E WOMEN S FUND THE WOMEN S FUN WOMEN`S FUND THE
Transcription
E WOMEN S FUND THE WOMEN S FUN WOMEN`S FUND THE
Women s Fund The Women s Fun Women’s Fund The Women’s Fund The Women s Fund The Women’s nd The Women’s Fund The Women e March 2015 Women’s Fund to Explore Mental Health Services Advocacy N oting a critical gap between mental health services and needs in our region, the Women’s Fund has decided to examine the impact this disparity makes on women and girls, and to look for solutions. The mental health initiative marks a new stage in the evolution of the Women’s Fund. “We want to get a better understanding of the extent of the problem,” says Dr. Camelia Lawrence, a breast surgeon with United Health Services and member of the Women’s Fund’s Leadership Committee. Once the Women’s Fund and other partners have mapped out the issues, they can determine what needs to be done. The new advocacy initiative got started after Lawrence told the Leadership Committee about mental health issues she has observed in her medical practice. Some of the women who come to her for breast care, she says, can’t get the mental health services they need. A woman might simply have no one to renew a prescription for an anti-depressant or other medication, due to service cuts that have left her without any mental health care provider. Or the problem might be more extreme. Sometimes a woman arrives at Lawrence’s office showing symptoms of mental illness so severe, she can’t give informed consent for her scheduled procedure. If a patient poses a danger to herself or others, Lawrence’s staff can call 911 and have police transport the woman to the emergency room. But for a patient who doesn’t fit that continued on page 2 Women’s Natalie Thompson, Chair Whitney Beal, Vice Chair Sharon Ball Jennifer Bastian Karen Bearsch Linda Biemer The Women’s Fund 520 Columbia Drive, Suite 100 IT’S TIME TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT! 2015 Women’s Fund Annual Breakfast Mark your calendar and claim your spot at the 10th Anniversary of the Women’s Fund Annual Breakfast, Friday June 5, 2015 at the Binghamton Club. Don’t wait! This is always a popular event, and seats go fast. Our keynote speaker will be Judith Pipher, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester and an inductee in the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Taking a cue from Rosie the Riveter, Pipher will explore the slogan “We Can Do It!” She will discuss the Hall of Fame, its inductees and her own work on infrared astronomy, celebrating the myriad ways in which women make an impact on the world. Pipher earned her B.Sc. from the University of Toronto in 1962 and her Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1971. She joined the University of Rochester in 1971 and served as director of its C.E.K. Mees Observatory from 1979 to 1994. Pipher’s primary research focuses on infrared astronomy and infrared detector array development. Her group is currently working on technology for NEOCam, a NASA-funded telescope and camera that will survey potentiallyhazardous asteroids and comets passing near Earth. Guests will also hear about the difference the Women’s Fund has made through its 2014 round of grants. And you’ll have a chance to talk with other supporters of the Women’s Fund—more than 200 people who have joined forces to enhance the lives of women and girls in our communities. Thanks to Davidson Fox & Company LLP, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Levene Gouldin & Thompson LLP, NBT Bank, and Visions Federal Credit Union, our early bird diamond sponsors, and additional sponsors: Cushman & Wakefield, Pyramid Brokerage Company, and Columbia Ridge Capital Management. Tickets to the program, including a full breakfast, are $35 per person. June 5, 2015 The Binghamton Club, 83 Front St., Binghamton Sign-in begins at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast buffet starting at 7:45 a.m. Call (607) 772-6773 by May 29, 2015 to reserve your seat. Visa/MC accepted by phone. Fund Leadership Susan Fertig Kate Fitzgerald, Esq. Betty Goodwin Amy Howard Cory Jacobs Betsy Koffman Johnson City, NY 13790 Camelia A. Lawrence, MD Roberta Melville Merri Pell-Preus Jennifer Small Marcia J. Steinbrecher (607) 772-6773 www.donorswhocare.org Leadership Committee Welcomes New Members We are pleased to welcome two new members to the Leadership Committee: Katherine (Kate) Fitzgerald, partner at Hinman Howard and Kattell and founding donor to the Fund, and Jennifer Bastian, alumni relations assistant at Binghamton University and volunteer member of the Special Events Committee in 2014. They join an engaged, energetic and deeply committed group of local women dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls in the region. Kate Fitzgerald Women’s Fund Salons are a Hot Ticket! The Women’s Fund is always looking Liz Rosenberg will discuss her most for new friends and donors. That’s recent novel: The Moonlight Palace. why we sponsor two salons each The nature of these small-venue events year, to get out the word about the makes it difficult to accommodate wonderful work we do. We hold one everyone connected to the Fund. So in Binghamton and the second at a if you are interested in receiving an location outside Broome County. Our e-vite to the next one, please “opt-in” most recent salon was an inspiring by sending an email to: dbrown@ evening of discussion, food, drink and donorswhocare.org and letting us companionship at the Bohemian Moon know your interest. Restaurant in Norwich. At the next, on Wednesday April 22, 2015 at the Binghamton Country Club, local author Jennifer Bastian Mental Health Services Advocacy continued from page 1 profile—even one who is seriously ill—there seems to be no way to get immediate help. Local mental health practices all have long waiting lists, Lawrence says. “The last time we called, it was three or four months.” When Lawrence told her story to the Leadership Committee last fall, the response was quick and strong. Members recognized that our region has cut back on mental health services, making it hard to find care. They agreed that this issue is important, and it falls well within the Women’s Fund’s mission to improve and empower the lives of women and girls. In December, an ad hoc committee of the Women’s Fund started planning a course of action. The first step was to convene a group of experts who understand the local mental health landscape. As this newsletter went to press, the committee was preparing to meet on March 5 with a focus group drawn from the YWCA, the Mental Health Association, the Broome County Sheriff’s Department, United Health Services, Lourdes, Broome County Mental Health, Fairview Recovery Services, Rise (formerly the SOS Shelter) and the Addiction Center of Broome County. Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo also planned to attend. Committee members hope that this discussion will define the size and severity of the mental health services gap. Local experts could also point to best practices for helping women and girls with mental illness, despite the dearth of providers. w w w. d o n o r s w h o c a r e . o r g “We suspect that some organizations have already found a way around this issue, and we’re just not privy to that,” Lawrence says. “We hope people will be generous in sharing ideas about what’s working well to combat the problem, or tell us what’s not working.” The mental health initiative marks a new stage in the evolution of the Women’s Fund. After more than a dozen years spent raising money and making grants, we are eager to serve in a new way, advocating for solutions to a problem that affects many women and girls in our community. If you want to get involved in this effort, please contact Diane Brown at the Community Foundation, (607) 772-6773 or [email protected].