Welcome to the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community
The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC) supports healing and empowerment for our broader communities and people who have been impacted by psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, extreme states, homelessness, problems with substances, and other life-interrupting challenges through:
- Peer-to-peer support & genuine human relationships
- Alternative Healing Practices
- Learning Opportunities
- Advocacy
Essential to our work is recognizing and undoing systemic injustices such as racism, sexism, ableism, transphobia, transmisogyny, and psychiatric oppression.
The RLC is made up of PEOPLE (not places) and is wherever and however YOU and others from the community may choose to connect. Together, we offer a variety of events, workshops, trainings, advocacy and leadership councils, as well as a peer support line, three resource centers (Springfield, Greenfield, and Holyoke) and a Peer Respite in Northampton. Above all else, we create space for anyone who has a genuine interest in taking part in our community and holding its values to share and find connection, information, ideas and opportunities to make change in their own lives and/or the community around them. Our shared experiences and ‘humanness’ are what unite us. Our stories, collective wisdom and strength are what guide us and our community forward.
The Recovery Learning Community (RLC) is a peer-run project providing supports to individuals with lived experience. One of the founding concepts behind the RLC is that human relationships with people are healing, particularly when those people have similar experiences. And so, above all else, the RLC strives to create forums through which human relationships, community and a regional network of supports can develop. On a day-to-day basis, that effort may take the form of a community meeting, a support group, a computer workshop and/or simply offering a safe space where people can communicate with others or simply be. The RLC also acts a clearing house for information about other resources in the community.
The Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community is funded, in part, by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, the United Way of Franklin County, and a variety of private foundations and donations.
What Holiday's should we celebrate?
A few years back, the Western Mass RLC updated our mission statement and included this sentence at the end:
“Essential to our work is recognizing and undoing systemic injustices such as racism, sexism, transphobia and psychiatric oppression."
Nothing about our mission statement or values is meant to be just words posted on a wall or website and then forgotten. We are committed to continuing to explore and vision what that sentence means, and how we can bring it to life. As a part of that effort, we are now taking a look at the holidays we most recognize.
Federal Government Seeks YOUR Input on HIPAA
In December, the Department of Health and Human Services released a Request for Information (RFI) on the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act otherwise known as HIPAA. The RFI is basically asking that YOU (any interested human or group of humans) provide input on how the government should make changes to this law.
HIPAA is the federal law that prohibits sharing of your personal health information between providers without your express knowledge and permission. It also requires various safety measures to help keep your personal information safe.
HIPAA is already something that gets violated all the time in the mental health system. Providers discuss personal information with people (or even worse, with people’s assigned staff supporters) in or too near to waiting rooms on a regular basis. Some mental health providers have people working in cubicles that do not provide enough privacy, and where anyone within earshot will be able to determine personal things about someone else even when the conversation is taking place over the phone (and the person on the other end has no idea that parts of their personal information might be overheard by people in the vicinity). Co-workers unnecessarily identify people by name to other co-workers (from different programs and who weren’t in a position to need to know personal things about them) during meetings under the guise of getting support that clearly could have been gotten without disclosing the person’s identity. People are convinced they have to sign releases of information they didn’t actually have to sign in order to get services or retain provider relationships. Far too many providers who have friendly relationships with one another get careless about protecting people’s information when they’re talking to each other.
Yes, HIPAA is already violated quite regularly in dozens of small ways, and without consequence most of the time. And now, the government is specifically seeking input on further weakening privacy protections.
VOTE!
Should Commitment Hearings Be In Hospitals or Courts?
UPDATE: Should Commitment Hearings be Held in Hospitals or Court Rooms?
In August, we wrote about a commitment hearing involving Solomon Carter Fuller Medical Center that has given rise to an important question: Should the default location for commitment hearings be a formal court room (as opposed to a makeshift one in a hospital)? One of the reasons it came up in relation to this particular case is that the recording equipment at the hospital had failed during the hearing causing a variety of issues. However, when we reached out to our community and asked them what they thought, many other reasons were offered including the simple fact that holding a hearing in a hospital is likely to add to the bias and assumption that the individual in the hospital belongs and should stay there. In other words, in order to improve the chances of a fair hearing and ensure due process of law, a court setting is required.
Attorney Susan Stefan worked with the Western Mass RLC and a host of others to develop an Amicus brief arguing for the state to recognize the importance of commitment hearings being held in court rooms. On October 1st, this issue will go before the Supreme Court. Hearing details:
October 1, 9am @ John Adams Courthouse, Courtroom One, Second Floor, Pemberton Square, Boston, MA 02108
You can find the link to the docket HERE.
We have been informed that – while we will not be able to testify – it is valuable to have people show up to witness the hearing as a way to silently communicate to the court that this issue is important.
Please note: While our presence is important, it is also important that people do not protest or become disruptive as this will be counter-productive to our cause. Additionally, please be aware that there are multiple cases on the docket for the morning of October 1, and this particular issue may be addressed at any point between 9am and 1pm.
Want to read more? Below are links to the Amicus Brief mentioned above, and documents filed the state in favor of continuing to hold hearings in the hospital!
Amicus Brief composed by Susan Stefan in collaboration with the Wetern Mass RLC et al.
Brief representing the position of the individual (appellant) committed to the hospital
SPECIAL REPORT: ACCS Survey Results
“I never heard from my outreach workers and DMH worker about this change until last week because they were told not to talk about it to clients.”
– Person receiving DMH services on June 21, 2018 (10 days before ACCS went into effect)
A few weeks ago, we sent out a special e-newsletter inviting people to give feedback on the new Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) program that replaced Community-Based Flexible Supports (CBFS) as of July 1. ACCS is the largest Department of Mental Health-funded (DMH) service across Massachusetts, and is essentially what used to more simply be thought of as DMH residential and outreach services.
Since releasing the survey, we’ve received 72 responses. 5 responses came in from people receiving DMH services. 23 were received from people working in peer roles in what is now ACCS. There were also a handful (8) of responses from parents and interested citizens who are watching the process unfold. However, the largest number of responses came from providers (primarily those directly providing services through ACCS, but also a few who were losing their jobs with the end of CBFS or who worked in clinics and other settings that interfaced with these services). There were 36 provider responses, to be exact. The bulk of these responses (40) were from Western Massachusetts, but another 31 were from other parts of the state (with one from out of area).
What follows is a summary of what people had to say.
Peer Respite Handbook
We are excited to share that the Western Mass RLC’s new Peer Respite Handbook: A Guide to Understanding, Building, and Sustaining Peer Respite is now available.
This represents the RLC's first ever formally published book! You can find the handbook at the following on-line booksellers:
We are looking forward to setting up some webinars on peer respite to help us celebrate the new book! Trainings on peer respite are also available through our training team. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information!
