Affiliate of National Alliance for Mental Illness

April 30, 2013
Take Action Ask Your Representatives to Attend a Briefing for National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week

On Tuesday, May 7, 2013, a legislative briefing will be held in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week.  The briefing will focus on effective services and supports for Youth and Young Adults and the value and importance of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) funded grant programs.

Briefing attendees will hear directly from SAMHSA about their initiatives that achieve positive outcomes and improve young lives in communities across the country. Representatives from programs in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Georgia will also present on the positive outcomes they have achieved in their programs for youth and young adults and the importance of SAMHSA funded grant programs.

Act Now!

We urge you to contact your House and Senate representatives to ask them and their staff to attend this important breakfast briefing in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. It is critical that we get as many Congressional offices to attend as possible to help educate and inform them about the importance of funding mental health programs that improve the lives of children, youth and young adults. As a constituent, your request for them to attend is essential. Here is the vital information:

  • Date and Time:  Tuesday, May 7, 2013, from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
  • Location:  Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-338

All House and Senate offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Please call or email your Congressional Members today!  Thanks for all that you do to improve the lives of children, youth, young adults and their families.

 

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Action Alerts, Advocate for Mental Health

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ACT NOW! Support supportive housing for mentally ill.

April 24, 2013

Access to decent, safe and affordable housing is the cornerstone of recovery. We all know that permanent supportive housing – housing with supportive services – is a successful evidence-based model that promotes recovery, integration and full life in the community. Unfortunately, budget cuts at HUD now before Congress pose a huge threat to federal investments in supportive housing. This includes a proposed $40 million cut in the President’s FY 2014 budget to the HUD Section 811 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PRA) Demonstration program.

Act Now – Urge Congress to Support Funding for Supportive Housing

There are two separate letters now circulating in the House and Senate that will protect and expand critical investments in supportive housing programs targeted to people living with serious mental illness living in restrictive settings such as nursing homes and substandard board and care homes or experiencing chronic homelessness. Advocates are encourage to contact their Senators to urge them to sign on to the following “Dear Colleague” letters in support of funding for housing and homelessness programs that serve people living with serious mental illness.

1)      The letter in support of restoring funding for the HUD Section 811 PRA Demonstration program being circulated by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), and

2)      The letter in support of FY 2014 funding for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act being circulated by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI).

Send a message to your Senators.

All Senate offices can also be reached by calling 1 (202) 224-3121.

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Action Alerts, Advocate for Mental Health

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Act Now! Support Treatment, Not Jail

April 18, 2013
Take Action Act Now! Support Treatment, Not Jail Ask Your Members of Congress to cosponsor important legislation promoting jail diversion today!
 

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Representative Richard Nugent (R-FL) recently introduced H.R.401/S.162, the bipartisan Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act (JMHCA) to renew the successful Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA). The JMHCA extends this important program and helps criminal justice and mental health agencies work collaboratively towards better outcomes. The bill:

  • Extends for five years the authorization for grants for mental health courts and CIT programs;
  • Authorizes investments in veterans treatment courts, which serve arrested veterans who suffer from PTSD, addictions and other mental health conditions;
  • Increases focus on corrections-based rograms;
  • Supports the development of training curricula for police academies.

The JMHCA has attracted a strong bipartisan support in both houses, but more support is needed. Please contact your Member of Congress to urge them to sign on to to cosponsor the JMHCA by clicking here.

Taken from nami.org/advocacy alert

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Action Alerts, Advocate for Mental Health, Events

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NAMI’s Analysis of President Barack Obama’s FY 2014 Budget

April 17, 2013

NAMI’s Analysis of President Barack Obama’s FY 2014 Budget Mental Illness Research

Overall, the President’s budget seeks a $471 million increase to the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – restoring more than one-third of the across-the-board sequester out in place last month. However, the proposed $471 million increase is NOT spread evenly or proportionally across the 27 NIH Institutes and Centers. In fact, three Institutes are actually proposed for cuts for FY 2014 – one of which is the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Thus while the National Cancer Institute is proposed for a $63 million increase, the National Institute on Aging is proposed for a $73 million increase, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is proposed for a $96 million and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences is proposed for a $91 million increase, the NIMH is proposed for a $12 million REDUCTION.

This proposed cut for NIMH, on top of the 5% sequester imposed for this year, is extremely troubling and represents a singling out of mental illness as a lower priority at the NIH – an extremely disturbing development given the overall public health burden of disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the high rate of suicide and the enormous scientific opportunities inherent in brain research. Moreover, this proposed cut in the President’s budget follows an announcement at the White House last week for the new BRAIN Initiative to spur the mapping of the most complex human organ. This proposed cut represents a significant retreat from this effort to advance mental illness research and NAMI intends to fight hard to restore these funds.

Mental Health Services

Most programs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) are proposed for a freeze at their current funding level for the FY 2013. This includes the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program (outreach services for homeless individuals with serious mental illness at $65 million) and the Children’s Mental Health Initiative ($117 million). The Mental Health Block Grant program is actually proposed for a $3 million reduction, dropping funding down to $460 million.

The President’s budget includes a number of proposals for initiatives on early intervention, screening and school violence prevention that were previously announced in response to the tragedy in Newtown, CT. This includes $130 million in new funding for Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education). It also includes $40 million in funding for state grants for school-based early intervention,
$15 million for “Mental Health First Aid” (training for teachers, coaches, school counselors and others to identify mental illness and refer students for treatment), $25 million for Healthy Transitions” (services for transition age youth), and $50 million for mental health workforce development (including $10 million for peer professional training).

Supportive Housing

The President’s budget proposes a significant reduction for the HUD Section 811 program for FY 2014. Section 811 is a critical source of funding for permanent supportive housing (PSH) targeted to non-elderly adults with significant disabilities, including serious mental illness. Specifically, the budget proposes a more than $40 million reduction, dropping funding down to $126 million. This includes $110 million to renew operating subsidies associated with current Section 811 PSH units. This would leave only $20 million in funding for development of new PSH units under the new HUD Section 811 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PRA) Demonstration program.

The HUD 811 PRA Demonstration program was funded in FY 2012 at $98 million and, under recently announced awards, granted to 13 states which will result in development of 3,530 units of new PSH units. This proposed cut in funding represents a significant retreat from a critical supportive housing initiative that had been embraced by the Obama Administration as a critical step toward furthering community integration as an alternative to housing in restrictive settings such as nursing homes and board and care homes as part of “Olmstead” cases, as well as efforts to end chronic homelessness. NAMI intends to work to restore these funds in FY 2014.

In a positive development, the President’s budget requests $2.38 million for programs under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act – a $352 million increase over current year levels.

Veterans Mental Health Care

For FY 2014, the President requests $54.6 billion for veterans’ medical care, up $1.9 billion over
2013. This request also includes an “advance” appropriation request for FY 2015 of $1.4 billion – funds available to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure more effective long-term planning. The President’s budget also includes a $7 billion request for expanded inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health services, a $469 million increase over current year levels. Finally, the budget requests $1.4 billion (a $41 million increase from FY 2013) to further the VA’s integrated plan to end veteran homelessness, including $250 million for the Homeless Grants and Per Diem program to aid community organizations.

Changes to Social Security Disability Programs

As is being widely reported, the President’s budget proposes a significant change to the current formula for how Social Security benefits (including Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) monthly cash benefits) are adjusted annually to account for inflation. The budget specifically embraces a shift to a “Chained CPI” calculation, which is shorthand for “Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers”, that cumulatively could result in lower monthly cash benefits. Major concerns have been expressed about the potential for this change to impact monthly cash assistance for vulnerable beneficiaries. As a result, the President’s proposal exempts most SSI beneficiaries from this “chained CPI” adjustment. Most SSDI recipients would be subject to the “chained CPI” inflation calculation, but with an upward adjustment benefit in the out years.
April 10, 2013 http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Policy&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=153570&MicrositeID=0

To take action and contact your representatives regarding this budge, visit http://votesmart.org/

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Action Alerts, Advocate for Mental Health, Important Links

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Family to Family Education class

March 1, 2013

Recently NAMI Henderson has tried to have two Family to Family classes for the Henderson, Union and Webster County areas. We had scheduled one for the beginning of January and one for the beginning of March and both have had to be canceled due to lack of interested participants. To conduct a NAMI class it is important to have a minimum of ten (10) participants. We have not been able to get enough to participate in this class and have been forced to cancel both sessions. We hope to have a class in the fall 2013 and hope that anyone that is interested in this great educational experience will contact us to be put on a list of interested participants.

This class is free of charge and is one of NAMI’s signature programs. It has great information for those that have a family member or friend that deals with a mental illness. Information such as what to do when someone is in crisis, how to talk to someone in crisis or while in a dulusional state, why does it take so long for a diagnosis, what causes brain disorders, treatments, medications, emergency information and how to get the best results, what you can do to assist with care, how to talk with the medical staff, caring for yourself during crisis, and a whole lot more. We recommend that everyone take this class. The materials are written by experts, you receive a notebook full of important information, support, meeting others that are dealing with similar situations, and very important contacts. For more information about this program visit http://nami.org our national NAMI web site.

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Signs of suicide

The number one thing that any healthcare professional can do to prevent suicide is to know the warnings signs. All integrated care staff may find the following list of warning signs useful in identifying a person who by be at acute (immediate, severe) risk of taking their own life.

A person at acute risk of suicidal behavior will often show warning signs such as:

  • Threatening to hurt or kill oneself, or talking of wanting to hurt or kill him/herself
  • Looking for ways to kill oneself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means
  • Talking or writing about death, dying or suicide, when these actions are out of the ordinary

A person may also shows addition signs such as:

  • Increased alcohol or drug use
  • No reason for living; no sense of purpose in life
  • Anxiety, agitation, unable to sleep, or sleeping all the time
  • Feeling trapped- like there’s no way out
  • Hopelessness
  • Withdrawal from friends, family, and society
  • Rage, uncontrolled anger, seeking revenge
  • Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities, seemingly without thinking
  • Dramatic mood changes, including sudden elevation in mood

Information taken from http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/about-us/esolutions-newsletter/suicide-prevention-in-primary-care#Quick%20Tips

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Depression, Important Links

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Do you fear your child has a mental illness?

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Are you concerned about your family member or child? If so review this article by the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI located at NAMI.org Does your child have a mental illness?

Written

on December 20, 2012

Sandy Hook Tragedy

December 20, 2012
The Sandy Hook Tragedy

As Americans, we must embrace a sustained effort to ensure solutions to our mental health crisis. This is a horrific tragedy. Along with other Americans, our hearts go out to all the families who have lost loved ones. It’s hard now to think of any good that might come from this situation. However, if there is a silver lining, it could be that it forces us as Americans to face this crisis we have in our country, to confront the stereotypes we embrace, to take steps to learn more about mental illness and what we can do to ensure that people have the care and treatment they need.

Violent tragedies should not have to occur before the country realizes that mental health care must be a priority. We must prioritize the promotion and availability of early intervention, treatment services and supports for individuals and families.  We must intervene earlier and ensure that essential mental health services and treatment are available at the earliest stages. We must demand:

o Ease of access to mental health professionals;
o Earlier and more assessable treatment; and
o Access to effective treatments and strategies.

Family education and support must be available to those in need. Families affected by mental illness need our help. Millions of Americans face the day-to-day reality of caring for a family member living with mental illness. It can be overwhelming.  The reality is that when families get support—from many directions and programs—outcomes in all areas are improved. Families don’t always know where to go to get help or how to cope.  Education and support programs for families affected by mental illness have the power to change lives for the better.

There are not confirmed details at this time to make a judgment about whether a serious mental illness was involved. Other than speculation, there’s no real information about a diagnosis, whether Adam Lanza was known to the mental health system, whether he or his family tried to get help or any other possibilities. We do know that mental illness exists in every state, every city and every neighborhood of the U.S. One in four adults—nearly 60 million Americans—experiences a mental health disorder in a given year. One in 17 lives with serious mental illness, and one in 10 children lives with a serious mental or emotional disorder. Yet fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children with a diagnosed mental disorder receive mental health services in a given year. We know is that it is generally very difficult for people to access early intervention and early treatment services for many reasons:

• There is a general lack of knowledge in the community about mental illness and how to get mental health care.
• The pervasive stigma, or rather social stereotypes, that prevail towards mental illness serve as a deterrent for people to seek help when they need it.
• Families sometimes don’t know to get help for loved ones manifesting symptoms of possible mental illness, or where to go.
• When individuals or families seek help and services, these services are frequently not available.

This situation has grown worse in recent years with budget cuts, narrowing of eligibility criteria for services, limits on what services are available, etc. We do know the U.S. Surgeon General determined over a decade ago that “the overall contribution of mental disorders to the total level of violence in society is exceptionally small.” When violence does occur, it is usually because something has gone terribly wrong in the mental health care system. Either something has fallen short or something hasn’t happened at all. During the recent presidential debates, mental health care was barely mentioned—not for children, not for families and only briefly for veterans. The most prominent mention was only in the context of assault weapons. That’s unacceptable. The President in his remarks Sunday night pledged that he’ll use “ whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have? We can’t accept events like this as routine.” NAMI represents millions of Americans affected by mental illness. We represent parents. We represent families. We get it. We’ve been there. We help other families and individuals. We work with law enforcement, teachers and mental health professionals.

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Free Mental Health 1st Aid Class

RiverValley Behavioral Health will be offering a 2-day Mental Health First Aid certification class for the general public free of charge. This training is being offered to concerned citizens, families, or anyone who is interested in learning more about mental illness and how to seek timely intervention.

Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour course that prepares members of the public to assist those in need. Participants will learn the prevalence of mental illnesses in the US and their emotional and economic cost. They will also learn the potential warning signs and risk factors for depression, anxiety disorders, trauma, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.

Mental Health First Aid is an evidenced based program proven to reduce stigma connected to mental illnesses and can reduce the damaging effects of mental and emotional disorders such as job loss, school dropouts, relationship issues, and drug and alcohol problems.

The 2-day course will be offered at the Cigar Factory Complex, located at 1100 Walnut Street in Owensboro, on Thursday, January 17th and Friday, January 18th from 9-4 pm each day. Lunch will be provided. Participants must attend both sessions to receive certification in Mental Health First Aid. No CEUs will be provided at this particular training.

For more details or to register for the course, contact Julie Jensen at (270) 689-6703 or email juliejensen@rvbh.com. Space is limited so please call to reserve your seat today.

Sincerely,

Lionel R. Phelps II, Psy.D.

VP Research & Development

RiverValley Consulting Services

(270) 689-5340

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Follow NAMI National on Twitter

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NAMI National is on Twitter to follow you can visit them at: https://twitter.com/NAMICommunicate We hope that you will follow them for up to date information and resources.

Written

on December 20, 2012

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