nami mid-valley March April 2014 Board of Directors NAMI Mid-Valley Looks to the Future Marilyn Marker Monica Drost Barbie Gee Sara Williams

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1 nami mid-valley March April 2014 NAMI MID-VALLEY P.O. BOX 1172 CORVALLIS, OR NAMI Mid-Valley Looks to the Future Every organization needs to look to its future and make plans! NAMI Mid- Valley has started that process with two meetings held so far, gathering together its most active members: the Board and support group leaders. Our first meeting looked at what NAMI meant to participants our achievements and strengths. Our key strengths are our education and support programs: Family to Family classes and two Support Groups (family and peer). In the community we are known for a good annual picnic, a bimonthly newsletter and our helpline. Internally we are financially secure. A draft strategic plan is now available; contact Marilyn Marker for a full copy and to discover how you can get involved. It will be discussed and approved at the March Board meeting. The next steps are to establish work plans, find Champions for different areas and continue making a difference in our community! The key areas of focus are education, support, advocacy, awareness, Board development, membership development and activation, financial growth and stability. Plans are only ideas unless there are people to make things happen! Within the organization more active members are needed to continue and grow NAMI s programs and make an impact on mental health in the Mid-Valley. The Board recognizes the need for growth and enhancement and is looking at the possibility of an Advisory Council. The Board encourages the involvement of ANYONE and EVERYONE interested in the future of mental health in the Mid-Valley. We need help with a range of tasks, from sorting the database, creating a phone tree, sending out letters, talking to others in the community, facilitating groups, running trainings and simply giving us your ideas! Pick up the phone, send Marilyn an , come to the Board meeting make NAMI yours! By Hilary Harrison Board of Directors Marilyn Marker President Monica Drost Secretary, Mailings Barbie Gee Treasurer Sara Williams Membership Secretary Maury & Lawanda Embry, Drew Pape Support Group Howard Marchbanks NAMI Connectiions (Peer Support Group) Dianne Farrell Newsletter dianne.farrell@gmail.com Hilary Harrison Education Coordinator Lisa Pattieshaw Tony Siegienski New Family-to-Family Class Begins: March 27 at Grace Lutheran Church Contact Lisa at to inquire or Lauren at: lauren.nami@gmail.com See our website: NAMI Mid-Valley s phone:

2 NAMI MID-VALLEY MEETINGS FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP PEER SUPPORT GROUP (NAMI CONNECTIONS) NAMI BOARD 1st & 3rd Tuesdays 2d & 4th Saturdays 3rd Mondays (new!) Contact: Howard Marchbanks, TIME: 7:00 PM 10:00 AM 5:00 PM PLACE: Good Sam Hospital Good Sam Hospital Grace Lutheran Church (Fireside Room) MARIJUANA & MENTAL ILLNESS: An Educational meeting On April 1, 6:00-7:00 PM at Good Sam Hospital Dr. James Phelps will speak on marijuana and mental illness. We have all heard that marijuana may(?) does(?) influence or even precipitate mental illness. Dr. Phelps has promised us a balanced view. Come and ask your questions, bring your experiences. Ask at Reception for room. Willamette Criminal Justice Council: A Mental Health Court? Acting upon a report from OSU researchers, the Willamette Criminal Justice Council on February 19 took up the question of a mental health court for Benton County. There has been a spike in cases of mentally ill suspects since 2010, with many repeat players. A mental health court was deemed the best way of getting at the problem. The reasons for having a mental health court to deal with lesser offenses by mentally ill persons are familiar to NAMI families: (1) Keeping the mentally ill out of the criminal justice system and avoiding the stigma of a criminal record. (2) Saving anguish for offenders and their families by getting people into treatment who might otherwise not submit to or follow through on treatment. Mental health courts are analogous to drug courts. (Benton County presently has a Drug Court.) The person appears before the judge at regular intervals: How are they doing in appearing at appointments, following treatment instructions? Are they free of drugs and alcohol? What are their challenges? The program continues for long enough to stabilize the person: a year, or as much as two years before graduation. Several members of the WCJC, including District Attorney John Haroldson and Benton County Health Dept. Representative Jeanne Nelson were tasked with investigating particular questions. The mental health court will be discussed at the next meeting of the WCJC on March 19 at the Law Enforcement Building, 180 NW Fifth Street. The public is welcome. NAMI usually plays some part in mental health courts. Dianne Farrell represented NAMI Mid-Valley at this meeting. NAMI Oregon is poised to help: it currently has an intern collecting information about mental health courts in Oregon. Her report will be out in a month or two. Thirteen of 36 Oregon counties do have mental health courts. Some operate with federal grant funds, but not all. Jefferson County operates without outside resources: They feel that these cases take up so much police and mental health case worker time that operating the court does not increase their expense or work load significantly. Save the date! The NAMI Northwest Walk will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2014 in Portland We are the Mid-Valley Movers and Shakers and Sterling Cronin is our captain. The walk is the biggest mental health event in Oregon. Help us raise funds to keep NAMI programs free for those who need them. Ninety percent of the money comes back to us at the local level. It is our biggest funding source. Sign up online (click here) or at now. We will be carpooling.

3 New Membership Secretary! Sara Williams needs to hand off this job. You would do an online training on the NAMI web site, and Sara would mentor you. That done, the job takes about 2 3 hours/month. It s a very necessary job, but could be done without attending Board meetings. Call Marilyn. YOUR EDITOR SCREWED UP ON COMMITMENT CRITERIA In Oregon, for both inpatient and outpatient commitment, a person must meet the following criteria: A) be a danger to self/others; B) be unable to provide for basic personal needs and is not receiving care necessary for health/safety; or [ read ALL of ] the following: 1) have chronic mental illness; 2) have had two hospitalizations in previous three years; 3) have symptoms/behavior substantially similar to those that led to the previous hospitalizations, and 4) will continue to physically or mentally deteriorate to either standard (A) or (B) if untreated. (You knew that, right?) Act Now To Prevent Restrictions on Psychiatric Medications in Medicare Take Action! (click here) The Federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule to restrict access to antidepressant and anti-psychotic medications in the Medicare Part D program. Historically, Medicare Part D Plans have been required to include on their preferred drug lists substantially all psychiatric medications. The proposed rule would restrict the availability of anti-depressant medications in 2015 and restrict the availability of anti-psychotic medications in NAMI has long supported preserving open access to all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications in the Medicare Part D program. Restricting access to psychiatric medications can be extremely harmful for individuals living with serious mental illness, including increased hospitalizations and other negative consequences. National attention is focused on improving mental health care: a rule restricting access to psychiatric medications does not make sense. Final comments on the proposed rule are due to CMS by March 7, NAMI will circulate sample comments prior to that date. Click on the Take Action link above to send a letter to your U.S. Representative and Senators and ask them to communicate with CMS that they oppose implementation of this proposed rule. Thank you for your advocacy! THANK YOUS Polaris Psychiatric Associates Bob & Sara Rothschild

4 NAMI MID-VALLEY P.O. BOX 1172 CORVALLIS, OR RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED March April 2014 HELPFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS ABHA (Accountable Behavior Health Alliance) Linn-Benton Housing Authority Benton County Mental Health, Alcohol Linn County Mental Health & Drug Treatment NAMI Mid-Valley (new!) Crisis Lines: Benton County NAMI Oregon, Portland Linn County NAMI Helpline-National Pastoral Counseling Center SS Admin. Office (Albany) Community Outreach Crisis Line DBSA Disability Services Corvallis Office (Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance) Oregon Family Support Network David Romprey Oregon Warmline: M 3-8, T 5-10, W 9-2, Th 1-6, F 12-5, Sa 5-10, Su 5-10 National Crisis Lines: SUICIDE ( ); TALK ( ) Online: NAMI Mid-Valley is a local, volunteer, non-profit organization of families, friends and people with mental illness. Membership includes membership in NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), in NAMI Oregon, NAMI Mid-Valley and the newsletter. Send to NAMI Mid-Valley, P.O. Box 1172, Corvallis, OR Family --$35/yr. Open Door --$3 Donation Name: Phone: Address: Apt. no. City: State: Zip: If you still get a paper copy of this newsletter, would you be willing to receive it electronically? If so, please Monica Drost at: alpacabling@gmail.com

5 Sterling Cronin has arranged a fundraiser for Nami Mid-Valley at Pappa s Pizza. Meet us at 6:00 PM if you can, but the flyer is good anytime on March 3.