Dear Jeannemarie,
I enjoyed visiting with you and learning about the mission and work of St. Paul's Center. You are focusing on an important concern of mine, that of the growing number of homeless mentally ill persons here in New York City, and I commend your efforts in this area.
Employing nurse practitioners to address this ever-growing problem in our community is both a unique and sensible way to reverse this negative trend and help create true systemic changes. By fostering collaborative and trusting relationships and by delivering mental health treatment that is respectful, continuous, and comprehensive, the nurse practitioners will provide a real opportunity for a far greater number of people to reach their maximum potential than is currently possible.
I congratulate you on creating this impressive model of care. St. Paul's Center represents an exciting and compassionate alternative for a population which has often been overlooked and under-served. I support your vital mission and look forward to our continuing work together to meet the needs of those who are mentally ill and homeless.
/s/
Thomas K. Duane
New York State Senator, 29th District
St. Paul’s Center of New York, Inc., a new mental healthcare center operated by faculty and graduates of Columbia University School of Nursing, specializes in administering to the city’s neediest
New York, NY--- Faculty and graduates of Columbia University School of Nursing have opened St. Paul’s Center of New York, Inc.—the city’s first non-profit, independent community mental health center in Manhattan managed and operated solely by psychiatric nurse practitioners.
Located at 424 West 34th Street, St. Paul’s Center was founded by Jeannemarie Baker, MS, NP, CS, Columbia University School of Nursing and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing. The center is a full-service mental health facility established specifically to serve individuals in the community who suffer from mental illness and who are at risk for homelessness, incarceration and needless hospitalization.
“As of January, 2004, there were more than 38,000 homeless in the city” says Baker. “This figure is up 82% from 10 years ago. Nearly 50%* of the homeless single adults in the New York City shelter system have chronic mental illness. The priority of St. Paul’s Center is to care for those individuals who are disenfranchised and may not be able or willing to get mental health care on a regular basis. We are centrally located and staffed with psychiatric nurse practitioners who are experienced in managing and caring for individuals with all levels of mental illness. Our goal is to become a trusted center of the community, where professional, safe and supportive care is given to those in need.”
The services St. Paul’s Center provides include: assessment and referral with intensive follow-up; medication management; counseling and education; individual, group and family therapy. In addition, the Center works with community institutions and hospitals to coordinate other services.
“St. Paul's Center is an exciting new model of care founded and managed by nurse practitioners with specialty training in dealing with persistent mental illness” says Arthur Webb, President and CEO of Village Care of New York. “Helping people achieve a level of mental health is extremely complicated under any circumstances, but when the issues of homelessness and incarceration are a focus, the challenge is magnified enormously. We need this level of care in New York. We should encourage and support the St. Paul's Center.”
In addition to caring for patients, St. Paul’s Center offers educational programs for community members who are confronted with the mentally ill on a daily basis, including police, security and court officers. When the Center is fully operational, it will serve approximately 120 patients per week.
Press contact: Kellie Specter, 212-560-3009
*Source: Coalition for the Homeless, 2004