extra curricular activities that her children participate in. She has spent 8 years as the cheerleading coach for the Warrior Run Jr. Football League, and 2 years as a  Concessions Leader/Coordinator of the Warrior Run Little League. She has also been a Youth Chaperone for the Watsontown Alliance Church.

In her free time Erica relaxes and unwinds by scrap booking. She and her family enjoy camping and have just purchased a local campground to revive and operate. Erica and her family are huge Penn State fans and love going to games. Erica and her husband supported the team by traveling all the way to California to cheers the Lions on at the Rose Bowl!   

Erica’s thoughts on PATH’s Mission: “My thoughts about the youth we serve are very strong. I believe that we have an awesome opportunity to teach and be an example for everyone that we meet. The Path of Life model and our Normative System Approach are essential keys for all youth. As staff we may not always see the positive changes but we shouldn’t get discouraged. 

Change may come later….with a phone call to “thank you.” This is what makes it all worth it!

Thank you Erica for 9 wonderful years of dedication to our agency! You have been an instrumental piece to our success!

Accolades

President Keen would like to thank Corporate Office Assistant, Bonnie Stoltz for her efforts in finding great deals on office equipment and supplies for the entire agency. Bonnie works hard at finding the very best prices for us at huge cost savings! We appreciate your efforts to help us to get the best possible prices so that we can purchase the most with our money!

A very special thank you to Education Directors Dave Dimoff and Pete Charney for their determined “we can do it spirit!” and their unbelievable energy in collecting the ADEY numbers from the nine AEPs recently. When we became aware of a new deadline for this undaunting task, Dave stepped up and said give me a deadline and we will make it happen! He and the fine team of professionals he assembled as well as all of the other Deans accomplished this amazing goal! Thank you for all that each of you has done! We are so proud of you and forever grateful!

Hikers Needed/$500 a weekend!!      The Williamsport Center is looking for male and female PATH employees for the Be Challenged Weekends! Hours are 4pm on Fridays to 2pm on Sundays. Please contact Todd Puderbach at the Williamsport Center if interested.      (570) 321-7860

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH…

Welcome to our family…

Justine Shamey, Teacher, East Stroudsburg                      Melinda Parson, Secretary, State College

Harry Ladlee, Jr., Teacher’s Aide, East Stroudsburg         Georgia Kile, Secretary, Bloomsburg

Danielle Evans, Community Monitor, Bloomsburg 

Amanda Sokol, Social Worker, State College