Ted Koppel Films Nightline Segment at Webster House
by Cynthia J. Baron

I see all the wires and special lights and cameras in the lunchroom area and meet Herb O'Connor, Producer of Nightline for ABC television. What, he wanted to know, is the mental health system like; what's being done for those with schizophrenia, say, or manic-depressive illness?

While she was never treated for the disease, his mother saw snakes in the mail, poison in the food, listening devices in the phone and heating vents. The vast majority of people with the illness, don't make the headlines because of violent outbursts.

Moe Armstrong is a well-known contributor to Spare Change , and he has been interviewed in these pages as well. His true vocation is to advocate for the mentally ill.

I have come to Webster House, a clubhouse for the mentally ill, to see a filming of a segment of the Ted Koppel Nightline show. Ted is interviewing Moe Armstrong, Director of Consumer and Families Affairs for Vinfen Corporation. Vinfen is a non-profit organization running 198 facilities for mental health and mental retardation in eastern Massachusetts. Moe regularly comes to Webster House; it's a place that is very important to him, so the Nightline crew decided to film the show here.

I walk in the front door of Webster House and meet Richard. Richard tells me he just came to the club to relax; he isn't interested in the afternoon's Ted Koppel interview. I do janitorial work at different Vinfen houses, he says. My feet are numb so I don't do as much work. I'm trying to look for another job.

Art from Webster House art programs is on the walls. It looks so professional. Richard brings me to the employment office where staff try to get jobs for clients. I talk to Meredith Brown who is a job coach (the job coordinator is on vacation). I see the Outreach and Advocacy Room where the club works to maintain contact with people out of touch with the house. I see Esther Percoco, the nurse. "I help about 12 people who need support with meds," she tells me. She smiles: "I also cook, water plants, give shots and shovel snow."

Richard continues to take me around. I see walls covered with long, rectangular paintings. Next we are in a large kitchen, then a large clerical unit room (which has three computers used, among other things, to put out the monthly bulletin Webster View ). Finally, there is a very large lunchroom area. This is where the filming will take place. I meet Didi Campo, assistant director and referral coordinator. She tells me she interviews prospective members. Many come from Mass Mental Health Center. Clients need to be DMH (Department of Mental Health) eligible and come from the catchment area. There are 270 active members. "Some come for employment and ed services, some for work structure during the week, some just hang out."

Now I meet Elizabeth Cella, Director of Webster II (located just nearby). She works with a staff of seven. They have some 60-70 clients in their setting. For some clients, it is an alternative to Webster House, for others it is a place to go in addition to Webster House. Some clients do catering work here; it's a consumer based program for 12 to 15 people. It's especially for those who feel they are not ready for competitive employment. Other clients there are involved in other work units and skills classes; some attend a substance abuse program. People not benefiting from Webster House will go to Webster II, "So," says Elizabeth emphatically, "as many clients as possible will get their needs met."

I see all the wires and special lights and cameras in the lunchroom area and meet Herb O'Connor, Producer of Nightline for ABC television. He tells me he became interested in the mentally ill because of the murder last August in Washington, DC (where he works) of a police officer by a man named Russell Weston, who was mentally ill. Herb wanted to find out about mental patients and what's being done to help them, because there appear to be a lot of preventable tragedies. What, he wanted to know, is the mental health system like; what's being done for those with schizophrenia, say, or manic-depressive illness?

A number of people told Herb he should talk to Moe Armstrong. Actually, he first heard about Moe from a Mary Zdanowicz who works at the Treatment Advocacy Center. He was talking to her about stories of schizophrenia he was thinking of doing, and she said, "You should talk to someone with the illness, namely, Moe Armstrong."

The idea that started with his reaction to the death of the DC policeman at the hands of a schizophrenic, took on a life of its own. As Herb talked with experts about schizophrenia, he was stunned to learn how much the characteristic symptoms resembled those of his own mother, an undiagnosed schizophrenic. While she was never treated for the disease, his mother "saw snakes in the mail, poison in the food, listening devices in the phone and heating vents."

Herb got more information on schizophrenia from a friend who told him about Jay Neugeboren's book Transforming Madness (to be published in May of this year). It tells of people who have the illness and live productive lives, nonetheless. The vast majority of people with the illness, don't make the headlines because of violent outbursts.

This January, Herb broached the subject with Ted Koppel. He went directly to Ted because his own boss said he was interested in the series of shows Herb envisioned, but didn't want to work on it right away. Herb asked Ted for the go ahead and not only got it, but Ted said, "I know how important this story is to you. Of course I'll do it. How did he know? For one thing he had recently heard Herb deliver his mom's eulogy. In fact, Ted said he'd be pleased to be the reporter as well as the anchor for this story. In other words, he agreed to help write the script, and work with Herb to assemble the facts and the story. He would also be managing editor and approve the assignments. "But,' said Koppel, "I want to start small; let's work on what it's like to suffer from the disease." And so, Herb ended up talking to Moe Armstrong.

Moe is a well-known contributor to Spare Change , and he has been interviewed in these pages as well. His true vocation is to advocate for the mentally ill. Moe has schizophrenia and lives with it. He also follows a schedule few can match. Herb O'Connor talked to Moe about his symptoms and his life. He then decided he'd like to take a camera crew and follow him through one of his busiest days. So it turned out that Herb followed Moe through a more than 13-hour day, which began with Zen meditation (at 5 a.m.), then involved watching him do his artwork, then following him while he wrote poetry, then went with him to the State House to lobby for legislation to get better services for the mentally ill, then off to Roxbury, then to Webster II and Webster House, then to supported housing in Brighton, to a group home nearby where he conducted a group using the Recovery Workbook developed by Boston University. Finally, Moe went to BU at 7:30 where he taught a class. Moe never stopped. He did wolf down a sandwich in front of Webster House. And this, says Herb, is Moe's type of schedule from Monday through Sunday. Pieces of this day would be melded in with the actual Nightline interview.

Tony Zipple, head of Vinfen met Moe in New Mexico and offered him a job with Vinfen as director of consumer and family's affairs. Moe got an office at Webster House (which he apparently never uses because he's always on the go, busy doing things). Actually, Tony and Moe used to meet and talk at conferences. Then Moe invited himself to Boston to work for Vinfen after selling his mobile home. "When can I start to work?" Moe asked. And so, Tony created a job for Moe. Since Vinfen has 198 programs in eastern Massachusetts, Moe certainly has his work cut out for him.

Veronica Bescon, the director of Webster House says of Moe: "I love Moe. I think he brings the element of hope! His presence alone -- he doesn't minimize the struggle -- but comes and says, "I did it -- you can too." He's here to help people, and [he] is extremely helpful! Moe works out of his home and works on the road -- he likes to be in houses, in conferences, to be where things are happening.

"Here he visits -- meets with NAMI (the National Association of the Mentally Ill) once per month -- keeps in contact with people -- he does artwork here. He participates in our parties and holiday celebrations. He's a presence here!"

"Moe brings positivity, reassurance; for him the glass is always half full; he's never short, grouchy, or snapping at you even with difficult clients. [As for the talk show today with Ted Koppel], it's great that Moe is getting national recognition. That the crew decided to have the interview done here at Webster House is an honor for me. I hope people will be more aware [as a result of this interview with Moe] and will know that we need community help to do great things."

Finally, about an hour late, after we had waited and waited so patiently, Ted Koppel came in the door and began immediately greeting everyone individually, staff and clients. He talked with each briefly while Moe Armstrong standing by did the introductions. Then Ted and Moe sat at a client's dining table around which were lights and cameras. Clients and I sat in a group of chairs close by this special table. Beside me sat Fred who told me he's been coming to Webster House for six years now. He said he helps out mopping the floor, cleaning the kitchen, taking out the rubbish and doing dishes. We sat waiting and then the interview began.

"How did you begin to know you were mentally ill? " Koppel asked Moe.
"I started knowing I was ill when I started crying in Vietnam. I couldn't stop crying -- and I had always excelled. How could this happen? -- I was terrified because I lost control: I kept crying, I paced, I worried. I was nervous. I became terrified about life."

They went from topic to topic about Moe's life, his illness and his views, but it was hard for us to hear what they were saying. There were special microphones overhead to pick up the sound, and they were so sensitive that neither had to talk loudly for this mechanism to work. I gleaned the following from their words:

"You talk," Ted Koppel said, "like a recovering alcoholic, as if a schizophrenic never gets well."
"I'll tell you," Moe replied, "My life is 20% medication and 80% program ... "[Moe talking] A lot of ill people drug and drink to get rid of symptoms of the illness. And often these people are treated for substance abuse and not mental illness ..."
...Ted Koppel comments, "Thoreau said, 'most men live lives of quiet desperation' -- are the mentally ill unable to keep quiet about the illness but otherwise are like 'most men' ?"
... "Why," said Moe, "was I falling apart and so forth? I didn't know it was an illness -- a biological change in the brain."
... "Many very effective programs are under-funded," said Moe ...
"There is no one out there championing our cause."
... Ted Koppel asks, "And this clubhouse -- what do you do here?"
"We try," replies Moe, To be regular people with each other."
A client speaks up, not making a whole lot of sense.
After a moment's silence, Ted and Moe continue to talk.
.... "I didn't understand my illness," said Moe. I didn't know I was depressed -- I thought I was just discouraged ... The public is now in the process of getting gently educated. There are more good accounts and books on mental illness. Slowly, the message is getting out ... madness is not beautiful ... people are not being reached to get into the mental health system."
... Ted Koppel asks, "How many schizophrenics are dangerous?"
Moe points out that Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and such people's families are uneducated about the illness. It's hard to reach out to them. "Over the next ten years," Moe asserts, "we are going to do better at reaching and educating people."
Moe says the 6 years until now is the longest he's worked, plus 4 years before he came to Boston, yet Ted notes that Moe has two bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees.
"I thought I'd be a failure my whole life, Moe answers back ... "I've learned self-monitoring and self-maintenance," he adds.
Now Koppel and Moe turn to the client audience. Clients are encouraged to speak out:
A client says, "Mental illness is a moral problem! There's still a stigma! There are no get well cards for mental illness."
... "Everyone needs a support system; work gives it to well people. The mentally ill often don't have it," comments Koppel.
A client speaks out: "I value people in shops local to Webster House who treat me normally. I have standing in this community."
Koppel: "How long do you stay here?"
A client: "I stay here the whole day. I live in a supervised home."
Koppel [to clients as a whole]: "What do you people do?"
A client: "I work at Center Club [another clubhouse for the mentally ill]. I work on a computer and stuffing envelopes."
Another older, female client answers: "I worked part-time at the Mt. Ida deli. I stopped when my mother died. Now I'm trying to get on my feet again."
...Ted Koppel [to all the clients]: "What do you want to say to me?
A client replies, "We all listen to a different drummer. What is normal? As long as you can take care of yourself and not hate yourself or your neighbor, you're doing okay."
... A client: "We work in a music group and go sing at the nursing homes."
Koppel: "Do the people at the nursing home know where you're from, that you have mental illness -- no wouldn't that be nice for them to know?"

A staff person comments: "A lot of people are not interested in us or in our programs, and yet, we are succeeding. Eventually, we will be able to get more people in our programs and get more money."

After the interview is filmed, I talk again with Herb O'Connor, Nightline's producer. I ask him what he sees as future shows on other topics concerning mental illness. One topic already being worked on, says O'Connor, involves families of people whose mental illness has led to violence. Ted Kaczynski's brother and John Salvi's parents have already agreed to be on Nightline. Another idea involves the training of police officers to deal with mental illness. In fact, a study in L.A. points out that the police are getting as many calls concerning mental health issues as they get calls for burglaries. O'Connor also wants to go to prisons (conservative estimates say 10% of prisoners have mental illness), and he wants to talk to wardens, inmates, and physicians of prisoners. After all, it's a cinch: "from De-institutionalization to re-institutionalization." Finally, he wants to take a person who commits a violent crime, such as Russell Weston who murdered the police officer in DC last August, and find out that person's story -- talk to his family and ask about issues of mental health that underlie the news, the sort of questions that people don't address.

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