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‘Virtual clubhouse’ has proved vital for members of the Genesis Club
Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
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Support during the isolation of the pandemic was crucial for everyone but especially so for members of the Genesis Club, struggling with serious mental health issues yet unable to access the physical location they had come to rely on. For Genesis, it was especially vital that the organization come to a remote alternative for the sake of their members.
Working with the challenge of how to enable meetings when the clubhouse was at limited capacity for in-person interactions, the Genesis Club got creative in their use of video conferencing software to provide more points of accessibility to reach meetings.
This “virtual clubhouse” proved to be a lifeline — not only through COVID but beyond.
“It meant a lot to me to be connected to everyone who could support me through those difficult times.” Matt Perrone, a Genesis Club member of 30 years, said, “I used the virtual ways to access Genesis Club very often when the Clubhouse was only at 25% capacity during the pandemic, and I still use the virtual methods currently when I cannot come to the Club in person.”
Founded in Worcester in 1988, Genesis is a community for mental health recovery and anyone with a serious mental health diagnosis can become a member. In fact, the World Health Organization has recognized the Clubhouse Model as a rights-based, person-centered approach to community mental health.
For many years, it has helped members finish or start their education or find employment and housing while they are working on their recovery in their own way and at their own pace. Most members used to come in almost every single day, participating in the daily operations of the clubhouse which simulate a workday in preparation for the workforce and rebuilding social networks. All services are free to members as the funding is obtained through donations, foundations and contracts with the Departments of Mental Health at the state and federal levels. However, with the pandemic restrictions, all that was interrupted. Rachel Riani, development associate at Genesis, ex-
The exterior of the Genesis Club, on Lincoln Street in Worcester. A “virtual clubhouse” has proven invaluable to members who weren’t able to utilize the facility in person during the pandemic.JOHN FERRARONE/T&G FILE PHOTO
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plained that the clubhouse had to change to virtual communication with members and it helped them come to the realization that there is an ongoing need for virtual communications, as some people still don’t feel comfortable leaving isolation. As a result, they decided a hybrid model was the way of the future, so anytime a member cannot be present in person, they can virtually access the community and the support network it provides.
With a grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts’ Activation Fund, Genesis was able to completely revamp the website and with it provide sustainable remote access to mental health programs. Other tools include an increased number of video references as well as a comprehensive list of opportunities and resources for members and their families. They took the opportunity for an aesthetic update as well, seeing as the site was dealing with increased usage. “When building it, we really made sure it felt warm and welcoming,” said Riani, just as would be the case with a brick and mortar facility, “to make potential members feel comfortable reaching out.”
Lisa Brennan, Executive Director, indicated, “even now, we have some members who don’t feel safe leaving their home or have other conditions so it’s a great opportunity even after the restrictions were lifted especially since some members have moved but still want to stay connected but don’t have any transportation.”
According to Riani, with 550 active members, on a day to day basis they often see 80-100 members come into the clubhouse. “Still a little bit lower than pre-pandemic numbers but especially during isolation, we saw our members really needed the community.” The average age of members is generally between 30 and 60, so it’s a fairly wide age range. Anyone can become a member when they turn 18 and members in their 60s and 70s are still coming to the club every single day.
To make the hybrid format feel inclusive for virtual attendees, cameras are set up to allow members to see everyone in the room. However, just as in-person meetings at the club are contingent upon transportation and travel, a virtual clubhouse depends on a certain level of technological access. While this is something many take for granted, it’s by no means a certainty for members. “Genesis received funding from other foundations as well, which allowed us to provide some of our members with tablets and other tech to access virtual services,” said Brennan. “We would help them set up a tablet or laptop and show them how to call into the WebX or Zoom.”
“Members definitely feel like the virtual interactions are a meaningful connection to the clubhouse,” Riani emphasized. Each of their units has a meeting every day where they go over the work of the day and have staff sign up to complete certain tasks. Members can call into any of those and sign up for the work. The funding has helped them make great use of sharing screens and google shared documents as well as conference calls for virtual wellness check-ins. In addition, “the hybrid work has been a lot of fun and we’ve enjoyed incorporating that into our day.”
Many of the onsite work opportunities now have a remote component and are done in partnership with one person at the clubhouse, and the other working remotely, offering flexibility in how members engage with the activities while also building skills needed for the post-COVID workforce. Telehealth opportunities were also funded so members can connect with their medical providers to ensure that the pandemic did not result in a break in treatment or therapies.
The isolation may be ending for the majority of people in Worcester — and the country — as restrictions are lifted but many are still effectively in lockdown, not from government mandates but their own health. Measures such as those taken by the Genesis Club ensure that these people are not left to fall through the cracks and still receive the help and support they need through which to try and re-enter the world.
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Wildlife experts ask help in stemming avian illness
Veer Mudambi
Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
“Birds need to be practicing physical distancing right now and people understand that message at this point after the pandemic,” said Mark Richardson of Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston.
While there have been no documented cases in Massachusetts yet, there is a mystery avian illness impacting large areas of the eastern United States, and to prevent it from racing across the landscape and into New England, the state has taken the unprecedented step of asking residents to empty bird feeders, remove bird baths, take them down and clean them with 10% bleach solution cleaner.
In late May, wildlife experts in Washington, D.C., began receiving reports of sick or dead songbirds, mainly blue jays, starlings and grackles, but also robins, cardinals and others. The phenomenon has since spread through 10 states, including West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland and Delaware, and in 61 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. The symptoms include conjunctivitis with swelling and crustiness around the eyes, and neurological problems such as disorientation, stumbling while walking, having trouble keeping their balance, reduced ability or inability to fly, and walking in circles. Some birds also have tremors or an inability to stand.
“People always think about bird feeders in particular as a way to support birds,” said Richardson, “but unfortunately during times like this we realize that’s not the best approach, since it can potentially create a vector for disease. And creating those artificial places to congregate is something to avoid for now.”
Martha Gach of Mass Audubon’s Broad Meadow Brook Sanctuary in Worcester said “there’s a good possibility it will get here eventually.” But the more that it can be delayed, the more time likely that we will have a better understanding of the cause — whether it is a toxin, bacteria, virus, parasite or a newly emerging disease where the pathogen hasn’t been identified or cultured before.
State ornithologist Andrew Vitz said it’s important to note that, though it appears to be mainly impacting backyard birds, the disease could be affecting forest birds as well but people aren’t seeing them.
He points out that it is not unusual to have large scale avian mortality events — in fact, it may happen every year with different species, due to cyanobacteria blooms in summer, West Nile virus in mid to late August into September, etc. But “it is quite unusual to have thousands of birds impacted and you don’t know what it is,” he said, “the combination of symptoms is unusual, usually it’s one or the other.”
From the MassWildlife agency’s perspective, said Vitz, they really want people to take down their bird feeders and bird baths, but residents can be assured it won’t negatively impact the birds. “There’s a lot of bird food out there through the summer and fall, and birds don’t need backyard feeders to obtain food.”
MassWildlife is in communication with other state agencies and with Tufts Wildlife Clinic, which has not received birds with symptoms. “It’s a fluid situation,” Vitz said, “and there is more information coming in every day.”
Both Gach and Vitz agreed that it’s never good to have a die-off of anything because that is like taking a cog out of the gear of how the environment works. Gach explained that birds are vital for pest con-
Bright Eyes will play the Palladium July 30. PROMOTIONAL PHOTO
Bright Eyes makes a stop at The Palladium
Robert Duguay
Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
Over the past 25 years or so, Conor Oberst has become one of the best songwriters of his generation. He brings an intense vocal delivery with poetic lyrics that tell a story and take hold of the senses, all while playing his six-string or the keys on a piano.
He’s been synonymous with the Omaha indie rock trio Bright Eyes during this time period and last year the band ended a nine-year hiatus right before COVID-19 changed everything. How’s that for timing, huh?
In this post-pandemic world that we recently entered, the band will be coming to The Palladium’s outdoor stage at 261 Main St. in Worcester at 5:30 p.m. July 30 as part of the band’s summer tour with Richmond, Virginia, singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus.
Last August, Bright Eyes signaled its re-arrival with its tenth studio album, “Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was.” Oberst and bandmates Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott had drummer Jon Theodore — formerly of The Mars Volta and currently of Queens Of The Stone Age — and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea involved in the making of the record while doing the sessions in four different recording studios.
“We spent about two years in total working on the record and we were bouncing around a lot between L.A. and Omaha,” Oberst says on the making of the album. “It was incredible working with Jon and Flea, I’ve been a huge fan of them both for a long time. Mike, Nate and myself are the core of the band, but we’ve always had different people involved on our records and tours so we just decided to shoot for the stars. I’ve loved Jon Theodore ever since I’ve seen him play with The Mars Volta ages ago, and Nate was touring with the Red Hot Chili
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Peppers for a couple years before the pandemic so he became good friends with Flea and he just came up in conversation.”
Oberst says, “It was kind of a dream come true. They’re coming from a different space because obviously they tend to play a bit harder music than ours, but they both are incredible musicians. They’re super tasteful while wanting to make the songs the best that they can be. It was amazing to have their creative input.”
Bright Eyes originally started out as a project conceived by Oberst during the mid-’90s, which he increased his focus on after the band he was in at the time, Commander Venus, broke up in 1997. Since then, it has grown from being a oneperson endeavor into a fullfledged band in a very natural and collaborative way.
“The very first Bright Eyes record called ‘A Collection Of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997’ came out in ‘98 and it was basically just me on a fourtrack,” he says. “Pretty much after that, Mike Mogis got involved with helping me record and tour. He spends a lot of time producing records so he couldn’t go on all the tours early on but he was basically in the band right at that point. After our fourth record, ‘Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground,’ Nate started touring with us and became sort of a permanent member. It’s changed a lot since the late ‘90s, it keeps evolving and I’ve always liked that we tend not to repeat ourselves that much.
“I feel that we’re always trying to stay within our wheelhouse while trying to make different sounding records,” Oberst adds. “It’s always a bit of an experiment when we start recording, so even though it might be weird on paper if Jon and Flea are playing on it, we do that kind of thing a lot where we put different ingredients in the recipe and it might not be so obvious.”
Outside of Bright Eyes, Oberst is involved in other acts, including his backing band, The Mystic Valley Band, punk band Desaparacidos and Better Oblivion Community Center with fellow musician Phoebe Bridgers. After this current run of shows, he plans on concentrating on Bright Eyes while leaving the door open for other projects.
“We’re going to start touring again in the spring and these are all essentially shows in markets that got previously canceled in 2020,” he said. “We’re basically going to do the best we can to try to do the tour that we originally had planned, so we’ll be back on the road during that time and go into Europe and probably Australia. It’s going to be pretty Bright Eyes-centric for a while. I’m always working on something so it’ll be cool to get some of the old bands together in the future, whether it’s Desaparecidos, Better Oblivion Community Center or whatever. Maybe I’ll even start some new bands, who knows?”
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trol, insect control, moving seeds around and the natural food chain, and mass die-offs mean upsetting the balance of nature.
“It is not at that level yet,” Vitz pointed out, “based on reports from other states, and no one is predicting impacts throughout the food web.” That being said, no one has any idea of the total number or type of birds that are dying, so if a particular species is more susceptible, it could have population impacts on those species. But it won’t be known for a few years after major bird counts have taken place.
At present, what is being reported elsewhere is that juvenile birds are impacted the most. Vitz said that young birds have high mortality rates, even without the disease, so it’s likely that the effects of this will not be cascading through the ecosystem.
Richardson said that Tower Hill actually stopped putting out bird feeders years ago. “We decided it was unnecessary, since we see a lot of bird activity throughout the garden and they’re mostly hunting insects.”
He said they would probably remove the bluebird boxes as well, “because while it’s important to provide those nesting sites for birds, it’s really more for us than for them and they can find natural nesting sites. We don’t want them congregating.”
Vitz, Richardson and Gach agreed that most of the region’s native birds feed insects to their young, as opposed to fruit, nuts and seeds, since they are really looking for the high protein content. Plants are habitats for insects which in turn makes them habitats for birds. Gach is also taking down her hummingbird feeder. She says she rarely sees them anyway, as they prefer the flowers in the yard. So the focus should be on growing food for the birds and that includes insects, “we need to support the insect population to make natural food for the birds.” Audubon is advising people to take down hummingbird feeders as well because downy woodpeckers, who have been affected by the disease in other states, will visit those and maybe spread it to hummingbirds.
Vitz agreed that though they haven’t heard anything suggesting hummingbirds are impacted, Mass Wildlife is recommending all feeders, including hummingbird feeders be removed, “because we just don’t know enough.” Sometimes, he confirmed, as Gach suggested, you get orioles or woodpeckers at hummingbird feeders so even if they’re not impacted, it could attract some of those songbirds who may be diseased.
While we still don’t know nearly enough about this new illness, here are a few precautions everyone can take to try and cover our bases according to MassWildlife. h Bird feeders and baths need to not only be taken down but thoroughly cleaned. Specifically, with a 10% bleach solution (one part bleach mixed with nine parts water), rinsed with water before being allowed to air-dry. This will eliminate the possibility of any lingering bacteria. h Samples are generally whole birds, so collecting a sample will mean handling a dead bird. The best way to do so is to place an inverted plastic bag over your hand to avoid direct contact with the bird. h Avoid handling live birds unless necessary. If you do handle them, wear disposable gloves and wash hands afterward. h Keep pets (including pet birds) away from sick or dead wild birds as a standard precaution. Dog and cat owners should be especially careful, as these will certainly want to investigate a bird carcass. h Finally, if you see a bird exhibiting any of these symptoms — such as being unable to fly, losing its balance and walking in circles — immediately report it via the MassWildlife website, www.mass.gov/orgs/divisionof-fisheries-and-wildlife. “The most important tool is data,” said Vitz. If tracked properly and with the correct precautions, New England may be able to protect our feathered friends.
The Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has issued a warning, asking homeowners to take down bird feeders as a preventative measure against a mystery illness killing birds in other areas of the country. PHOTO FOR THE ITEM
