Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture

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Not to be confused with Program for Torture Victims.
Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture
Area served
New York
Key people
Allen S. Keller, M.D.
(Founder)
Hawthorne E. Smith, Ph.D.
(Program Director)
Websitewww.survivorsoftorture.org
Formerly called
Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture

The Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT) was established in 1995 as joint project of

Bellevue Hospital Center, located at 462 First Avenue CD723, New York City, NY 10016.[3] The Program is the first and largest torture treatment center in the New York City area, providing multidisciplinary and comprehensive medical, mental health, legal, and social services to victims of torture and their families.[1] PSOT's mission is to assist individuals subjected to torture and other human rights abuses to rebuild healthy, self-sufficient lives, and contribute to global efforts to end torture. Since its inception in 1995, PSOT has provided care to help rebuild the lives of more than 5,000 men, women, and children from over 100 countries.[4]

In addition to providing direct clinical services, PSOT serves as a training and resource center for organizations in the United States and around the world assisting refugee and immigrant populations. The Program is internationally recognized for excellence in patient care, clinician training and other educational programs, research, and advocacy. PSOT and its staff have received numerous awards including the Jim Wright Vulnerable Populations Award from the

Hebrew Union College, the Barbra Chester Award from the Hopi Foundation, and the prestigious 2006 Heroes Award from the Robin Hood Foundation
.

The Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture is a member of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP) and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT).[5][6]

Background and History

See also, Bellevue Hospital
NYU Medical Center, 2014.

The Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT) was co-founded in 1995 by Dr. Allen Keller.[7] Also responsible for the inception of the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture, were Drs. Lucia Keller, Ilene Cohen and Asher Aladjem.[8]

Dr. Allen Keller, who serves as the executive and program director of PSOT, also works as an associate professor at New York University's School of Medicine, specialising in the dynamics between mental health and human rights.[9]  Dr. Allen Keller's academic and advocacy work, revolve around issues such as the mental and physical health of people seeking political asylum, the conditions of immigration detention within the United States, as well as the complicity in torture and human rights abuses by health care professionals.[9][10]

During the years of 1985 and 1986, Dr Keller worked within a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border.[11] During his years of volunteering, Dr Keller noticed that immediate health issues came about as a result of extensive human rights abuses and trauma.[12] It was in Cambodia that Dr Keller acquainted himself with the consequences of torture and learned to give clinical interviews and patient diagnoses.[12]

In 1992–1993, as a member of Physicians for Human Rights, Dr. Allen Keller was invited to return to Cambodia by the

American Refugee Committee (ARC).[13][14][15] With the Cambodian community recovering from a long period of political and ethnic violence, Dr. Keller developed a program which aimed to provide educational services to Cambodian health professionals and increase their understanding and knowledge about human rights.[15] Additionally, with his interests in the relationship between health and human rights, his program, in collaboration with the United Nations, sought to create an increased understanding between health care workers and their role in implementing and protecting human rights as well as in torture victim recovery.[16][15] This program involved teaching a twenty-hour curriculum aimed to develop health care professionals’ ability to document the human rights abuses of victims.[17]

During the 1990s Dr Allen Keller noticed the influx in asylum seekers seeking refuge in New York and the lack of mental health care facilities and services that were available to them.[18] To redress similar concerns that he had during his time in Cambodia, in 1995,  Dr. Allen Keller opened up the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture with Drs Lucia Keller, Ilene Cohen and Asher Aladjem.[19] Making up a team of social workers, medical practitioners, psychiatrists and psychologists, with the increasing incidence of international torture and abuse, they aimed to help survivors of conflict and abuse, in post-conflict environments.[8]

1998: The centre received an influx of Kosovar Albanians after terror and mass deportation was carried out by Serbian authorities.[20]

1999: The program saw an increase in significant numbers of patients from Sierra Leone, following a rebel attack.[20]

2001: Following the 9/11 attacks the centre provided psychological support and counselling to civilians who were affected.[20]

The program now features approximately 50 staff, half of which are made up of volunteers, who work with almost 1000 patients each year.[21] Residing in New York, they represent demographics belonging to over 80 countries.[22]

Mission

The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture's mission is to provide comprehensive care to victims of ethnic and political Torture and those suffering from refugee trauma.[23] Aiming to build a program that interconnects practical medical care, with holistic mental health care and social service needs; their mission involves efforts in survivor advocacy, community outreach initiatives, research and education.[23]

Part of their mission is for the clinicians to shape and tailor PSOT to the needs of their clients and ensure that their voices form a larger part in professional and social discourse.[8] PSOT aims to facilitate ongoing discussion and collaborative efforts in communication to provide nuanced and effective treatment plans.[8] The programs ultimate goal is to see individual survivors being able to enjoy healthy and fulfilled lives within the United States.[23] Additionally, the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture hopes to contribute to global efforts in reducing the use of torture.[23][8]

Organisational structure

The Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture operates as an independent nonprofit organization which is governed by a board and executive leadership.[24] The program is also supported by additional staff and volunteers, bringing an approximate total of employees to 50.[24][8] The program is funded through its various funding sources such as the government, through partnerships,  foundations and individual donations (PSOT website).

Board

Chair, Shari Soward -

RBC Wealth Management[25]

Board Member, Jeffrey D. Robinson[25]

Board Member, Chui-Lai Cheung[25]

Executive Leadership

Asher Aladjem, MD, Chief Psychiatrist:

Dr Asher Aladjem is both a co-founder and chief psychiatrist at PSOT.[26][27] Having practised as a medical practitioner and psychiatrist for the majority of his professional career, Dr Aladjem provides both psychiatric care to patients within the program and oversees the psychiatric care given by other practitioners at PSOT.[8]

Additionally, he is the director of psychosomatic medicine at Bellevue Hospital Centre and New York University, and specialises in adult psychiatry consults.[28]  

Caroline Albanese, Director of Operations:

As the director of operations, Caroline Albanese's role is focused on maintaining and organising the standard of care that patients receive at the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture.[29] Beyond this the director of operations is in charge of coordinating staff, preparing the global budget of approximately US$2 million and individual grant budgets for the centre, as well as monitor fundraising initiatives.[30]

Allen Keller, MD, Founder.

Sarah Moore, MD, Primary Care Liaison:

Dr Sarah Moore has been serving as the director of primary care of Thee Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture since 2015.[31] Her work at the clinic involves her professional interests of cultural sensitivity education, mental health and behavioural change.[31]

Hawthorne Smith, PhD, Director:

Dr Hawthorne Smith is a licensed clinical psychologist and is the clinical/program director of PSOT.[32]   As the programs director, his duties include the overall administration of PSOT, overseeing the fundraising and budget, and the daily operations of the clinic.[33]

Receiving his PhD in

New York University School of Medicine. He specialises in human rights and forensic evaluations.[34][35]

John Wilkinson, MA, Legal Services Manager:

The legal services manager's role at the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture is responsible for managing and aiding clients with legal issues and applications on asylum, permanent residency, employment, family reunification as well as organizing travel documentation for refugees.[29] Within the clinic, the legal services manager also provides legal training and induction sessions to fellow staff members and prospective clients.[36]

Services

The Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture offers a variety of rehabilitative services to clients and their families.[37] The ethos of their approach is to acknowledge the natural coping mechanisms that have allowed survivors to overcome their victimization.[38] PSOT aims to do this through symptom reduction and assisting them with community and living adjustments. Medical, legal, social, and mental direct services are readily available at the clinic.

Medical

Located within

emergency care, laboratory and radiographic services.[41] Providing clients with physical medical assessments, the center also emphasises the use of mental-health assessments, particularly when patients are coming from regions and demographics where mental health is stigmatised.[40]

Mental

The Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture boasts a team of mental health professionals including two attending

therapeutic yoga.[45]

Social

At the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture, the social services coordinator supports clients in providing them with basic everyday needs and services.

LGBTQ services and clothing.[8][47]  PSOT has worked in collaboration with community-based organisations such as the American Friends Service Committee, the African Services Committee, Mah We Yone as well as Catholic Charities USA.[8] The people providing these services make up a team of social work interns and externs, volunteer educators, nurses students and volunteers.[48]

Legal

The legal services at PSOT provided pro-bono legal advice and support in all aspects of immigration and for those who have legally obtained asylum status.

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.[8] Alongside these organisations PSOT work towards family reunification, and obtaining legal employment authorization for their clients.[50] Additionally when necessary staff at PSOT can provide references and medical and psychological affidavits and represent them in legal matters involving asylum-seeking.[8]

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 29026720
    .
  2. ^ "Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture". Health and Human Rights Info. 2003. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  3. ^ "Contact Us". PSOT Program for Survivors of Torture. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  4. ^ "Our Mission | PSOT". www.survivorsoftorture.org. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12.
  5. ^ "NCTTP - Member Centers". www.ncttp.org. Archived from the original on 2011-04-14.
  6. ^ "International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims".
  7. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  8. ^
    OCLC 656423127.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  9. ^ a b "NYU School of Medicine - Human Rights Faculty and Staff | NYU School of Law". www.law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  10. ^ "Staff". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  11. ^ "Allen Keller - Barbara Chester Award". barbarachesteraward.hopifoundation.org. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  12. ^
    S2CID 36118950
    .
  13. ^ Solomon, Serena (2016-02-09). "Inside a Clinic Devoted to Helping Refugees Who Have Survived Torture". Vice. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  14. ^ "Allen Keller - Barbara Chester Award". barbarachesteraward.hopifoundation.org. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  15. ^
    PMID 10395726
    .
  16. ^ "NYU School of Medicine - Human Rights Faculty and Staff | NYU School of Law". www.law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  17. ^ Larker, Marilynn. "Allen Keller". The Lancet. 362: 1862.
  18. ^ Venters, Homer D. (2007). "Statement on Immigration Detainee Health Care" (PDF). pp. 1–5.
  19. ^ Rahman, Raad (2017-11-14). "What happens after torture?". Asian American Writers' Workshop. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  20. ^
    ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  21. ^ Solomon, Serena (2016-02-09). "Inside a Clinic Devoted to Helping Refugees Who Have Survived Torture". Vice. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  22. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  23. ^ a b c d "Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture Volunteer Opportunities - VolunteerMatch". www.volunteermatch.org. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  24. ^ a b "Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  25. ^ a b c "Board". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  26. ^ "Staff". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  27. S2CID 205960738
    .
  28. ^ "Asher D. Aladjem, MD". nyulangone.org. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  29. ^ a b "Staff". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  30. ^ Albanese, Caroline (2019). "Caroline Albanese". Standard Resume. Retrieved Feb 16, 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Sarah Moore, MD | Department of Anesthesiology". anesthesiology.weill.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  32. ^ "Staff". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  33. ^ "Hawthorne Smith". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  34. ^ "Hawthorne Smith, PhD | HealTorture.org". healtorture.org. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  35. ^ Solomon, Serena (2016-02-09). "Inside a Clinic Devoted to Helping Refugees Who Have Survived Torture". Vice. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  36. ^ "John Wilkinson, MA | HealTorture.org". healtorture.org. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  37. ^ "Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture". HHRI. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  38. ^ Johnson, David R. (2005). Helping Refugee Trauma Survivors in the Primary Care Setting. Minneapolis: The Center for the Victims of Torture.
  39. ^ "Medical". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  40. ^ a b c Knowlton, Leslie. "Bellevue's Torture Survivors Program Aids Victims". Psychiatric Times. 17 – via MJH Life Sciences.
  41. ^ a b "Medical". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  42. ^ Leslie Knowlton (2000-12-01). "Bellevue's Torture Survivors Program Aids Victims". Psychiatric Times. Retrieved Feb 18, 2020.
  43. ^ "Evaluation and Treatment of Survivors of Torture and Refugee Trauma". Medscape. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  44. ^ Knowlton, Leslie (2000-12-01). "Bellevue's Torture Survivors Program Aids Victims". Psychiatric Times. Retrieved Feb 16, 2020.
  45. ^ "Mental". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  46. ^ Hawthorne, Smith (2017). Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture Orientation Group: 4-Week Group Therapy Manual for Clinicians. New York: Bellevue Hospital.
  47. ^ "Social". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  48. ^ Knowlton, Leslie (2000-12-01). "Bellevue's Torture Survivors Program Aids Victims". Psychiatric Times. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  49. ^ "Direct Services". PSOT. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  50. ^ Wilkinson, John. "Helping Torture Survivors Heal". Heal Torture. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
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