MSU Medical Students Gain Experience of Serious Mental Health Disorders Working at Gesher Human Services’ Clubhouse Program.
Clubhouse for the Common Good, located in The Lois and Milton Y. Zussman Center in Southfield, offers support, education, and recreation to metro Detroiters living with a serious mental health diagnosis.
Medical students attending Michigan State University taking part in clinical rotations with Henry Ford Health System,
now have the opportunity for greater understanding of how metro Detroiters living with serious mental health conditions live and function in the greater community, outside of a medical provider’s setting. Each month, students spend a day at the recently expanded Lois and Milton Y. Zussman Center in Southfield (23800 W 10 Mile Road, Southfield) which houses Clubhouse for the Common Good. Clubhouse provides a welcoming space which offers employment opportunities, educational classes, culinary and horticultural experiences, wellness and fitness opportunities, and social and cultural activities to members living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression and other serious psychiatric conditions. The center, operated by Gesher Human Services, also offers an arts enrichment program called Creative Expressions. MSU students get to interact with the members, plus gain valuable inside knowledge from a nurse practitioner and social worker. For images of the Zussman Center which moved from a smaller facility to a large purpose-built space in August 2024, plus images of students interacting with members, click here.
“We are providing future doctors with insight into how people live everyday with mental health disorders, rather than them just seeing patients in an emergency medical room when they are having a crisis,” explained Gesher’s VP of Vocational Rehabilitation Rene Dell. “It is offering them a different viewpoint, showing how people living with serious mental health conditions can function well in some situations. The students are all very motivated and ask great questions, and we think the program will make these doctors even more compassionate when they take care of their patients with mental illnesses.”
At the Clubhouse,
participants are expected to take part in a work-ordered day, which might mean seeking employment, furthering their education, making and serving meals, working in the horticultural unit, creating the newsletter, or enhancing their wellness and relationships. Everyone shares the space, with staff and members all being considered as colleagues without hierarchy. The facility does not have a clinical nature, instead focusing on individual growth and community inclusion.
Psychiatry Clerkship Director of MSU Southeast Campus, Dr. Shady Shebak, said: “I am pleased that our students have the opportunity to work with patients struggling with mental illness at Gesher Human Services’ Clubhouse. This experience allows them to gain insight into the social and daily lives of our patients, contributing to a more holistic understanding of mental health.”
The Clubhouse for the Common Good and Creative Expressions,
currently impact the lives of more than 120 individuals served through Gesher Human Services. The Clubhouse recently joined Clubhouse International, an organization which supports and offers accreditation to clubhouses all over the world. One of the standards for clubhouse accreditation is that the facility is a welcoming space, easily accessible to the public and needs to be located in a space independent from its auspice agency, in this case, Gesher Human Services; the new facility meets those requirements.
The buildout for the new 8, 676 square foot space was partly funded by the Multicultural Integration Fund through the State of Michigan, along with additional grants and donations. New grant money will also help to expand employment opportunities for participants as a new employment specialist will be on site.
Individuals diagnosed with a serious mental health condition who might be interested in attending the Clubhouse for the Common Good at the Zussman Center can call 248.233.4325. Individuals interested in Creative Expressions, or the Clubhouse can find more information on Gesher Human Services’ website at geshermi.org.
About Gesher Human Services
Gesher Human Services is a non-profit organization providing a bridge to hope and opportunity for people at work, at home and in the community. It is dedicated to helping people across metro Detroit lead more stable and fulfilling lives through workforce development, career mobility, behavioral health, inclusion programming and residential services that serve all metro Detroiters while meeting the needs of the Jewish community. The organization works with job seekers, people with disabilities, older adults, and the community at large to provide skills, support, and equitable opportunities for people to succeed. Uniting two of metro Detroit’s most influential Jewish human services agencies, JVS Human Services and Kadima, Gesher brings over 110 years of combined experience facilitating equitable employment opportunities and better mental health outcomes for residents. With a network of more than 400 employees and volunteers across 25 locations in southeast Michigan, Gesher delivers a continuum of services and support that directly impacts the lives of over 26,000 individuals and families annually. More information at www.geshermi.o