Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409140029
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by JOAN KASTNER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The extraordinary lives of the residents of "9 Highland Road" are vividly portrayed in Michael Winerip's first book about the struggles of opening a group home for people with long-term mental illness. Winerip, national education correspondent for The New York Times, has the ability to write clearly about an often misunderstood part of life.
Winerip's subject is the tremendous effort it took to establish a group home in Glen Cove, N.Y., for people discharged from state psychiatric hospitals. Political power plays, NIMBY ("Not In My Backyard") attitudes, legislative changes and enlightening details of the residents' recovery process are intertwined in this page-turning report.
New York politics and budgetary constraints during 1987-1992 delayed the opening of the home, with advocates encountering opposition not only from local government (and community members), but also from within the New York State Office of Mental Health itself. According to Winerip, the office "continued to pour most of its funds into the antiquated state mental hospitals." Lack of media coverage of the effort to open group homes in New York state was because of to reporters not comprehending the issues involved in the complicated and detailed process. Eventually, the home did open and the residents were supervised and cared for by a dedicated staff.
Creating a "humane place to live after discharge" can be successful, and Winerip's report is packed with lessons to be learned about the issue and the mental health state bureaucracy.
After the home had been running, a member of the community explained that fear of the unknown was the reason for opposing the home. "9 Highland Road" takes us a giant step closer to eliminating that fear.
Joan Kastner is a Salem writer.
by CNB