MA CLUBHOUSE COALITION

Employers Celebrated for Mental Health Leadership at Massachusetts State House

Local companies are employing individuals who have mental illness with positive results.  Thanks to support provided by Department of Mental Health funded Clubhouse employment and recovery centers, over 1,900 Massachusetts citizens recovering from the effects of mental illness earned over $13.2 million dollars in FY09! These impressive numbers were announced by the Massachusetts Clubhouse Coalition (MCC) which held an event at the statehouse on Thursday, March 25 th to recognize 38 companies that employ Clubhouse members.  “Governor Patrick knows very well how important the Clubhouse centers are to the more than 8,000 individuals they serve annually and their families and that is why he protected Clubhouses in the FY11 budget” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. JudyAnn Bigby to strong applause during the event.  Secretary Bigby accepted an award for Governor Patrick from the MCC, for his commitment to making Massachusetts a model employer for individuals who have disabilities and for not only talking employment, but “walking the walk” by hiring individuals who have mental illness with Clubhouse support.

Scott Love, the manager of the CVS/pharmacy store in Plaistow, New Hampshire told the audience “We have been employing members of the Haverhill Clubhouse for eight years now.  There is one word that describes the experience of myself, my staff and those we employ, and that word is rewarding.  It works out really great for everyone and we have a lot of fun on our jobs.   Everyone here knows how great the Clubhouse program is, but there is a lot of need out there and we need to get the word out to others that hiring Clubhouse members is an important and worthwhile thing to do.  We have employed 18 Clubhouse members over time and it is a great relationship and it is easy to get involved”.

“For many people who work for the companies awarded today, their job is an important part of their path to wellness” said Reva Stein the MCC Executive Director.  There are 32 Clubhouse employment and recovery centers in Massachusetts.  Governor Patrick spared these Clubhouse centers from the 9c budget cutting axe this past October as a way to continue funding services for those most vulnerable.  

Stein credits the six years of funding provided by the Sidney R. Baer Jr. Foundation with helping earnings jump by over $4 million dollars. The Baer Foundation funded a national employment expansion initiative which engaged the leadership of over 75 companies who helped to reach out to their colleagues encouraging them to explore hiring Clubhouse members.  In addition, the Project built an Employer Advisory Board that helped to guide the effort, held employer recognition events as a way to let companies know that, there are other Clubhouse employment and recovery centers in the state and the country, just like them, who also provide top rate employees and employment supports.  The Project also organized forums to share best practices.  

Members of the National Employment Expansion Project Advisory board received special recognition at the event.  Senator Jennifer Flanagan, Chair of the Massachusetts legislature's Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse helped the MCC honor this select group of business leaders.  Advisory Board members receiving  special recognition included: the Executive Director of the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Director of the Newton Community Development Foundation, The mailroom supervisor of the Sun Chronicle, the TJX Companies and the Deputy Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  Senate President Therese Murray lauded the employers and stated “I commend the employers here today for your excellent business sense in hiring employees from Clubhouses.  Everyone deserves the right to earn their own way.”

Bigby told the crowd of over 300 legislators, employers, Clubhouse members and staff, family members and organizations “we know that Clubhouses not only help individuals recover, but they are part of our economic engine as well… The earning power of members also shows that employers have tapped into a pool of talented, skillful, hardworking individuals who have overcome the greatest odds and found their strengths as productive employees.”