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Project Return |
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| Description: |
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After an extended stay in a hospital, natural
relationships often deteriorate. Without
proper community supports, discharge
plans prove ineffective. Peer
Bridgers provide a trusting relationship between two peers. The partnership provides a relationship that helps a person meander through a difficult system. This shortens the length of stay in the hospital and keeps people from returning. Access to community resources are enhanced by peers who have networked with the community at large. Rockland Psychiatric Center and Westchester County are separated by the formidable Tappan Zee-Bridge. The distance is diminished through the power of peer relationship building. Hope and recovery are made tangible through the role models of those who have lived the transition and maintain lives with health and support. For the past five years, The Empowerment Center has worked with 25 long-term patients. With perseverance and understanding, over twenty people have been discharged and remain living outside the hospital restraints. Adjusting to freedom is an obstacle that is demonstrably surmountable through peer-bridging relationships.
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