Over 200 members and team members of the Intellectual Disabilties Division had the opportunity to enjoy a day at Hershey Park, riding the rides, going to the water park, eating ice cream, and just enjoying a sense of normalcy!  Thanks to a grant from the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, the members got to celebrate the Summer Kick-Off event.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives in significant ways that have lingered for years. Our individuals have been impacted in myriad ways that have the potential to have lasting effects on overall well-being. As vaccinations have become more available and effective, COMHAR is excited to continue to move back towards a sense of normalcy. In honor of these efforts, COMHAR hosted a celebratory Summer Kick-Off trip to Hershey Park in early June 2023, as a reminder to our individuals of possibility, excitement, and connection. This fun-filled day encouraged the individuals to connect with one another, engage in fun activities, and travel outside of the Philadelphia area to see all that Pennsylvania has to offer.

The Hershey Park celebration allowed the individuals to practice various skills needed to successfully engage with their communities, including interpersonal skills, budgeting (where appropriate), self-regulation, self-directedness/choice/control, and self-advocacy. By providing appropriate levels of staff support, attendees were able to be as autonomous as possible while also maintaining health and safety.

Many thanks to all of those who supported the COMHAR Art Exhibition 2023!. We are truly grateful to our sponsors, donors, and those who purchased art pieces. Thank you for supporting our mission at COMHAR to improve the lives of those we serve with mental health, substance use challenges, and intellectual disabilities!

Alicia Mino, Artist; Martin O’Rourke, Friend of COMHAR; Patrick Dooley, COMHAR Board of Directors President

                                  Jaliya Faulkner, COMHAR Board of Directors; Woody Rosenbach, COMHAR CEO

The Gallery

Gary Schoenberg, Development & Communications Director; Allie Bruchwalski, Friends Hospital Community Liaison; Woody Rosenbach, COMHAR CEO

Catina Anastasiadis, COMHAR Division Director; Julie Rainbow, Friend of COMHAR; Trapeta Mayson, COMHAR COO; Yasheeka Tanwar, COMHAR Director Compliance and QM

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place for COMHAR’s Outpatient Restoration Long Term Structure Residence (ORLTSR) on May 30, 2023, in Easton, PA. The ribbon cutting ceremony was the final phase of the opening of the ORLTSR that will soon begin to provide services for residents targeted for September 2023.  The project is a collaboration supported through a working partnership between Northampton County’s Division of Mental Health and HealthChoices, Magellan Healthcare, COMHAR, and Shiloh Church which owns the property. COMHAR will provide programming for up to eight individuals who will live at the facility in a partial hospital setting.  Outpatient treatment will include therapy, support groups, psychiatric treatment, and other therapeutic services.

Present at the event included Lamon G. McClure, Northampton County Executive; Leigh Ann Ksiazek, Community Program Manager with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS); Sal Panto, Mayor of the City of Easton; Pastor Phil Davis of Greater Shiloh Church; Susan Wandalowski, Director of Human Services; Tiffany Crush, Mental Health Administrator; Kristy Cole, LSW, HealthChoices; Trapeta B. Mayson, COMHAR COO; Woody Rosenbach, COMHAR CEO; Orlando Castro, COMHAR H.R. Director; Catina Anistasiadis, COMHAR ICRS Division Director; Gary Schoenberg, COMHAR Director of Development and Communications; Christine Ebert,  Program Director, Northampton LTSR/Walker Rd. Specialized Supported Housing.

In the spirit of community collaboration and networking Pastor Phil Davis from Shiloh Church shared that this project was a vision from his late father.  In his words, “Our community serves everybody or nobody.”  Susan Wandalowski, the Director of Human Services shared, “We cannot do this without our community.”  Trapeta B. Mayson, COMHAR’s COO shared, “This ORLTSR is a true vision of healing and recovery of those who we serve in alignment with COMHAR’s mission.”

L-R: Orlando Castro, Catina Anastasiadis, Trapeta B. Mayson, Christine Ebert, Woody Rosenbach, Gary Schoenberg