Reporter:  Gail Lyman

Herb Alexander, Chief Diversity Officer, CHS

 “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Why It Matters”

 

St. Catherine of Siena and on Zoom

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NOTE: you can watch previous meetings by going to our YouTube channel!

 

President Mary Kane opened our packed-room meeting, acknowledging club members that hadn’t come to an in-person meeting for a while.  She led club members in the Four-Way Test, encouraging us to reflect on our personal interactions throughout the week in context to Rotary.

 

Mary then introduced our guests:

And visiting Rotarians:

After adding some levity on the chances of winning the Mega Millions jackpot, Larry Robinson gave us a Thought for the Day in the spirit of Rotary:

 

“One of the joys of my life is getting along with people I should not get along with . . . I think that having strong opinions is part of the joy of being alive, and loving people in spite of those strong opinions is one of the other joys of being alive.” 

­– Penn Jillette

 

 

Geoff Dunn presented the 2023-24 slate of officers for the Rotary Club of Ithaca:

As Assistant Governor for District 7170, Geoff referred us to DG Rocky Martinez’s e-mail announcing the transition of three upstate districts (7150, 7170, 7190) to one district as of July 1, 2024.  The new district will be referred to as CNY Rotary.  To sign up for one or more of the Town Hall events explaining the new Rotary district, use this link. 

 

“The Spectrum of Substance Abuse Treatment, from the Street through Inpatient Care”

 

Steve Savage introduced Dr. John-Paul Mead who is a Hospitalist at Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital, Medical Director for Cayuga Health Partners, Medical Director for the Alcohol and Drug Council, Medical Director for Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (C.A.R.S.), and Chief Medical Information Officer at Cayuga Medical Center.

 

Dr. John-Paul spoke about treatment from living on the street through in-patient recovery and treatment.  He emphasized how person-centered language is important when referring to the needs of the addicted person going through in-patient recovery and treatment.  For example, language such as “Opiate Use Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Person who Uses IV Drugs, Undomiciled, Undocumented, and Individual with Mental Illness” all matter when referring to a patient because it impacts addiction treatment and recovery.

 

Services for the acute care of addiction (withdrawal) is currently provided at Cayuga Health System’s Emergency Department offering services for 4-16 hours, and Hospital Inpatient Services provides care for 1–7 days.  The Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County is beginning renovations at their 2353 N. Triphammer Rd. facility to create an open access (24/7) 40-bed, medically supervised withdrawal (detox) and stabilization program.

 

The landscape of what is available for addiction treatment in Tompkins County is offered through the REACH Project, Inc . (Respectful, Equitable, Access to Compassionate Healthcare), the Alcohol & Drug Council, and C.A.R.S. (Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services).  C.A.R.S offers outpatient treatment services, an opioid treatment program, and residential rehabilitation services.  Operating under the regulatory guidance of NYS Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), C.A.R.S provides its clients with a range of medication-assisted treatmen, psychiatric management, medical management, and counseling (individual and group).

 

Dr. John-Paul states that the missing piece in addiction recovery services for Tompkins County is the lack of half-way houses or addiction recovery residences (cottage settings where individuals may grow through counseling as they transition back into the community).

 

 Also, Dr. John-Paul admits that there are difficulties in navigating the grid for acute care services in Tompkins County.  He emphasizes that when individuals enter untenable crisis situations, they are often suffering from all or a combination of three crises (alcohol abuse, drug abuse, mental instability).  For these reasons, he strongly supports Tompkins County getting a Crisis Stabilization Center that provides short-term intensive care in a safe, secure environment where clients can reach a place of stability for their crisis/crises.

 

President Mary ended the meeting, thanking all that came to visit us.  Herb Alexander, Chief Diversity Officer of Cayuga Health, will be our speaker next week.

 

Newsletter Reporter:  Gail Lyman

Photographer:  Mike Brown

Greeter:   Sarah Segal

Newsletter Editor:  Loralyn Light

 

Set-up/Tear-Down:  Dave Martin, Steve Johnson, Harlin McEwen, Dale Flinn, Gary Reinbolt

Set-up Zoom:  Mike Brown

Recording Archive:  Paul Martin; click here

Club Service Facilitator:  June Losurdo