Peer and Family Advisory Group

The Peer and Family Advisory Group is composed of two representatives from each county, meets monthly, advises the WNYCCP Steering Committee and selects the four voting members from its groups who will serve on the Steering Committee. The county representatives are:

• Chautauqua County: Peter Notaro and Chandra Woolson (Alternate - Erin Felton)
• Erie County: Sharon Ward and Richard “Doc” D'Amato
• Genesee County: Delores Burdick
• Monroe County: Robert Dempsey and Renate Melnyk (Alternate - Adrien Turner)
• Onondaga County: Carole Hayes-Collier and Diane O'Brien (Alternate - Martha Ehlert)
• Wyoming County: Diane Woodworth and Kathy Dukelow

The four voting representatives who sit on the WNYCCP Steering Committee are Doc D'Amato, Carole Haye-Collier, Sharon Ward, and Peter Notaro. Alternate voting member - Diane O'Brien.

There is a local peer and family advisory group in each county. These groups meet monthly to discuss county specific and program wide issues. They vary in size and allow peers and family members in the local communities to becoming more involved in the program at the county level. These groups and others form a network of peers and family members that provide input to and support the Steering Committee’s mission to bring about a fundamental change in mental health care practice toward recovery-oriented, person-centered care.