My Nonprofit Reviews
accuratereview
Review for Federation Of Organizations For The New York State Mentally Disabled, West Babylon, NY, USA
Accountability and transparency are the main problems with this 501(c)3 since this organization gets nearly $24 million from Federal, NYS and NYC in the form of contributions and grants as well as payment from Medicare and Medicaid. What impact are they having? Are they achieving their mission statement goals? According to the NYS Office of Mental Health this organization operates two ACT teams one in Suffolk and one in Queens each have 68 people for a total of only 136 mentally ill patients and the statistics on outcomes are quite poor.
Their mission statement is: FEDERATION ASSISTS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN MEETING THEIR OWN NEEDS WITHIN COMMUNITIES THROUGH SELF- HELP, PROVISION OF QUALITY SERVICES, ADVOCACY AND DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES WE HELP INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES FLOURISH BY HELPING PEOPLE TO HELP THEMSELVES BECOME PRODUCTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN COMMUNITY LIFE. Poor quality care delivery = Poor outcomes. For example according to the NYS OHM website the Fedoforg ACT team in Suffolk has only a 1.9% difference in employment for just 53 people from baseline.
De-institutionalization began in the late 60's and spawned the treatment programs called Assertive Community Treatment teams which allow mentally ill patients to be treated at home under the supervision of a team of mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers and aids. Based on my exposure to these patients in these ACT teams as a volunteer I can say that these mentally ill patients in this non-profits ACT teams are getting poor ineffective treatment with poor outcomes. How many of these patients in these ACT programs are able to recover form mental illness and enter the community as productive citizens? How many achieve recovery, are rehabilitated, and achieve remission? How many are able to get off Medicare, SSI/SSD, food stamps, subsidized housing ? How many are able to be placed in training or employment? Contact this organization and they have no idea! In Institutional settings in the 60's the mentally ill were isolated from society and so are these poorly served patients in Federation of Organization's ACT teams- isolated and out of the public's view.
This organization provides endless case management and treatment and does not publish it's results or outcomes. From my observations these patients are left isolated and marginalized from the society and community they live in and struggle in a hellish impoverished environment. They are drugged up with powerful anti-psychoitics, antidepressants, stimulants, anxiolytics and sedatives. The practitioners do not seem to practice Evidence based Outcome based Medicine. It is endless medication treatment and case management without concern if patients are really getting better. In reality the ACT members are now in their own private institution of their own apartment with the only source of exposure to the outside world is TV/Cable.
The problem is that for decades this organization has been run by social workers who have a limited understanding of psychiatric treatment and are not suited to oversee such complex programs. What is needed at the helm are experienced MD's preferably with an MS in public health administration. Also I noticed that this organization tends to hire newly licensed psychiatrists and NP's that have little experience tend to stay for short periods and are foreign and do not understand the social and cultural problems of the patient population that they "treat". Endless treatment without positive outcomes is a waste of time and money and leaves mentally ill patients worse off in the long run. Lots of polypharmacy without regard to adverse side effects or knowing which medication is working and which is causing problems. A typical bipolar gets a SSRI for depression, a anti-psychotic and an anti-epileptic for "mood stabilization", a benzodiazepine drug for anxiety, and a non-benzodiazepine for sleep. In addition these patients are prescribed diabetic medication and other medications to treat metabolic syndrome due to all these CNS medication adverse side effects. But is that working? Of course not since this organization does not have to account to anyone as far as showing results and outcomes. These patients are left obese, heavily medicated, with serious medical problems and are unable to function except to lay in bed. NYS OMH should track these ACT patients to see in the long term if this treatments are working in the long term? What are the outcomes of patients in these treatment programs two, three and five years in these programs.
For example Federation of Organization pays Jalles Ahmed MD nearly $300,000 a year as a consultant to his residence in Long Island. He only recently has a certification by the American Board of Neurology and psychiatry (2011 according to doctorprofile) and has been in practice for approximately 10 years. He went to Kakatiya Medical College, Vijayawada University health Science Warangal, in India. Is this the best that Federation of Organizations can do to provide the most severely ill mental ill patients with the best treatment and diagnosis? These patients are on a merry go round roller coaster ride of music chairs where me too drugs are shifted or changed with little impact on the long term outcome? Are this type of treatment causing more harm in the long run?
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If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Get rid of the entire executive staff and replace them with medical professionals preferably MD's who have experience running organizations for the mentally ill and disabled and this organization should report their results regarding how many of their mentally ill "consumers" are actually "responding" to their treatment with the CNS medications prescribed by Nurse Practitioners and Psychiatrists. How many are able to achieve remission? How many are improving long term?
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Unlikely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A little
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Somewhat badly
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
No
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
Review for Federation Employment Guidance Service-Closed for Operations, New York, NY, USA
FEGS is a giant bureaucracy that is a giant JOBS program that takes advantage of the opportunies available to "serve" the mentally ill, jobless, homeless, aged by their unique "Health and Human Services System". According to their latest 990 they recieve $112,018,230 a year nearly entirely from the U.S. government (US taxpayers). FEGS's Salary and Pension plans amount to almost $121,000,000 a year! One "employee" named Alfred P. Miller recieved $2,170,301 that year. The only people that FEGS really helps is it's own "workers" with large salaries for it's senior staff. ONE HOUR FOR LUNCH ALWAYS. 448 of it's staff make OVER $50,000 a year. The Senior VP Gladys Siff makes over $350,000 a year! Nearly ALL the REVIEWS here are written by FEGS employees. They operate a home attendant and homecare nonprofits so if you need a job as a low payed health care worker they can get you a job, otherwise just go to WORKFORCE ONE. They spend millions on lobbying. Their biggest and most successful program is getting "benefits" for people. That is right they simply direct people to foodstamps, SSI, SSD, welfare, medicaid, medicare, housing programs... Actually the worse the economic situation the "better" FEGS does for itself. If you are a critic of FEGS their PR department will roll out examples of the hopeless and helpless that they saved! In a jobless economy FEGS has nothing to offer except a "program" funded by the U.S. Government and employeed by FEGS workers. FEGS TRADEMARKED "PARTNERSHIPS FOR A CHANGING WORLD" AND BRINGING RESOURSES TO PEOPLE AND BUSINESS". THEY TAKE YOUR TAXPAYER MONEY AND CREATE JOBS FOR THEMSELVES. They spent $2,000,000 for a fundraiser and came out $80,000 in the RED.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I have personally experienced the results of this organization and that was just to direct me to the U.S. government programs such as foodstamps, heap, medicaid, mediacre, SSI and SSD.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
FEGS mission statement should be straight foward and simple. Currently it's mission statement is childish and inaccurate. It speaks about "achieving greater independence" but is dependent on gov't handouts, guides others to become dependent on handouts.
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
They claim to change the world but all they really do is direct you to city, state, and government programs. If you do not belong to a group that is severly disabled you likely can not be helped since their programs target these populations.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Business like and very bureucratic. They act like they have so much to offer and they really have little except government programs. Exclusive luxury offices at 315 Hudson street. No wonder why FEGS pays $20,000,000 rent a year.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
This organization is well connected and has NOT adapted to the new economy. It is bloated and should close down it's employment and guidance programs and focus only on health related programs for the mentally ill and aged.
Ways to make it better...
They were honest and truthful and right away tell me that they have nothing and just go and apply for x,y,z. But they can't admit that since it's a job program for FEGS itself.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
FEGS is stuck in the 1980's the US is in a "JOBLESS recovery" meaning that there are very few jobs to go around. You don't need FEGS to get a job. Back then they had training courses for typists and wordprocessors and could get you jobs.
One thing I'd also say is that...
If FEGS continues to get such large amounts of government money they should be required to should show exactly HOW MANY PEOPLE USED FEGS EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND HOW MANY IT GOT JOBS FOR. It should recieve money based only on results!
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2001
