A $9.4 million federal grant, to be spent over six years, will bring mental-health services to the rural Hilltowns and to two other resource centers in Albany County — one in the city and the other in the suburbs.

Families Together in Albany County working with the county’s Department for Children, Youth and Families secured the grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
"We’re one of 96 sites and 21 more were just awarded," said Moira Manning, project director; this brings the national total to 117. Altogether SAMHSA has awarded grants totaling $212 million this fiscal year to New York State.
"This will form a network of community resources for children and youth with emotional and mental health concerns," said Manning. "In Albany County, children are being put out of their homes and into psychiatric facilities....
"We want to see parents driving the treatment and improve the whole family functioning," she said.

The Hilltown resource center, which is scheduled to open later this fall, will for the first six months be located in St. John’s Church at 96 Main Street in East Berne, where space is being rented while a more permanent facility is found.
"The Hilltowns are near and dear to my heart," said Linda Stewart, the co-project director and family coordinator. "I grew up just down the Hill," said the Voorheesville native. "We used to drive up there after church on Sundays; it’s beautiful."

Stewart said it is a hardship for Hilltown residents to have to drive into the city for medical services.
"We started in March, reaching out and contacting parents through the school," she said. "A steering committee of parents has helped guide us with location and hiring, making sure we are meeting the needs of what parents want."

The committee, for example, designated the area near the Cole Hill Road ambulance center as being a central location for the Hilltowns resource center.

Manning said there have been meetings with community members, ranging from school officials to fire chiefs and emergency medical services workers.
"This will be family focused, child-centered, and strength-based," she said, noting that the Hilltowns already have a strong sense of community.
Mental health issues aren’t confined to any one income bracket, she said. And, since many insurance plans limit mental-health visits, Manning said, "Even folks with medium incomes might be eligible for a waiver."
The program aims to catch problems early — "identify behaviors that might be a red flag," as Manning put it — so that they can be treated before more difficult problems such as depression or substance abuse develop later.

Bridging the gap

Stewart said three staff members have been hired for the Hilltown resource center. The lead family advisor is Marge Capuano, and the two part-time family advisors are Amy Anderson and Marybeth Peterson.

All of the staffers, like Stewart herself, are parents or members of families of children with special needs.
"When there are emotional, behavioral, or developmental needs, the family tends to withdraw and not know where to go for help," said Stewart. "There’s no place for parents to go that is warm and welcoming, where you can ask questions, right in your neighborhood...
"This will give parents a place that meets their culture and their needs."

In addition to the resource center’s staff members, Monica Meyers, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician will also be available through all three of the Albany County resource centers. The others will be in Colonie and Albany.
"There’s a higher success rate if children are diagnosed early," said Manning. "We have a shortage of child psychiatrists. Right now, there’s a three- to six-month wait for psychiatric services. Parents become overwhelmed and children get placed outside the home."

Dr. Meyers, she said, will help bridge that gap.

Mentoring

A mentoring campaign is underway as part of the program. It is directed by Kevin Brown, and is based on a successful model developed at Temple University in Pennsylvania.
Brown is currently recruiting Hilltown residents who are "55 years young," he quipped, or older to be paired with youths ranging in age from nine to 15.

The goal of the Across Ages Mentoring Program, he says, is to help children succeed in school, to feel better about themselves, to help others, and to resist taking drugs.
"The success of our program, and more importantly, its ability to improve services for the youth of the Hilltowns, will be dependent upon strong members," Brown stated. "The Hilltowns senior citizens’ expertise and life experiences are key components."

Brown is asking people interested in being mentors to call him at 432-0333, ext. 24 or at 1-888-326-8644.

The pairs can do school work together, participate in community service projects, or just do something fun together, he said.

Such programs, Manning said, have been successful in getting kids to attend school, feel better about themselves, and reduce substance abuse.
"Having a connection with an older adult can make a big difference," she said.

Linking systems, empowering parents
"This grant has allowed us to network nationally," said Stewart.
When a parent is faced with a troubled child, she said, "A lot of times, they get on the Internet and, what they find out about, there’s no way to know if it works. We’re looking at practices that really work."
Stewart said she feels very fortunate to be part of the program. "This takes parents as experts with their own children to a different level," she said. It gives parents the power they need."
Manning, who has worked in the mental-health field for a decade, said, "It’s a systems approach as well." She named the many agencies that will be brought together through the program — those working in mental health, with developmental disabilities, in education, and in juvenile justice.

Besides Albany County and Families Together in New York State, two other agencies working with the program are the Albany Medical Center Pediatric Group and the University at Albany Center for Human Services Research.
"Everyone is at the table, all working together," she said. "By year six, it will be seamless. Everyone will have cross-trained. Parents will be working directly with all facets."