Have you found the key to happiness? Believe it or not, researchers at Harvard University believe that they may have located it!

Harvard University has been participating in possibly the longest study of human development that has ever been done. For 75 years, generations of Harvard researches have been following the lives of a two select groups of men. Of the original 724 men selected, 60 of those individuals are still alive today and are still participating in the research project well into their 90's.

One group of young men came from Boston's poorest and most disadvantaged families in the 1930's. The Second group was chosen from Harvard's sophomore class at that time, most of whom graduated college and served in World War II.

All participants were interviewed, not on paper, but face-to-face in their homes. Every two years they were interviewed, their families were interviewed, medical exams were collected, brain scans were completed, and they were even video taped while engaged in deep conversation with their wives.

Both groups of young men turned in to older men. They became laborers, factory workers, brick layers, and one even became the President of the United States of America (for any of you that know your history, hopefully the process of elimination will help you determine that JFK was a part of this initial study). Some of the men developed alcoholism, and some reported being diagnosed with schizophrenia. Others had high cholesterol and heart disease, while some experienced only the aches and pains of aging.

Of all the data that was collected and men that were studied, there were very concrete lessons that the researchers learned from the decades of research. What could these men possibly teach the rest of us about happiness?

So what did they find? What is the key to happiness? Is it wealth? Fame? Hard Work and Success? The clearest message found is this: Good Relationships keep us happier and healthier.

Good relationships, the ones that we feel comfortable and supported in, are the relationships that will ultimately help us live longer and happier. Our social connections help our brain functioning, our immune system, and our overall well-being. This study showed researchers that the quality of our close relationships that matters. Those of us that are more connected to family, friends, and our community are happier, physically healthier and live longer than our counterparts that find themselves to be more isolated than they want to be. This study found that loneliness can be toxic, leading to earlier onset of health problems, greater decline in brain functioning, shorter lifespans, and over-all lower levels of reported happiness. More importantly, at any given time 1 in 5 Americans report that they are lonely, even when in a crowd or in a relationship. Poor health is reported in especially high conflict relationships without affection.

Of the study participants, those that reported having good, close, relationships when interviewed in their 50's were the healthiest in their 80's. Even when they reported more physical pain, they remained happy.

So what can you do? Why is this information important for us to know? What can we do to improve our relationships and strengthen our connections with others? We can start by actively working to building healthy relationships. Pick people that make you feel good! Once you find them, you have to work to spend time with them. Commit to scheduling time to spend with others. Reach out to family members and friends. Coordinate events with each other. Have a movie night. Send a card. Meet for coffee!

Replace screen time with people time. Do a new activity together. The options are endless!

If you would like to read the entire article (even though I pretty much summed the whole thing up for you) you can click here. By accessing this link, you can also watch the Ted Talk by the current researcher heading this continuing project!

Please join us in congratulating our very own Forensic Coordinator Lori Schultz, as she was recently invited to participate with the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association as a member of their Forensic Peer Support Advisory Committee. Lori will be assisting PMHCA as they collaborate with Drexel University to enhance their Forensic Peer Support Training. Congratulations Lori!

Greetings!

My name is Erik Whisker and I began working as a CPS with Peerstar,LLC in March of 2011.
The CPS Training Curriculum was comprehensive however insightful and since I have been
actively providing peer support services to "peers" of all generations their recovery has
enabled me to become a better CPS. To this date, I have worked with 25 plus peers.

Peer support is not easy work; in fact, we all have endured the frustrations and challenges
of obtaining our hours. I do feel like I am an experienced CPS/ Supervisor so please allow
me to offer advice to anyone who may be feeling challenged trying to provide peer support
service to their peers. First, clear communication is a great practice: coordinate both your
schedules to set times most convenient to meet and emphasize the importance of being
available for scheduled appointments. Second, if a peer must cancel ask for sufficient
notice. Third, peer support is peer focused and directed so be there for your peer to guide
them and mentor them even though you both "will" make mistakes. Finally, be genuine yet
be yourself. We do not have all the answers but learn together and one of the most important
things is to make sure you practice "good documentation."

In closing, when I am at work, my focus is on work; when I am at home I do not bother with
work unless I have something pre-arranged. Everyday is a learning experience and networking
is essential amongst your colleagues and within the community.

Thank you,



Erik Whisker, CPSS, CPS

The good news is that temperatures are starting to warm up this month. If you look at the 15 day forecast, it appears as though are little furry friend in Punxsutawney may have been correct in his prediction of an early Spring. The bad news... we also lose an hour of sleep this weekend. If you are like me you are thrilled to have an extra hour of daylight. However, I also don't sleep very much to begin with and I know that springing ahead may take a week to adjust too. Believe it or not, I can start preparing now, to save any of you that I encounter next week the agony of listening to me yawn non-stop. The Cleveland Clinic provides these tips for dealing with the impending time change:

1. Spend the next few days going to be 15 to 30 minutes earlier than normal
2. Wake up early and allow the sunlight to do it's job...wake you up!
3. Don't nap. Although you may want to nap after losing an hour of sleep, it actually makes it harder for your body to adjust to the time change
4. Avoid coffee and alcohol. (Wait...maybe I should have paid better attention to this article. Asking me to avoid coffee is like asking me to give you my right arm, I'll try to do everything as normal, but it will just end up a clumsy, messy, attempt!) But in reality, they are only asking us to avoid it in the hours before bed-time (whew...I can live with that for a few days)

So remember, Sunday, March 13th we Spring ahead! If you would like a short Daylight Savings time History lesson, visit this Huffinton Post video.

The Intake Department along with Regional Director Christine Butterbaugh would like to recognize Franklin County CPS/CPSS Floyd Sears for his willingness to go above and beyond his regular duties during this time of incredible growth in Franklin County. Thank you Floyd for all of your help and your continued hard work and devotion to Peerstar and the peers we service!!

The Altoona Office staff members participated in a "Fit Day" on February 26th. They discussed eating healthy, shared healthy recipes, and discussed exercises that they could do even in an office setting. If you would like to learn more about the fitness tips they shared, please contact Maria!

Region C has recently welcomed 2 new Peer Specialists: Jamie Fickes, CPS, Mifflin County and Kimberly Ballard, Huntingdon/Mifflin/Juniata Counties. We are very excited to have them both on the Region C team – welcome Jamie and Kimberly J

Here is a list of upcoming events in Region C:

• Youth Mental Health First Aid training, sponsored by Jana Marie Foundation – March 15, 2016 from 8:30am-5:30pm at Toftrees Gold Resort & Conference Center. Cost $15
  
• Mental Health First Aid Training conducted by Heather Moran and Jessica Peacock, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – April 4, 2016 from 8:30am-5:30pm at Community Care Behavioral Health in State College, PA. Cost $15
  
• Centre county Community Support Program (CSP) meets every second Thursday of the month from 2pm-4pm at Opportunity Centre Clubhouse 2603 E. College Ave. State College, PA. Next meeting is Thursday, March 10. The group is always welcoming new members!
• Community Care Adult Member Advisory Meetings

-March 2nd at Sunshine Connection Drop In Center 518 S. Juniata St. Lewistown

-May 4th at Huntingdon County Drop In Center 512 Washington St. Huntingdon

-August 3rd at Opportunity Centre Clubhouse 2603 E. College Ave. State College

-November 2nd at Juniata Co. Friendship Club 5530 William Penn Hwy, Mifflintown

• The Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata county Healing Connections Suicide Prevention Group meets on the second Tuesday of every month from 3pm-4pm. You can attend the meeting at either JC Blair Education Building in Huntingdon or Juniata Valley Behavioral and Developmental Services in Lewistown. You may also phone into the meetings by calling 1-888-744-8762, using access code 2788100. Dates for meetings are as follows:
  

-March 8 July12 November 8
-April12 August 9 December 13

-May 10 September 13

-June 14 October 11

UMAS

Medical Billing and IT Company

UMAS billers are incredibly important in every healthcare facility— providers cannot stay in business without good billers. Traditionally, billers have either been trained on the job or have been medical coders who do both the coding and billing. However, the shortage of coders and the growing demand for skilled medical billing specialists has employers looking for professionals who know billing basics. UMAS prepares our staff for a medical billing-specific goals with our providers so you need to look only to us for all your billing needs.

Our medical billing specialists will take the data provided by our providers and use it to compile and submit claims to insurance companies and then subsequently bill patients. Day-to-day responsibilities vary from location to location, but often include:

•Using coded data to produce and submit claims to insurance companies

•Working directly with the insurance company, healthcare provider, and patient to get a claim processed and paid

•Reviewing and appealing unpaid and denied claims

•Verifying patients’ insurance coverage

•Answering patients’ billing questions

•Handling collections on unpaid accounts

•Managing the facility’s Accounts Receivable reports

Our UMAS staff that handles the billing needs for Peerstar/PAA includes Tiffany Craig, Carla Gressick, and Shelby Piker.

Tiffany Craig has been billing for Peerstar/PAA for over 10 years. She is known for her precision and punctilious performance. She is the lead team member for Peerstar/PAA . There is no task that Tiffany cannot handle with ease.

Carla Gressick has been billing for Peerstar/PAA for one year now. She has a strong passion for this provider and is always striving to refine her billing skills as her acceptance of the word average does not seem to fit in her vocabulary.

Shelby Piker is one of our newest hires. She has been learning from both Tiffany and Carla to become an irreproachable biller as is UMAS expectations.

UMAS is proud to bill for such a fine organization as Peerstar/PAA!

If you suspect Fraud, Waste, or Abuse, please contact Lori Miller, our Chief Compliance Officer.

Email: lmiller@peerstarllc.com
Location: 2900 Plank Road, Altoona, PA, United States
Phone: 814-515-2699

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