Sen. Barbara Mikulski's Mosaic Visit

Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced January 5^th that she had secured a $725,000 appropriation to help Mosaic and its fellow Sheppard Pratt affiliates, Way Station and the North Baltimore Center, provide job training and support services for low income Marylanders with mental illness.  The appropriation was part of a public-private initiative that also involved funding from the State of Maryland as well as a $725,000 matching grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.  The Weinberg grant was contingent upon Sheppard Pratt and its affiliates’ ability to raise the matching funding.

On hand at the press conference held at Mosaic’s Timonium location were Baltimore County Executive, Jim Smith; President and CEO of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Dr. Steven Sharfstein; Weinberg Foundation Chairman-Elect of the Board, Donn Weinberg; and MD Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary, John M. Colmers.  Jeff Richardson, Mosaic Executive Director, welcomed the many guests and Mosaic clients that filled the vocational center and expressed his appreciation to everyone involved.

Known as the Workforce Development Initiative for the Mentally Ill, the three-year project is dedicated to helping individuals with mental illness secure the resources they need in order to participate in the workforce.  Individuals with mental illnesses currently have the lowest employment rates among all disability groups.  Research shows that when these individuals receive evidence-based supported employment, approximately 60% become competitively employed.

Guests at the press conference also had the opportunity to hear from both an employer and a client employee who participat in Mosaic’s supported employment program.  Lora Andrews, Manager/Owner of Gypsy’s Tea Room in Westminster, and a long-time supporter of the program, spoke very highly about the caliber of employees that have been referred to her from Mosaic.  According to Andrews, “They are dependable, hardworking and eager to learn.”  She also praised Mosaic vocational counselors who help smooth any bumps along the way to successful employment.  Perhaps most moving of all the morning’s speeches was made by Chris, a long-term client of Mosaic’s employment program.  Chris, who works at RiteAide spoke about the support he had received from both his employer and Mosaic vocational counselors.  His started his current employment at RiteAide as a stock clerk, and gradually advanced to cashier, a job he truly enjoys.