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Hopewell Needs Volunteers to Work at Its Therapeutic Farm Community

The Hopewell Volunteer Program may be one of the most rewarding experiences of one’s life. Volunteers get to live in-residence at the Hopewell therapeutic farm and work alongside the residential clients and staff. Hopewell is located on 300 acres in tranquil Mesopotamia, OH, in the heart of Amish country. At Hopewell, adults suffering from mental disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression receive special treatment and care in a therapeutic community.

The Hopewell team nurtures and challenges its residents as they work together in the farm community. Hopewell’s program is developed and supervised by licensed mental health providers with many years of experience in a variety of settings. Clinicians are active in resident and family counseling, case coordination, psychiatric and medication management and discharge transitions.

Hopewell is licensed and accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and licensed and certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (ODMHAS).

“This is a great opportunity for recent college graduates who are interested in learning more about mental health,” says Hopewell Executive Director and CEO Rick Karges, LISW-S, ACSW. “We also have had many retired couples and church mission team members come and volunteer at the farm. It’s a great chance to help and serve those in need.”

Hopewell works with volunteers to find the best use of their abilities to benefit the residents and the organization. Volunteers are expected to work 35 hours a week and must be able to commit at least six months of service. “From gardening to animal care to housekeeping, vocational opportunities at Hopewell help residents find strengths they didn’t know they had, experience new roles, learn new skills, gain job readiness and build self-esteem. Our volunteers can help in this process,” says Karges.

During their stay, the Hopewell Volunteer House provides comfortable lodging. Volunteers are provided a private room and all their meals. They also receive vacation time and a stipend for their efforts. But the greatest benefit is learning more about the challenges faced every day by individuals with mental health issues.

“Not only is this a great learning opportunity, volunteers get to actually help people and watch them heal. Hopewell is a very special environment for those struggling with mental health challenges. Our volunteers are very dear to us,” says Karges.

For more information about the Hopewell Volunteer Program, or to request a volunteer application form, please contact Colleen Welder, Hopewell Director of Program Services at 440.426.2000.

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Hopewell Receives Accreditation from Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)

Hopewell, a therapeutic farm community located in Mesopotamia, OH, announced today it received CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) accreditation. Hopewell also earned numerous positive comments in the CARF Survey Summary. Hopewell is located on a 300-acre farm in the heart of Ohio Amish country. Hopewell helps adults who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression or other forms of mental illness.

The mission of CARF is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of persons served.

“We are honored to receive CARF accreditation again,” says Hopewell Executive Director/CEO Rick Karges. “It really is a testament to our staff. Everyone at Hopewell is focused on providing our residential clients the very best possible care.”

The CARF standards have been developed over 40-plus years by international teams of service providers, policy makers, payers, family members and consumers. The standards also have been submitted to the public for review to validate relevancy and ensure input from all interested stakeholders. The CARF accreditation process starts with a provider’s commitment to continuous improvement and culminates with external review and recognition that the provider’s business and service practices meet international standards of quality.

In addition to receiving CARF accreditation, here are just a few of the written comments provided on the CARF Survey Summary.

• Hopewell is praised by its funders and referral sources for its innovative practices, such as its nature therapy program, using evidence-based practices, and its work on program evaluation and metrics to demonstrate its impact on the lives of clients.

• Board members, leadership and staff at all levels are committed to improving the lives of clients and are passionate about their work.

• Hopewell has built of set of welcoming and comfortable residences and workshops on this farmland; the residences are spacious, well furnished, personalized and welcoming. There is a large variety of daily activities in which the clients can participate, all of which work to provide an excellent environment for recovery.

• Hopewell clients report a very high satisfaction with the services provided; several have lived on site for many years. In addition, several clients report that they were so inspired by their staff that they want to become social workers and therapists themselves.

• Hopewell staff is dedicated, caring and respectful; many staff members have worked at the organization for multiple years, reflecting their commitment to the clients and to Hopewell’s model of a therapeutic community.

About Hopewell

Hopewell is a 300-acre residential working farm located in Mesopotamia, Ohio, where adults with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder or depression learn to manage their mental illness and return to independent life. It is the only facility of its kind in Ohio, and one of only a handful in the United Sates. Hopewell is ODMHAS-licensed and CARF -accredited. It is a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Residential Treatment Association (ARTA). A new backgrounder on Hopewell is available. Information and assessments are available by contacting Hopewell’s admissions team at 440.426.2009. Visit www.hopewellcommunity.org.

New York Times: Talk Therapy Found to Ease Schizophrenia

More than two million people in the United States have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and the treatment for most of them mainly involves strong doses of antipsychotic drugs that blunt hallucinations and delusions but can come with unbearable side effects, like severe weight gain or debilitating tremors.

Now, results of a landmark government-funded study call that approach into question. The findings, from by far the most rigorous trial to date conducted in the United States, concluded that schizophrenia patients who received smaller doses of antipsychotic medication and a bigger emphasis on one-on-one talk therapy and family support made greater strides in recovery over the first two years of treatment than patients who got the usual drug-focused care.

Summer 2015: When Your World Turns Upside Down

Left at an orphanage in Korea at six months of age, beautiful, healthy little Mariko was adopted a year later by a loving couple who brought her home to Northeast Ohio. Throughout her school years, she excelled at everything. She studied in France during high school and became fluent in four languages. In 2007, she graduated with honors from American University in Washington, DC, with a degree in International Studies and an eye on law school. Mariko’s future was bright.

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Hopewell Helps Adults with Mental Illness; Provides Fee Assistance through Fundraising

Mesopotamia, OH – Liza Trela, age 27, is benefiting from both outstanding therapies and access to funding available from the Hopewell therapeutic farm community, according to her mother.

“Our daughter, Liza, could no longer be treated at a short-term crisis management facility because her medication could not be administered there,” said Theresa Piteo Trela, a well-known actress among Cleveland theater-goers.

“Her psychiatrist believed he had exhausted all options. We were convinced Liza would be lost to us forever if the state (Texas) had its way. We intended to fight for her, and we did. The court allowed Liza to be placed with us for a period of six months. If she needed to be hospitalized again during that period, she would be taken directly to the state hospital by the police. We felt we were losing Liza not only to paranoid schizophrenia, but also to a mental health system that would incarcerate her.”

At this point, Theresa Trela was also saddened by the death of Providence Hollander, a friend and fellow cast member of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. The show, directed by Joseph J. Garry, Jr., had been a major part of the comeback of Cleveland’s Playhouse Square in 1973. It was through Mr. Garry and other friends from the production of Jacques Brel that the Trelas learned about Hopewell.

Located in rural Mesopotamia, Ohio, Hopewell’s unique, holistic model of mental health care is based on the healing power of nature, community and meaningful work. Its mission is to provide an opportunity for adults with mental illness to experience a self-reliant and satisfying life through participation in a vibrant therapeutic community. Outcomes studies have shown the Hopewell Model creates lasting results and positive lifestyle changes, allowing individuals to develop the skills necessary to manage more independent living.

“Hopewell eased the clutter in Liza’s mind and affirmed her worth through the dignity of expectations and consequences,” said Theresa Trela. “Through its focus on community, Hopewell provided structure, compassion and opportunity. Its unique setting reset Liza’s circadian rhythms. The sun, sky and light are so important for those whose minds are darkened by their illness and dampened by their medicine.”

“Liza is still our beautiful, gifted daughter. But she deals with paranoid schizophrenia,” said Trela. “We talk to Liza twice each day. She struggles, but because of Hopewell, she can deploy her hard-won and evolving coping skills to push back against that darkness. In Jacques Brel­, I sang about a hope that believed ‘If we only have love….’ At Hopewell, love and hope abide.”

While Hopewell’s daily rate is about one-third that of an inpatient psychiatric hospital – and is based on actual costs, with no mark-up for profit – the cost of care is often out of reach for many families. Residential mental health care is rarely covered by insurance. Fee assistance is Hopewell’s #1 fundraising priority. On an annual basis, about 95 percent of Hopewell’s residents’ families receive some amount of fee assistance.

“Donations to Hopewell really do save lives. This is our daughter’s second time at Hopewell. Our family and our daughter are blessed,” concluded Theresa Trela.

To make a tax-deductible donation to Hopewell, contact the Development Office at 440-247-0912 or visit www.hopewellcommunity.org.

About Hopewell

Hopewell is a 300-acre residential working farm located in Mesopotamia, Ohio, where adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression learn to manage their mental illness and return to independent life. Hopewell is the only therapeutic farm community in Ohio, and one of only a handful in the United States. It is ODMHAS-licensed and CARF-accredited. Hopewell is a member of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Residential Treatment Association (ARTA). Information and assessments are available by contacting the Hopewell admissions team at 440.426.2009. Visit www.hopewellcommunity.org.

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