12 May Vail Place Annual Community Gathering 2016
The Vail Place Community Gathering – April 7, 2016 – brought together Board Members, Clubhouse Members, staff and volunteers for a look back at last year’s accomplishments and a look ahead at plans for 2016 and beyond. Board Chair John Duffy kicked things off with a review of 2015 highlights, including:
- The December Grand Opening of the totally renovated Hopkins Clubhouse and new building, home to our administration and case management staff.
- Expansion and growth of our Case Management and Employment programs.
- The continued development of our focus on integrated Care. Vail Place was one of 16 organizations chosen to participate in a Minnesota program of the National Council for Behavioral Health.
- Strategic growth of many community collaborations in many areas, including: North Memorial Health Care, the Minnesota Clubhouse coalition, and the Mental Health Connect program.
Also highlighted was the fact that Vail Place was designated by Clubhouse International to become a Clubhouse Orientation Site. The Orientation Site will offer a training program to introduce Clubhouse to programs in our region of the Midwest. Finally, Duffy shared the success of our Recovery Theatre performances with the History Theatre.
Current and new Board Members were also introduced and approved. Visit our website here for a full list of our 2016 Board of Directors.
Plans for 2016 were also outlined, including the fact that Hopkins Vail Place will be pursuing Clubhouse Accreditation from Clubhouse International this summer. (Minneapolis Vail Place became a certified Clubhouse program in 2013, and it received the highest possible three-year accreditation, and is seeking recertification in 2016 as well.) On a related note, part of our role as a Clubhouse Orientation Site is to encourage other Clubhouse programs to become certified. There is incentive to do this, as only certified Clubhouse programs will be eligible to receive state Medicaid funding. This puts Vail Place in a vital position to help strengthen Clubhouse and increase the number of certified clubhouses in our region.
Vail Place is also assuming a stronger and a more visible leadership role in our community and within the mental health system. We’ll be working with our community partners to expand the role of our agency in the integration of physical and mental health services – something we’ve always championed. Our goal is to make sure Vail Place is positioned and prepared to meet the needs of our members in a rapidly changing mental health system.
2016 is the 35th Anniversary of Vail Place. We are excited to celebrate the rich history we’ve built together over 35 years. We have a remarkable history of helping people with serious mental illnesses in their recovery to lead full and satisfying lives.