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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrant Request - NAMIFor: 8/11 Economic Development Fund Discretionary Grant Program Organization: National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) of Central Oregon Organization Description: This organization offers educational classes and events for those with mental illness and their families. NAMI also promotes a monthly support group at St. Charles Medical Center. Project Name: Sol Wachtler Presentation Project Description: Sol Wachtler is a former New York State Supreme Court Justice who was diagnosed with bi-polar illness and ended up in jail. He will be addressing the impacts of the November ballot measures requiring mandatory sentencing on people with mental illness. Project Period: Event scheduled for October 1, 2008 Amount of Request: $2,400 ($1,400 for advertising, $600 for pre -event reception and $400 for hotel and rental car for Judge Wachtler) Previous Grants: None Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1960 (541) 3884570 a Fa (541) 385-3202 - www.deschutes.org DESCHUTES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION Direct Application to: Commissioner Tammy Baney Commissioner Dennis R. Luke Date: A`(9- L-44 Project Name: Project Deglnning Dab: Amount of Request: Commissioner Michael M. Daly All Three Commissioners J uDGE S. w'4G4.-1 ;LCA°- iersE,Il-A-hav 14 200 Applicant/Organization: Address: Project End Date: Date Funds Needed: Tax ID #: City&2Ip: Telephone: Abtict P. o . Box 74c -7- Contact Contact Name(s): Fu: ?E,4- W A DE E n ,I4aNSEA/ Szf/-3k12-0 f a' Alternate Pho e: 531,- S)/ C4.2 Email: 9-/-', 3/— 64634 3 0 - 97 %S' SI- 38'2-09�'�' On a separate sheet, please briefly answer the following questions: 1. Describe the applicant organization, including its purpose, leadership structure, and activities. 2. Describe the proposed project or activity. 3. Provide a timeline for completing the proposed project or activity. 4. Explain how the proposed project or activity will impact the community's economic health. 5. Identify the specific communities or groups that will benefit. 6. Itemize anticipated expenditures*. Describe how grant funds will be used and include the source and amounts of matching funds or in-kind contributions, if any. If the grant will support an ongoing activity, explain how it will be funded in the future. Attach: Proof of the applicant organization's non-profit status. * Applicant may be contacted during the review process and asked to provide a complete line item budget. Amount Approved: By: Date: Declined: By: Date: n 11 it CENTRAL OREGON National Alliance on Mental Illness August 1, 2008 NAM! (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Central Oregon"s chapter's mission statement is: education, advocacy, and support. The organization reaches out to those afflicted with mental illness and to their family members offering educational classes and events. NAMI CO also promotes a monthly support group which meets at St. Charles Hospital which offers support and advocacy. Central Oregon's chapter is governed by a twelve member Board of Directors. The mandatory sentencing measures which will appear on our November ballot (numbers are being applied to these measures today) will greatly impact our jail and prison system. First time property and drug offenders will be mandated to a prison term which will cause more prisons to be built and maintained. This will result in more monies having to be directed to the criminal justice/prison system. It is our understanding that there is no consideration for treatment programs vs. incarceration in these measures. It is strictly mandated prison sentences which would mean funding would go to prisons and jails instead of treatment programs. Mental health treatment programs have reduced recidivism . These programs have saved the tax payer great expense from simply warehousing the mentally ill in jails and prisons. Statistics show over 50% to as high as 75% of the jail and prison population have mental illness. Judge Sol Wacthler, a former New York State Supreme Court Justice who fell from grace due to his bi-polar illness and landed in jail will be addressing these issues in his presentation on October 1, 2008, 7 p.m. at St. Charles Hospital. Judge Wacthler has stated he is shocked Oregon has these measures on an upcoming ballot as most states have done away with mandatory sentencing due to the high cost of these programs not only to the tax payer, but also to the individuals who suffer from mental illness. Without treatment it is extremely difficult to return to society and to become a productive citizen who is not in further need of tax supported programs. Our request for grant funds is $2400 $1400 will be used for advertising 600 Pre -event reception 400 Hotel and rental car for Judge Wachtler NAMI CENTRAL OREGON — PO BOX 7462 — BEND, OREGON 97708 (541) 408-7779 - www.namicentraloregon.org Board of Directors Deanna Hansen President Gary Smith Vice President Roger Olson Past President Emily Colburn Secretary Steve Wel bourn Treasurer Eileen White Support Group Facilitator Beth Quinn Catherine Speckmann PhD Tarina Tonge Patricia Von R iedl Lillah McBride Jim Link My bio: SOL WACHTLER served as a Justice of the New York Supreme Court (1968-1972) and Judge of New York's highest court, The New York Court Of Appeals (1973-1992). In 1985 he was appointed Chief Judge of that court and Chief Judge of the State of New York. He was Chairman of the National State/Federal Judicial Council. An honor graduate of Washington and Lee University and its law school, he has been awarded thirteen honorary Doctor of Law Degrees and has been a scholar in residence at several law schools as well as lecturer abroad on behalf of the United States Information Service. He authored the book After the Madness (Random House), co-authored the novel: Blood Brothers (New Millennium) and was a critic at large for New Yorker magazine. He recently authored a section in the book: Serving Mentally 111 Offenders(Springer). In 2002 he was presented with the President's Award by the Mental Health Association of New York and the 25th Anniversary Award from the Coalition of Mental Health Associations of the City of New York. Last year he was presented with an Achievement Award by National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and the Clubhouse of Suffolk County's Mental illness Awareness Award. He is presently the Chairman of the Board of the Law and Psychiatry Institute of the North Shore- Long Island Jewish Health System and a Life Trustee of that Health System. He is a contributor and member of the Advisory Board of the Community Health Report (Civic Research Institute New York Universtiy) and is currently a Professor of Law at Touro Law School and a member of its Board of Governors. I do hope we can arrange for a mutually agreeable date in October and I look forward to seeing you at that time. nems National Alliance on Mental Illness CENTRAL OREGON AN EVENING WITH A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE WHO FELL FROM GRACE INTO PRISON NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Central Oregon Chapter invites you to become a partner in bringing an outstanding speaker to Bend on October 1, 2008. Judge Sol Wachtler, a former New York Supreme Court Justice will be addressing the shortcomings of the judicial and penal systems for people with mental illness and drug and alcohol related crimes. Judge Wachtler tells it like it is from his own personal experience in prison. This presentation is especially pertinent at this time with the mandatory prison sentencing measures which will appear for vote on Oregon's November ballot. These measures will enforce prison sentences for those with mental illness and drug and alcohol addiction who are first time offenders instead of offering them treatment. If either of the measures passes, it will result in more tax dollars being spent on prisons instead of treatment programs. Judge Wachtler was the rising star of New York State's Republican Party. By the mid 1980's he held the state's highest judicial position, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals. Wachtler had his eye on the New York governor's mansion and it appeared he was very likely to win this race. However as it turned out, he never had a chance to run. On November 7, 1992, the FBI arrested Wachtler and charged him with extorting money from his ex -mistress. Wachtler pleaded guilty to threatening to kidnap the woman's daughter and was disbarred. He spent 13 months in a federal prison which was not a white collar country club prison. During imprisonment, he was placed in solitary confinement. At the time of his arrest, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder which was heightened by his self medication, antidepressants and stimulants. Now sixteen years later, Wachtler has emerged from the hell imposed by this illness to become an advocate for mental health reform. Frustrated by the disconnect between the legal and mental health professions, he founded an organization that is dedicated to helping experts in both arenas find common ground. "The law has always been concerned with who did it and psychiatrists are concerned with why they did it, he explains. What we're trying to do is have an understanding between the disciplines. He founded the Law and Psychiatry Institute. Its mission is to educate the judiciary about mental health disorders. It's staff works with the courts in rendering objective evaluations and treatment for defendants with mental illness and also offers training seminars in clinical forensic mental health issues for lawyers and judges. Wachtler's dedication to these issues can be traced back to the highest and lowest points of his life: his years on the bench and his months behind bars. Please join us in bringing this dynamic speaker to Central Oregon. We have a great opportunity to make a difference in the way mental illness drug and alcohol related crimes are viewed in the criminal justice system. St. Charles Behavioral Health Center is sponsoring the room for the event which will be held at the hospital's Wellness Center. Could you join us with sponsorship in the form of endorsement and dollars for the event and advertising? We would like to carry the Judge's message to not only the criminal justice system, but also to the public that if mental illness and imprisonment could happen to him, it could happen to anyone. In 2002 Jude Wachtler was awarded the President's Award by the Mental Health Association of New York NAMI CENTRAL OREGON — PO BOX 7462 — BEND, OREGON 97708 (541) 408-7779 - www.namicentraloregon.org Board of Directors Deanna Hansen President Gary Smith Vice President Roger Olson Past President Emily Colburn Secretary Steve We !bourn Treasurer Eileen White Support Group Facilitator Beth Quinn Catherine Speckmann Phl Taring Tonge Patricia Von R .edl Lillah McBrid, Jim Link 08/30/2005 14:31 FAX 5033784381 CORP DIVISION Z002 CERTIFICATE State of Oregon OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE Corporation Division 1, BILL BRADBURY, Secretary of State of Oregon, and Custodian of the Seal of said State, do hereby certify, NATIONAL ALLL4NCE FOR THE MENTALLY ILL OF CENTRAL OREGON was incorporated under the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act on January 27, 1984 and is active on the records of the Corporation Division as of the date of this certificate. In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed hereto the Seal of the State of Oregon. BILL BRADB URY, Secretary of Stac e By JA/,, —,, Marilyn Smith August 30, 2005 Come visit us on the Internet at http://www.filinginoregon.com FAX (503) 378-4381 1201 Internal Revenue Service Date: October 3, 2005 NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE MENTALLY ILL OF CENTRAL OREGON PO BOX 7462 BEND OR 97708-7462 Dear Sir or Madam: Department of the Treasury P. O. Box 2508 Cincinnati, OH 45201 Person to Contact: Robert Molloy ID# 31-04023 Toll Free Telephone Number: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET 877-829-5500 Federal Identification Number: 93-0933410 This is in response to your request of August 31, 2005, regarding your tax-exempt status. In October 1988 we issued a determination letter that recognized you as exempt from federal income tax. Our records indicate that you are currently exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our records indicate that you are also classified as a public charity under sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our records indicate that contributions to you are deductible under section 170 of the Code, and that you are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Internal Revenue Code. If you have any questions, please call us at the telephone number shown in the heading of this letter. Sincerely, (((/;-2 ititt5Y-L6-(7-- Cindy Westcott Manager, E0 Determinations rll here was a time when Sol Wachtler seemed unstop- pable. Over the course of two decades the rising star of New York's Republican party had vaulted himself from Long Island town councilman to State Supreme Court judge. By Ibe mid-1980s he held the state's highest judicial position, chief judge of the Court of Appeals. Yet even this—leading one of the largest court systems in the Western hemisphere—looked like a career prelude for the eloquent and insightful jurist. Indeed, Wachtler had his eye on the gover- nor's mansion. And many political insiders figured it was his race to lose. As it turned out, he never had a chance to run. On November 7, 1992, the FBI arrested Wachtler and charged him with extorting money from his ex -mis- tress. As the media later reported, the yearlong scheme involved dis- guises, lurid phone calls and letters, and implied threats of kidnapping. Fifteen years later, Wachtler has emerged from that hell by taking a high- profile road to redemption. The man once touted to be the nation's first Jewish president has transformed himself into one of its most visible mental health advo- cates. Although he still finds it mortifying to discuss that chapter of his life, he does so frequently, speaking without fee to mental health groups around the country. he o. pial about it," he says. "And I find it difficult to speak about it—terribly difficult. And embarrassing." And still, this is the path Wachtler has chosen. Each time he steps up to the podium it means dredging up his spectac- ular freefall. Why does he put himself through it? "When 1 left prison I had a choice to go to New Mexico and live a quiet and restful life or to WI' to 1101 only make amends for what I had done to the lives of other people, but to redeem something of a repu- tation," says Wach tier, who regained his law license last fall. "One of the ways of doing that is a ging to help people who have gone through, or are going through, what 1 went through. I'm saying to the pub- lic, if it could Napper to me, it could happnl to anyone.'' Jurist Sol Wachtler's long roa by Nicole Peradotto Wachtler later pleaded guilty to threatening to kidnap the woman's daughter, was disbarred, and spent 13 months in a federal prison. At the time of his arrest, psychiatrists diagnosed him with bipolar disorder, his condition exacerbated by a toxic combination of prescription sleep aids, antidepressants, and stimulants. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a story of anyone who was as high as I was and who was as low as I got. Trying to come back from that has been hell," Wachtler says during a phone interview with bp Magazine. "There's an expression: 'One door closes and another opens.' But it's hell in the hallway." 24 bp Spring2008 As he puts it: "There are many things you can do in your lifetime that you feel like boasting about, but never being in prison." Taking a stand When Wachtler stands before an audi- ence, he uses his platform—and his story—to address the shortcomings of the judicial and penal system for people with mental illness. Although his marriage weathered the scandal, Joan, his wife of 55 years, rarely accompanies him on speaking engagements. "She can't stand hearing d back 'fachtler's com- mitment to mental health reform isn't limited 10 words. A decade ago, frus- trated by the discon- nect between the legal and mental heal[' professions, he founded an organization that is dedicated to helping experts in both arenas find common ground. "The law has always been concerned with who did it and psychiatrists are concerned with why did he do it," he explains. "\'1'hat we're trying to do is have an understanding between the disciplines." To that end, the Law and Psychiatry Institute (LPI), which is part of the Nort Shore -Long Island Jewish Health System produced a trainirrg film for New York C police officers on the apprehension of Opposite Page: Sol Wachtler relaxes at his home in Greenbush, NY, Al a staggering fall from grace, the former chief judge of the New York StN Court of Appeals has reemerged as an outspoken mental health advoc t. -ti Above: The Wachtler clan in 1965. From left to right are Marjorie, Joan, Philip, Lauren, Sol, and Alison. Right: Wachtler lost a tight race for Nassau County executive in 1967 but gained a valuable ally in Nelson Rockefeller, then governor of New York. Below: Wachtler swears in as Court of Appeals judge in 1973 as Rockefeller (center) looks on. Eleven years later, Wachtler would be appointed to serve as chief judge of the court. suspects with mental illness. It launched a pilot program for the Nassau County Police Department in which social workers accompanied police on domestic violence calls so they could care for the children. Since part of the institute's mandate is to educate the judiciary shout mental health disorders, its staff works with the courts in rendering objective eval- uations and treatment for defendants with ntcnutl illness. It also offers train- ing seminars in clinical forensic men- tal health issrtes for lawyers and judges. Like so match of his advocacy, Wachtler's dedication to these issues can be traced back to the highest and lowest points of his life: his years on the bench and his months behind bars. "I remember when 1 was sen- tenced, the judge said: 'There's no question that there's mental illness here. But 1 can't understand how any- one could be so mentally ill and still go to work,'" Wachtler recalls. "Judges shouldn't he that ignorant, but many don't know the difference between schizophrenia and a hangnail. So they have to be taught to know what they're dealing with and what they're looking at." "Through the LPI, Wachtler is trying to launch vet another ambitious project: a cen- mil mental health court where defendants could be evaluated, adjudicated, and appro- priately sentenced and treated. "We don't think in terms of flying to cure these people, so we put then in prison," he says. "Nowhere do they talk Fear of stigma There are several reasons why liVach1ler himself didn't get help, even as his erratic behavior turned criminal. Before his arrest, his depression was so pr0ncntncecl that he would hole up in .t hotel room for clays at ;t Link, spending his entire stay sleeping (31 crying \When his wife, tt clinicalsocial worker, pleaded with him to flet a psvchialrist, he refused Wachtler knew vyh;tt nt1(1 happen if the media got ,incl of it. He'd seen others' politic ill dreams derailed once their illness was made public. There was Thomas Eagleton, for instance, the 197'2 Democratic vice presidential can- didate who was removed from the ticket after revelations of mental illness and electroshock therapy. To a would -he governor, hen, the stigma of a disorder was more pc t ifying than the prospect of a diagnosis. "It's that same stigma that kee: is so nruli people Iron seeking help," \\:ie ider says "It causes it stereotyping of prop e with psychiatric disahiliu that keeps t s from recognizing the fact that (here i, t r,unu iu. So they keep everything hidden.: lid they 4'3 by Spring2008 about treatment. That's what we try to do through the mental health courts. It's treat- ing then instead of making them more dysfunctional by incarcerating them. "I'm not saying let mentally ill people go free if they've committed a trine. But they should be put in treatment so when they do get out they won't commit another crime." eer s are destroyed, and desu-oyed." Ah Wachtler wasn't diagnosed ')ar disorder until his arrest at 62, iells having bipolar's trademark high for at least four decades prior. At time, he was a newlywed, a thriving -law Indent, and president of the student bar ssociation at Washington and Lee University 1 Lexington, Virginia. ' "It's a strange thing, but 1 idn't consider it a burden •r a had thing," he recalls. I was able to work with normous energy. I needed ery little sleep when I was in my nanic state, and the depressions 'eren't that severe. 'The swings weren't exacer ated until 1 reached my early (k. They were more pronounced, ut even then very manageable. was able to manage until 1 arted to self -medicate. Then went way off the charts." Leading up to his arrest, rachtler's capacity had been rbstantially diminished by is unrestricted use of four pre- :ription drugs, all of which list Tania or mood swings as possi- le side effects. In the Wachtler bgraphy King of the Mountain 'ronretheus Books, 1998), Athol- John M. Caher notes rat he took more than 1,000 :bless of a prescription stimu- ntover a 16 -month period to leviate his depression. In the ght months before his an -est, had taken 200 plus doses of sleep aid recommended only •r short-term use—a week to 10 days, ,r example. 'The more of these [pills] I took, the irse things became. And the speeches I .ade then were hizan-e in many ways," 'achtler notes. On the way to one such talk decided that the schoolteachers he was address knew enough about the topic he is slated to lecture on—the U.S. Constitu- nr. Instead, he stood before them and mbled on about an arcane tort doctrine. "Alter [ gave my speech, my chief iminisuator said, 'What the hell was that about? First, you were supposed to talk about the Constitution. Second, you were talking so fast.' "And I said, 'No, you were listening too slowly.'" At the time he started to abuse the med- ication, Wachtler was facing crises at every turn. His marriage was languishing. Severe headaches had him convinced he had a ter- minal brain tumor. He was engaged in a narcissism, the belief—and I guess my illness was contributing to this—that could do anything, 1 could be anything. Now I realize that I'm filled with all the weakness that brings out all the doubts that beset everyone. I'm not nearly as good as I thought I was." There are those who would disagree. Among them is Charles J. Hynes, district attorney of Kings County in Brooklyn, site of the state's first mental health court. According to Hynes; Wachtler's work on behalf of people with mental illness may even eclipse his judicial career— a career characterized by ground- breaking decisions that led to the broadening of protections for women, people with disabilities, and racial minorities. "He's been really indefatigable with this issue of mental health," says Hynes, who has known Wachtler for more than three decades. "Having suffered from his own condition he's in a much Net- ter position than those who have not been ill to address these issues. People sit up and take notice when someone with his stature is willing to talk about it. "He was an absolutely brilliant and progressive judge %vho wrote extensively on civil rights, and his opinions are ver' well-written,•. Hynes adds. "But at the end of the day, 1 think he would opt for the legacy he's established on behalf of people victimized by mental illness." Ienhis morning I was awak- ed by an overpowering stench. The stainless steel seatless toilet in the corner of my cell, which is equipped with an extraordinarily powerful flushing device, has backed up. Raw sewerage gushes from the other cells into mine. "Dante- esque" is the only word that comes to mind as I raise my feet and sit on my metal slab bed. I have been in prison for only two days and I cannot endure it. —From Sol Wachtler's After the Madness nasty lawsuit with then -New York Governor Mario Cuomo over the state's court budget. Disconsolate over the end of his affair with a New York socialite, he concocted an elaborate plot to lure her hack. "I don't blame my actions on my mental illness," Wachtler says. "I blame my actions on the fact that I was too driven in my pro- fession to seek help. As a result, I not only destroyed my career, but I hurt a lot of very innocent people. "One of the reasons for my downfall was The next chapter After his release from jail, Wachtler wrote a prison memoir titled After the Madness (Random House, 1997). Included in the book are passages from the journal he maintained during his 30 days in solitary confinement. After another inmate stabbed him in the hack, guards kept him in seclusion for his safety. "I pleaded with the guards for some- thing to write with, and they gave me a I /- inch pencil stub," Wachtler recalls. "If I by hope&hermonv acini been able to write clown what was happening to me—all those thoughts that were going on in my mind—I wouldn't have remembered a day of it. Day and night merge, and it's just. awful. I tell you, if you are not mentally 111 wku )'oti go in you will become mentally ill." Since then, Wachtler has pressed for legislation that would ban the practice of placing prisoners with mental illness in solitary confinement. Although illegal in some states, it's still permitted in New York. "If not for the sake of the inmate, for our sake—for bringing ourselves a notch up in civilization—we should not he putting the mentally ill in solitary confinement," he says. "That's a terrible thing to clo_ Even Texas, which is not a model of penal reform, won't put a mentally ill person in the hole." Besides tirelessly advocating for mental health reforms, Wachtler teaches a popular class on the First Amendment at Long Island's Touro 1<tw Center and is founder and chief executive of CADRE, an alterna- tive dispute resolution firm. What's more, he's realizing his dream of 9 0 Phnlo: GARY GOLD !or bp bp Spring 2 0 0 8 44 e don't think in terms of trying to cure these people, so we put them in prison. Nowhere do they talk about treatment. That s what we try to do through the mental health courts. It's treating them instead of making them more dysfunctional by incarcerating them." practicing law again: fourteen years after he was stripped of his law license, Wachtler learned in October that he was reinstated to practice law in New York. At 77, he intends to work pro hono, representing mentally ill clients in the context of pending lawsuits. Asked if he lives with regret, Wachtler pauses before acknowledging that it's a fact of his life. "I often feel that I would like to have done many things that I will never he able to do. I've learned so much about the frailty of the human condition, about peo- ple and their weaknesses and strengths, that 1 could he a much better judge than 1 ever was. But i will never have that opportunity." No doubt, Wachtler's regrets—as well as his revived legal career—will figure in his new hook, a sequel to After er the ;Wad neo that he doesn't figure will he clone before 2009. The updated memoir will detail his comeback from disgrace: his effort; to re- deem his reputation, to return to a normal, productive file and—inasmuch as itis possi- ble ti>r a man who regularly revisits his ghosts—to put the past behind hint. He's already chosen the title: 1-Ir/I in the Hallway. ) Nicole Ptrrulolto is Me rnamIgiu'rdilor nrul a rnrrhibu- lot' for bp Magazine and (dito, 0] 11)1 rum,0,voly and drpreAsion rungs:int. csperanza. Wachtler's wellness tips • Find a good psychiatrist. "The first time I met mine was the day of my arrest, when I was taken to a mental unit in the hospital literally in chains. I have been with him ever since." • Stay on your medication. "There are times when I feel I don't want to be captive to pills, and there are times, quite frankly, when I miss the euphoria. But I take my medication religiously." • Don't succumb to lethargy. "Whenever 1 feel lethargic, 1 force myself to exercise -1 walk an awful lot—or write." • Find strength in your family. "I have four children and eight grandchildren, and they're just fabulous. Before my oldest grand- son started college last fall, I sat him down and told him the whole story. He was very indifferent. I don't think he can cast nie in that role. To him, I'm Grandpa, and that's someone else. And that's fine by me."