Please join Melissa's Project as we kick off our 36 hour campaign "Give Where You Live". 2001 we were introduced to Melissa, a popular, pretty and
intelligent 19 year old girl who had begun to exhibit the onset of serious
mental illness. She had been hospitalized 9 times that year from Hartford Ct to
Harrisburg PA. We met her after she was severely assaulted behind the library
in Waterbury. Soon a total of 15 like individuals would join Melissa in our
initial cohort.
Now in2013 we now serve 250 individuals and their families
offering care coordination to ensure better collaboration and communication
among care providers. Our program demonstrates dramatic and significant
reduction in recidivism rates to state and local hospitals, EDs, arrests and
incarceration, overall improving quality of life of our clients and reducing
trauma associated with mental health issues.
We are embarking upon a campaign to obtain annualized funds
which would enable us to serve 50 more individuals, which will make our
expansion statewide. With this expansion comes educational events which raise
awareness of issues related to mental illness and teach others best practices
to be able to replicate the work we have pioneered.