Lieutenant Governor of New York State Antonio Delgado Visits Hudson Valley Clubhouse
The Hudson Valley Clubhouse welcomed Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado on Friday, August 21 to our home at 98 Cannon Street in Poughkeepsie.
The Lt. Governor spent an hour and half speaking with members and staff, learning about the unique Clubhouse model of community-based intervention for people living with serious mental illness.
Members described their experiences and the role the Clubhouse plays in bringing stability, community and purpose to their lives. Here staff and members socialize and work side by side to accomplish daily tasks, from house management to supporting fellow members seeking housing or employment or continuing education, to media and advocacy efforts.
Member Rana spoke of this working community: “I know I’ve got to come in here, because they’re coming in here for me ... the relationships fostered here are just beautiful.” Member Sarah, who designed the logo for the Clubhouse, noted that in Clubhouses “community is therapy,” and 22-year old Stefan added simply “What I like about the Clubhouse is there is always something to do.”
Despite clubhouses having a long history of compassionate, cost-effective care in more than 200 locations across the United States (and 350 worldwide), in New York State the model has been limited to New York City.
As the first accredited Clubhouse in New York State outside of New York City, Hudson Valley Clubhouse has grown since opening in January 2024 to 80 members. It has been widely recognized and supported by local Dutchess County leaders including Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers and Department of Mental Health Commissioner, Jean Marie Niebuhr, both of whom joined the Lt. Governor on his visit.
Delgado reflected on the Clubhouse: “Too often, New Yorkers living with mental health challenges cannot access the proper care and environment needed to succeed in our society. The Hudson Valley Clubhouse is working to ensure that these needs are met, while also allowing folks to foster essential life skills.”
July Issue of Rhinebeck Living: Interview with Hudson Valley Clubhouse Director Blaise Sackett
By Vincent Nugent
Chamber of Commerce Talks with Hudson Valley Clubhouse
On Wednesday May 8th, Executive Director Blaise Sackett and Clubhouse member Sarah Kadish were interviewed by Chamber of Commerce CEO Frank Castella, Jr.
Here we share their thoughtful conversation about the importance of the Clubhouse to Poughkeepsie, and the unique experience of members who join this community.
Please Join Us in Celebration at the Hudson Valley Clubhouse
Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
DATE
May 30, 2024
TIME
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
LOCATION
98 Cannon Street, Poughkeepsie, NY
A Celebration of Community
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL
Growing Hudson Valley Clubhouse helps folks with mental illness find community and foster job skills
By JOHN CAMERA Poughkeepsie
PUBLISHED 3:00 PM ET Apr. 26, 2024
Sarah Kadish says living with mental illness made her feel especially isolated during the pandemic.
“There was anxiety, there was mistrust, there was fear of going out of the house," she said. "There was fear of opening your mouth next to another person. There were loved ones just dying. There were loved ones dying when you couldn't see them. You couldn't visit them in the hospital, and you would just get a phone call. And that was it. No funeral, no nothing.”
But this year, she’s found socialization and community again at the Poughkeepise-based Hudson Valley Clubhouse.
“So I was just looking for a way to combine everything that I have to offer, and find a setting where I can be accepted for who I am," Kadish said.
The Hudson Valley address is part of the Clubhouse international program, a network of more than 350 clubhouses in 32 countries which create communities for people with mental illness. The members control the goals in a place where they can foster life and job skills like marketing, cleaning and gardening.
Rena Marsh, another member, said in just the four months it’s been open, the clubhouse has grown to a 60-member close-knit community.
“I know I got to come in here because they're coming in here for me and I'm coming in here for them," she said of the relationship between members. "We're going to make it work and some of the relationships that are fostered today are just beautiful.”
What You Need To Know
Hudson Valley Clubhouse opened in January at 98 Cannon St., Poughkeepsie
It's a chapter of Clubhouse International, a group that fosters community for people living with mental illness Members of the clubhouse can decide the goals and their roles within it, often finding ways to develop job skills The Poughkeepsie chapter is the first of its kind outside of New York City in upstate New York.
Chapter Executive Director Blaise Sackett said they're working as a pilot for other clubhouses to start up throughout the state and are already quickly growing. Sackett previously worked for a clubhouse in Brooklyn, and has experience with an effective model that treats its members as people, not patients.
“To fit into this environment that's compassionate and open to them," Sackett said. "So everybody, sort of the best of everybody, starts coming out and then people help themselves, but they also help others.”
Kadish hopes to one day own a greeting card business. She’s getting some experience at the clubhouse already. She designed the logo for the clubhouse, based on the door that welcomes members inside.
“That's really amazing," she said of her logo featured on the clubhouses' pamphlet. "I have such confidence that something that I have to offer is now part of what it takes for a clubhouse to be promoted. That's basically like a dream of mine.”
Spectrum News 1: Health
NY Health Care
BY: MAYA KAUFMAN Friday, February 23, 2024
Driving the Day
Clubhouses for people with severe mental illnesses have been gaining steam in New York City as a supplement —or even an alternative—to the dominant medicalized models.
Mayor Eric Adams last year committed $7 million to significantly increase clubhouse capacity.
Now the model’s reach is extending past the five boroughs with the opening of the Hudson Valley Clubhouse in Poughkeepsie, which is working to become the state’s first accredited clubhouse outside New York City.
The clubhouse provides structured daily activities that reflect members’ interests, from cooking to exercise classes, and partners with local employers to connect them to job opportunities.
Since opening at the start of the year, the clubhouse has accumulated 25 members and counting. It has also initiated a longitudinal study with Marist College to assess the clubhouse’s efficacy in Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County.
But while the city is devoting millions of dollars to open new clubhouses and expand existing ones, the state has not followed suit.
Hudson Valley Clubhouse leaders are now pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration to include funding for accredited clubhouses in the upcoming state budget.
“Without clubhouses in the continuum of care, New Yorkers living with serious mental illness, including those in smaller, underserved cities and more rural areas, will not receive an adequate level of care to address their full range of needs,” they wrote in written testimony submitted to the state Legislature.