Orange County NC Website
2 <br /> Rosemary Waldorf reviewed the following comments: <br /> Thank you for allowing us to make this progress report on Club Nova. I'm Rosemary <br /> Waldorf, co-chair of the Club Nova Capital Campaign, and with me are Board President <br /> Gretchen Davis and Executive Karen Dunn. We are deeply appreciative of the critical <br /> support that our local governments provide, through annual support of our programs, strong <br /> partnerships with our law enforcement and courts, and of course your moral support. <br /> A Quick Overview <br /> Club Nova operates as an accredited Clubhouse Model of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. We <br /> work with individuals living with sever and persistent mental illness (SMI), predominantly <br /> schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. Serious mental illness often strikes a <br /> young person, affecting school, work, family and social life. Mental illness can cause <br /> isolation, suicide risk, loss of income, poor health, hospitalizations, homelessness, <br /> incarceration, crisis and poverty. <br /> One in 25 adults lives with SMI. With a population of approximately 140,000 citizens in <br /> Orange County, we estimate that as many as 5,000 are living with mental illness. We see <br /> this need daily in the UNC Health Care's Emergency Department; often half the beds are <br /> occupied by persons experiencing a mental health crisis. <br /> Research demonstrates that the Clubhouse Model, along with quality psychiatric care, is a <br /> cost effective, comprehensive program. We help our members return to employment and <br /> education, maintain homes, obtain health care, avert crises and build meaningful <br /> relationships. <br /> We have numbers that testify to Club Nova's effectiveness: <br /> Re-Hospitalization: <br /> • 40% of those living with mental illness in the US are re-hospitalized within a year; <br /> • 12% is Club Nova's rate of re-hospitalization <br /> Homelessness: <br /> • 24% of the nation's homeless people live with mental illness; less than 2% of Club <br /> Nova members are homeless (one member is now in Community House) <br /> Incarceration: <br /> • 64% of those in local jails throughout the US live with mental illness; <br /> • 0% of Club Nova members have been incarcerated in the last 5 years <br /> • A recent study of NC prison inmates found that 70% have mental health problems. <br /> Our jails have become warehouses for people living with severe and persistent <br /> mental illness <br /> Employment: <br /> • 80% of those living with mental illness in the US are unemployed <br /> • 32% of our members are able to secure employment. <br /> Cost Effectiveness: <br /> We can demonstrate that we save the community $2 million/year by keeping people out of <br /> jails and psychiatric hospitals and homeless shelters, yet we operate on an annual budget <br />