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Spotlight on Staff
Energized By Helping
Frank Espinoza, a case manager at CHOICES Network Townley Clinic has been helping people deal with problems of mental illness, alcohol dependence, drug addiction and homelessness for 19 years - not an easy job. Surprisingly he is not burned out; on the contrary, he’s energized by helping his clients make their lives better.
He has managed to keep his focus on the needs of clients despite being employed by a half-dozen organizations. Frank hasn’t change jobs; he gets a new employer every time the public behavioral health system is re-organized. He has been a needed island of stability in a sea of change.
A good baseball player keeps his eye on the ball. For 19 years, Frank has kept his focus on the people who need his help. "People in my family have died from the same types of problems I see every day. They didn’t get the help they needed." A good case manager, like a good baseball player, blocks out distractions and keeps his eye on what is most important.
Visit Frank and you will discover the strengths he brings to work:
• He speaks fluent Spanish and English so he can work with both populations
• He is a hard worker. As a young boy he learned to work hard in the fields
• He is goal-oriented. He graduated from high school, served four years in the U.S. Air Force, graduated with a B.A. from Arizona State University, and taught school in California for 20 years
Alisa Randall, Townley Clinic’s Site Administrator says, "Frank truly cares about the people he helps. He is always willing to hear what they have to say and work on solutions to make things better. In the three years I have worked with Frank he has not called in sick once and is always here bright and early with a smile and a hello. I dread the day he comes in to say he is ready to retire."
Frank’s wife asks him when he is going to retire. He says, "Not now. I want to be active." Alisa, the staff and the many people served at the Townley Clinic will be happy to hear that.
Something as Simple as Exercise
Few things are more complex, and yet simple, than the workings of our brain and its connection to our behavior. Dr. Aimee Schwartz, Chief Psychiatrist at the Townley Clinic, knows a great deal about the complexity. She traces her interest in psychiatry to childhood when at age seven or eight she read some of Sigmund Freud’s psychological theories. (She also read “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back.”) Her fascination with the brain and its impact on behavior led her to go directly from New York University Medical School into a four year psychiatric residency. She is currently reading a book on how our brains have developed the capacity to read and she is looking forward to attending a neuro-science conference. Complex medications are part of her treatment of mental illness.
However, many aspects of Dr. Schwartz’s work with clients are quite simple. She started a walking group for service recipients to improve cardio vascular health – theirs and hers. Three times a week she walks with the group around the CHOICES Townley clinic. By example she teaches the simple things to increase physical health and at the same time lift our spirits. Everyone feels better after exercise.
Dr. Schwartz also gets exercise by figure skating. She says the skill and coordination required by figure skating is great for the neurological system and the exercise helps keep the body healthy. “We do wonders for our mental and physical health when we challenge ourselves to learn new skills while exercising; it took me 10 years to get a decent waltz jump.”
Alisa Randall, the Townley Clinic site administrator says Dr. Schwartz goes the extra mile for her clients – literally and figuratively. “She thinks about things that can be done with recipients that are not your standard clinical responses and she is focused on ways to improve the clinic as a whole.” Clients benefit from Dr. Schwartz’s scientific knowledge and her down-to-earth prescriptions for good physical and mental health.
