COMHAR is pleased to announce the election of Allie Bruchwalski to the COMHAR Board of Directors on August 11, 2023. Allie is a Community Liaison at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia as well as a member of the Suicide Prevention Task Force of Philadelphia Sub-Committee, Special Populations and Engagement.  She has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pittsburgh and Project Management Certificates from Villanova University.  Her experience with Behavioral Health, both personally and professionally, is part of what drives Allie’s interest in serving on COMHAR’s Board of Directors.  Collaboration, communication, and connection are a few attributes that she looks forward to contributing to the Development Committee of the board.

Short on cash, but not demand, PA counties press for mental health funding hikes.

‘We’re in a crisis, and it’s getting worse,’ one county official told the Capital-Star.  June 5, 2023

Welcome to Volume 7 of PEOPLE FIRST, COMHAR’s Agency Newsletter.  See our members take pride in their art work displayed and sold at the COMHAR Art Exhibition; celebrate our team members who received tenure awards; take a trip to Hershey Park with our Intellectual Disabilities members and team members; and more!  If you are interested in receiving the newsletter electronically, please email a request to info@comhar.org.

As a Mission Driven/People First Agency, COMHAR values the contributions of team members and honors those who have shown a loyalty to COMHAR by their long term commitment.  Each quarter those who have achieved a milestone of 5, 10, 15, etc. years of service are recognized at the Quarterly Town Hall Meeting.  Today 9 team members were recognized for having served a total of 105 years! Congratulations and thank you to all of the recipients!

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.