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Streets are sites of hegemony and counter-hegemony, of inclusion and exclusion, of incorporation and expulsion, and of cooperation or conflict. Thus, in the cultural geography of cities, commemorative street names are critical sites of social reproduction. Commemorative street naming is both an historical referent as well as a spatial designation. Recent literature on toponymy calls attention to such practices as important cultural and political arenas for understanding socio-political processes, but often focuses on the politics and sociality of street naming within local, national politics to the exclusion of how local politics intersects with international politics. This article examines the politics of spatial inscription and the social reproduction of ‘place’ or ‘space’ on a street corner in New York City named after Kudirat Abiola, an assassinated woman activist in Nigeria, and the retaliatory renaming by the military regime of a Lagos street hosting the US Embassy after the African American anti-establishment activist Louis Farrakhan. Subsequently, the next democratic government of Nigeria renamed the street, this time after the US ambassador, the African American Walter Carrington. Toponymy, the article concludes, can thus be seen as a form of retortion in international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As one of its strategies to improve care, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) has launched a number of initiatives to increase patient and family member involvement in the delivery of mental health services, including the hiring of peer counselors and the use of parent advocates. The effort to orient mental health services toward a more rehabilitative and recovery model has resulted in a significant change in the clinical culture. The article outlines patient and family member initiatives undertaken by the Corporation and offers some preliminary results that show the strong bond between increased patient and family member involvement and patient safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores the impact of the adoption of the contingency management approach by the Chemical Dependency Treatment Services of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). The utilization of this approach grew out of an alliance between NIDA Clinical Trials Network-affiliated clinicians and researchers and a leadership team at the HHC. Interviews and dialogues with administrators, staff, and patients revealed a shared sense that the use of contingency management had: (1) increased patient motivation for treatment and recovery; (2) facilitated therapeutic progress and goal attainment; (3) improved the attitude and morale of many staff members and administrators; and (4) developed a more collegial and affirming relationship not only between patients and staff, but also among staff members. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]