Rainbow Heights Club

During this November, Rainbow Heights reflects on the gratitude we have for our community. Thank you for being you and for being with us along the way. If you’d like to be a member in our community of gratitude, send us a message and we can find a time to connect. #Gratitude #RainbowHeights

At Rainbow Heights Club, our member successes show that joining a community built around shared identity and social support can reduce isolation and improve people’s mental health. 80% of Rainbow Heights Club members stayed out of the hospital and in the community in 2023, and 95% of members say support from Rainbow Heights Club has helped them have more hope. During our most recent Fall Open House, we had a support group about what Rainbow Heights means to our community. Members shared their appreciation for the club, and why our community is so special to them: “I love yall, I've been coming here for 3 years now and I'm really grateful that I have. I don't ever feel like I made a mistake walking into Rainbow Heights, it was a big choice that I love, I love everybody here.” “I come here and I feel like I am somebody. You empower me, you listen to me.” “I love Rainbow Heights because of the powerful LGBTQ+ people in the community, and the staff is amazing.” If you are interested in learning more about our community and the unique work we do, please reach out to Community Engagement at info@rainbowheights.org. 

Thank you to Stephen Beasley, Monica Buoni and Serena Kantz from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for leading a very important discussion on Physical and Occupational Therapy with our members! We are so grateful to our community partnerships for supplying resources about the mental, emotional, and physical support available to our clients.

The Peer Model is an approach where individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges provide support to others facing similar issues. Peer Specialists complete rigorous training programs to learn how to use their own experiences to help others navigate recovery, as well as offer emotional support, practical guidance, and encouragement. The Peer Model can extend the reach of clinical services by reducing stigma around mental health issues and modeling recovery for those with shared experiences. At Rainbow Heights Club, we have 10 Peer Specialists on staff who create an affirming, supportive, and compassionate space for our members. If you’d like to learn more about this model and the work we do, reach out to Randy Killings, CPS, CASAC, Director of Peer Services at randykillings@rainbowheights.org.

Rainbow Heights Club is excited to announce another year of our partnership with the New York State Office of Mental Health to make our training webinar - Trans 101: Creating a Safe and Affirming Environment for Transgender Consumers - available to behavioral health providers across New York State. While Rainbow Heights Club and allied organizations do extensive work to make spaces more affirming for LGBTQ+ communities, a significant need for such conversations persists. As published by BioMed Central Medical Journal in 2023, “the increasing number of state and federal policies that restrict LGBTQ + health services highlight the urgency of equipping health professionals with culturally responsive training. Organizations and health systems must prioritize organizational-level changes that support LGBTQ + inclusive practices to provide access to safe and affirming healthcare services for LGBTQ + individuals.” Even in New York State, discrimination and stigma continue to negatively impact our community. If you're interested in learning more about these trainings and how your organization can register, reach out to Grace Gerber, LMSW at gracegerber@rainbowheights.com.

Thank you Community Counseling and Mediation for providing our members with necessary services such as free HIV/Hep C testing. In line with CDC recommendations, Rainbow Heights Club provides our members with free testing opportunities every 3 to 6 months at the club. HIV and Hep C are viruses that spread in blood, and a major risk factor for both HIV and HCV infection is the cross contamination of blood or bodily fluids. Knowledge is power! Knowing your status, regular testing, and safe sex practices all contribute to preventing infections and making decisions that are right for you and your body. Thank you to Community Counseling and Mediation for joining us yesterday and providing free tests for our members! Individuals can access testing at any time through the free clinic at CCM. 

Our Guest Speaker Series is an essential part of the work we do at RHC, as we prioritize listening to the needs in our community and reaching out to community partners who can support those needs. Our guest speakers offer members important educational resources and necessary services as a means to keep our community informed, safe and supported. This week, Goodwill Industries visited Rainbow Heights Club to share information about HRA and how to access cash assistance, career services, food assistance, and more. Thank you Christopher Ng, Director of Peer Services at Goodwill Industries International for informing and educating our members on the many resources available. 

We're #hiring a Director of Community Engagement! This role requires an effective communicator and strategic community collaborator. If you're passionate about health equity for LGBTQ+ communities, this may be the job for you! +++ Heights Hill Mental Health Service, SBPC, Community Advisory Board (CAB) is the not for profit partner of the Heights Hill Mental Health Service located (now the Elm Place Clinic) in downtown Brooklyn. Since 2001 we have operated mental health support programs targeting low/no income LGBTQ+ persons who are living with serious mental illness citywide. CAB offices and program space are located at Elm Place in Downtown Brooklyn. Please visit our website - www.rainbowheights.org - for more information about our services and programs. Our clients (members) are LGBTQ+ adult individuals who are living with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, developmental disability, and substance/alcohol use concerns. Through our peer based Rainbow Heights Club consumer drop in center (now including Community Oriented Recovery and Empowerment [CORE] services), our EQuality Care mental health provider trainings, and our Peer Specialist Internship’s, CAB programming helps to identify and address the barriers to care experienced by low/no income LGBTQ+ persons living with serious mental illness. 

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This month is a time to reduce the stigma around mental health and make people aware of resources available for those in crisis. Rainbow Heights Club recognizes the importance of mental health resources and suicide prevention particularly for LGBTQ+ individuals, as research shows that: •17% of LGB adults had attempted suicide during their lifetime, compared with 2.4% of the general U.S. population. (Williams Institute) •40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide in their lifetime, compared to less than 5% of the general U.S. population. (NAMI) We are grateful for our partners working alongside us to reduce the discrimination and stigma that leads to disproportionately adverse mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ populations. Rainbow Heights •Club is here to support your clients wherever they are in their mental health recovery. In our latest annual survey (November, 2023), 79% of our members reported fewer psychiatric symptoms since joining the club and 95% of our members say they have more hope since joining Rainbow Heights Club. To make referrals, contact Randy Killings, CPS, CASAC, Director of Peer Services at randykillings@rainbowheights.org. If you are struggling, we want to remind you that you are not alone. If you are in need of immediate support, you can call or text 988 to connect with a trained counselor.

Rainbow Heights Club operates a milieu space for LGBTQ+ adults living with serious mental illness. Milieu therapy is an intentionally designed intervention that employs the key concepts of therapeutic community and social support. Rainbow Heights Club prioritizes one on one peer support and support groups as a means to uplift and empower our members to build social skills and reduce isolation. Focusing on how individuals collaborate and engage with each other is a crucial component of mental health recovery. If you’d like to learn more about our model and the work we do, reach out to Randy Killings, CPS, CASAC, Director of Peer Services at randykillings@rainbowheights.org.