Grand Avenue Club
Did you know the number one health-related reason for lost productivity at work is mental illness? For an average company of 500 employees, untreated depression alone costs $1.4 million in lost work and productivity each year. Depression is only one part of the broader picture for mental health issues in America and around the world. Eighty-five percent of people suffering from severe mental illness are unemployed. The Grand Avenue Club (210 E. Michigan St.) helps those suffering from mental illness get back into regular roles in their communities.
“On our best days (before the pandemic), when the weather is good, we will have as many as 60 to 65 people here at the Grand Avenue Club,” says Dr. Rachel Forman, founder and Executive Director of Grand Avenue Club, Inc. “We didn’t really know what to do (when the pandemic came) because the culture of our clubhouse is highly dependent upon face-to-face relationships.”
The GAC pulled themselves together and decided to use modern technology to maximize the satisfaction in their relationships. They worked from a list of 425 active members and got on the phone to reach out – with a staff of only 10 people – and expressed to them that they knew the community was moving into a very challenging time. They asked their members how they were doing and what they needed. Staff members then delivered daily necessities to those club members who were in need, which is something they’ve been doing throughout the existence of the club, but in the pandemic, a much larger focus was put on getting essential goods out to members.
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“After closing the club on March 18, and since the Monday after that, we’ve done a lot of things, like walking with members in their neighborhoods,” says Forman. “Gradually, some of the members called our staff and said, ‘We really need this place.’ […] Using social distance guidelines, we had a few people come back.”
As things started to loosen up and other businesses started to open up, they decided to do a phased opening up of the clubhouse. The GAC can welcome up to four members per unit at the clubhouse at any one time. Members call ahead to make sure there is space for them in any one of the four units they offer for training. Zoom meetings are held for support groups the members are involved in, like the writer’s group and employment support groups.
Many of the members live alone and some of them are experiencing isolation. Forman believes the GAC has been reasonably successful at providing the support the members need during this very trying time.
Social media has been a big player in helping GAC members remain active during Safer at Home. The group’s Facebook page has been seeing hundreds of posts and comments every day with members sharing recipes, asking for advice and offering daily life survival tips to each other. Members also run a daily newsletter for the rest of the group and every Thursday there is an email that goes out with at least one success story from the club.
“We’re not a club in the recreational sense,” says Forman. “The global organization with which we work is called ‘Clubhouse International.’ […] We are primarily about getting people out of their houses, since many people with serious mental illness isolate.”
Breaking down the divide between staff and members is a key part of the model of rehabilitation used by the GAC. Forman points out that the response to mental illness is what determines the outcome.
“How you respond to it, whether you respond to it with opportunity and support will have a great deal to say about that person’s life outcome,” says Forman. “We’re about getting to people whenever we can get to them, but as early as possible within their own journey.”
It’s a very joyous experience to have relationships with people that are purposeful and honest, Forman stresses. Not the therapeutic approach, not the explicitly “I’m going to help you” approach, but what happens is people help themselves by reaching for the opportunities that are presented by the GAC.
"There's a richness to our difference," says Forman. "If I come from a particular background and someone else does, that is a source of strength if we learn from each other. I have learned from our members."
The GAC just opened an upscale resale shop called Water Street Boutique, where proceeds go directly to support the club’s members. Customers at the shop may deal with a member of the club’s staff behind the register, or it may be a member of the club who is interested in working in retail.
Stressing Ubiquity of Mental Illness
A recent study by Psy.D. Programs on mental illness by state revealed that 18.5% of Wisconsinites suffer from some sort of mental illness. That puts Wisconsin at number 33 compared to other states reporting cases of mental illness. On the study conducted on incidence of substance abuse, Wisconsin ranked number 17, at 8.5% of adults reporting a condition.
Although the GAC is more suited to those suffering from severe mental health issues, there are good resources around for those beginning to struggle themselves or dealing with family members who are suffering. COVID-19 Wisconsin Connect provides users with a smartphone app and a detailed website, packed with resources from de-stressing audio meditation programs, message boards and more. The resources there are not just dedicated to those struggling with the effects of the pandemic, but also mental health and substance abuse.
