Welcome to JJPI’s Fall 2022 Newsletter!
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Happy Fall, and welcome to our second newsletter! At the Joseph J. Peters Institute, a subsidiary of Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), we’ve spent the last few months continuing to provide much-needed services to participants in all of our programs. We continue to recognize and address issues surrounding access to high quality mental health services. We are able to accomplish this through a relentless focus on hiring and retaining clinical staff, advocating for increases in reimbursement rates, and looking to push our services out to additional sites and settings. In July, we were notified that we received a two-year grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) to add additional therapy hours to our program at Family Support Line in Media, which supports children and families without access to trauma-focused mental health services. In this issue, you’ll also find an update on our program at Laura Carnell School in the Oxford Circle section of Philadelphia, as well as a spotlight on some of our staff. As always, if you or someone you know would like to donate to JJPI, you can do so through our website here. Thanks for your support!
– Ivan Haskell, Ph.D., Executive Director
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Shepard Recreation Center Event
On August 22, a shooting occurred outside the Shepard Recreation Center in West Philadelphia. 96 shots were fired and 5 people were injured. On Thursday, October 4, JJPI participated in a community violence prevention event with Open Door Abuse Awareness Prevention (ODAAP) and the Eagles Charitable Foundation to help support youth, athletes and others in the community surrounding the center. ODAAP’s mission is to help children and adolescents overcome trauma through sports. The Eagles Charitable Foundation strives to reach children through health and education programs. At the event, JJPI staff Cierra Greene and Jamez Anderson discussed mental health and trauma, conducted wellness screenings, and provided resources and referrals to trauma treatment providers in the community. They were supported by staff from the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS).
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JJPI’s Trauma Treatment Program at Carnell School
In March 2019, Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association (OCCCDA) reached out to JJPI to form a partnership to support the community of children and families at Laura H. Carnell School, which is located in the Oxford Circle Section of Philadelphia. OCCCDA had long been involved in supporting the school and surrounding neighborhood through the development of the Carnell Family Resource Center and Success Lab, and they were looking to apply for a grant to provide trauma-specific therapy for students impacted by exposure to trauma. OCCCDA was successful in receiving funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). As a result, JJPI hired Rebecca Hui to be a full-time therapist at the school in September 2019. After the grant ended in July 2021, JJPI was granted a license, with support from school principal, Mr. Hildebrand, and the City of Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS), by the State of Pennsylvania to open a satellite outpatient mental health clinic at Carnell. This allowed JJPI to have a satellite office in the school and bill for those with Medicaid insurance to help support the program. At the end of the last school year, Hannah Gross took over as the primary therapist at Carnell. Hannah previously served as one of the school's counselors, and we’re thrilled to see her move into a more clinical role in a setting where she already knows the staff, students, and families. The program is fully up and running for the school year! Many thanks to all that have been involved in making this program happen, including Rebecca Hui, Jen Leaman from OCCCDA, and State Representative Jared Solomon! To make a referral to the program, please email Hannah at hgross@jjpi.phmc.org.
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Felicia Luo, MS, MPhil, began working at JJPI, a subsidiary of PHMC, as a Master’s level student intern in 2016. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with dual Master’s degrees in Professional and Mental Health Counseling, Felicia accepted a position as a fee-for-service clinician at JJPI’s Safety and Responsibility Program (SRP) in 2017. In this role, she treats adults with a history of problem sexual behavior and relational violence. Felicia is a tremendous asset to the organization with her commitment and dedication to JJPI and our participants over the past 6 years. Among her many positive contributions, she is clinically intuitive, warm, empathetic, eager to learn and receptive to feedback. The SRP program is greatly enhanced by Felicia’s contributions, and she is often found supporting or consulting with other clinicians throughout the work day. Since starting at JJPI, she has pursued training in multiple evidence-based treatments and has continued to base her interventions on the latest research in treatment modalities for the populations she treats. Felicia is a star on our SRP Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team, where she helps her fellow clinicians through insightful analysis of clinical processes and suggestions on treatment interventions. Felicia is also trained in Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET) and has used this approach to aid multiple participants at SRP to develop skills for coping with symptoms associated with trauma.
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Stephanie Barco, MA, LPC, started working at JJPI, a subsidiary of PHMC, as a Master’s level intern in September 2016. After graduating with her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from West Chester University in 2017, she joined the adult partial hospitalization program (PHP) as a group therapist. About a year after starting at JJPI, Stephanie was promoted into the lead therapist position. In her position, she provides group therapy to adults with a history of problem sexual behavior and chronic mental health concerns. Stephanie has been an integral part of the PHP team for more than five years and is part of what makes the team so great! Among her many positive qualities are her calm and respectful demeanor and an unflappable presence that are integral to her ability to successfully de-escalate intense situations. Stephanie is also a pro at presenting and helping participants to understand and apply the Good Lives Model, an evidence-informed, client-centered treatment model for individuals who have a history of problematic sexual behavior. She is particularly skilled at helping her participants apply the model to their everyday lives and in their safety plans. Most importantly, Stephanie is a delight to work with and is an effective and supportive team player!
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Meet Our New Board Members
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We are thrilled to have a new group of talented individuals who recently joined JJPI’s Board of Directors. We will be highlighting these new board members in our newsletters over the coming months.
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ROBIN BURKERT, MSW
Why are you excited to join the JJPI board?
I’m excited about joining the JJPI Board because this is an excellent opportunity to support an incredible organization and positively affect change from within. This opportunity allows me to work with individuals who are also as passionate as I am about making a difference and furthering JJPI’s mission.
What drew you to the work of JJPI and mental health?
As a social worker in Philadelphia, I’ve always had great respect for the exceptional services JJPI offers. This agency, true to its mission, has provided comprehensive care to numerous individuals I’ve worked with and helped them cope with trauma and other mental health issues. By providing effective treatment, JJPI produces successful outcomes that allow participants to lead productive and enjoyable lives. Mental health services are just as essential as physical health services. It is my hope that these services can be expanded and made easily accessible to all those in need.
What would you say is your favorite pastime/way to relax?
Reading an interesting book is my favorite way to relax (even better if I am reading one on the beach!). It’s a simple way for me to set aside everything I’m working on, reduce stress, and relax.
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BUSTER SMITH, MD
Why are you excited to join the JJPI board?
I’m excited to join the JJPI Board because of the great work the organization does to help victims of trauma. There are so many people that have sustained traumatic events in their lives and need guidance recognizing and addressing the effects on their day-to-day functioning.
What drew you to the work of JJPI and mental health?
I was drawn to mental health as a teenager working in the local ER as a volunteer.
The psychiatrist took me in with her to evaluate a woman who had attempted suicide. While the patient was waiting to be admitted, the psychiatrist asked me to sit with the patient. We talked for over an hour. After the patient was admitted and treated, she came looking for me when she was discharged. She wanted to thank me for listening to her. I clearly had no skills to help her except that I was a good listener. It made me realize that there are many people who just need to be heard.
As an adult psychiatrist for the past 34 years, I have treated many individuals who have been the victims of various forms of trauma. As a JJPI board member, I have an opportunity to listen to the needs of the patient population that we serve. I’m also able to offer the experience of a trained clinician.
What would you say is your favorite pastime/way to relax?
One of my favorite pastimes is to travel. Traveling is such a wonderful education that allows me to meet new people and explore various cultures. My other ways to relax are to spend time with family and friends. I also enjoy long walks along the river or in the park. The walks afford me the opportunity to be alone with nature and appreciate every day that I get.
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Please be aware that in many situations, legal system involvement does not prevent individuals from voting!
In Pennsylvania, the following people with criminal justice system involvement can register and vote:
- People who are on probation or on parole
- People in jail or prison who have been convicted of misdemeanors (must vote with an absentee ballot)
- People who are under house arrest (must vote with an absentee ballot)
- People who are on parole or probation and living in a halfway house or community corrections center (must vote with an absentee ballot and cannot use the address of the halfway house as their registration address – must use previous or future address)
- People being held in jail while they are waiting to go to trial (must vote with an absentee ballot)
If individuals in Pennsylvania have already registered to vote prior to their criminal justice system involvement, they do not need to do anything to regain their voting rights after they have served their sentence for a felony conviction.
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Important Dates:
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022
You must register to vote by Monday, October 24, 2022.
You can register online at www.vote.pa.gov.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
The November 8 election is just around the corner. This is a hugely important election, so please vote!
Below are the offices that we will be voting on in Pennsylvania:
- Pennsylvania Governor
- U.S. Senator
- U.S. Congress
- State Senator
- State Representative
- *City Council at large (in Philadelphia)
To learn more about each candidate, check out these great resources:
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JJPI, a subsidiary of Public Health Management Corporation, is actively hiring for many positions ranging from clinical roles to the Manager of Community, Intake, and Prevention. We are offering sign-on bonuses for all positions. You can find all of our openings here.
Please help us spread the word about these openings!
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