2nd Day at NAMI National Convention

The National NAMI Convention in Washington D.C. is off to a great start!  Today's schedule was relatively light by comparison to the next three days which will keep us hopping from workshops to legislative visits to plenary sessions morning til night. 

The NAMI Leadership Institute--attended by Executive Director Chris Michaels--comprised the first half of today.  This afternoon, Chris and Associate Director Debbie Ference are attending the Parents and Teachers as Allies Roundtable Workshop.  Later this afternoon, Development and Marketing Manager Darcey Garda will join Chris and Debbie for the Open Mic with the National NAMI Board of Directors.  At this session, we have the opportunity to talk about our mission and common goals with the National Board and discuss how we can achieve our objectives.

After dinner in Dupont Circle, we'll prepare for our legislative visits tomorrow with an hour and a half Legislative Briefing beginning at 8 p.m.  We are already looking forward to our trip to Capitol Hill!

First Day at NAMI National Convention

We made it to Washington, D.C. and are settled in at the NAMI National Convention Recovery and Reform: The Road From Here.

This evening, Executive Director Chris Michaels attended the Executive Director's Group Council Meeting.  She represented NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania to NAMI leadership across the country.  She had the chance to share with them some of the exciting initiatives, as well as concerning issues, we are facing in our region, such as:

--A special project our Board's Working Group is implementing that involves the life disparity issue of people with serious mental illness dying 25 years sooner than the rest of the population 

--Healthcare reform and what it means to our managed care Medicaid program

--Our leadership in Mental Health Advance Directives in Southwestern Pa.

--Keeping a close eye on the state budget process and being prepared to take action as we did last year

--The potential development of a wellness program integrating physical and mental health

We will be here all week representing our region and bringing home new information that we gather from across the country.

Heading to the NAMI National Convention

It seems like just yesterday that we attended (and presented a workshop at) the NAMI National Convention in San Francisco.  Now, the three of us are on our way to the 2010 Convention in Washington, D.C. 

Associate Director Debbie Ference, Manager of Development and Marketing Darcey Garda and Executive Director Chris Michaels will be attending the NAMI National Convention Recovery and Reform: The Road From Here in D.C. all this week.

Our week is packed solid with advocacy-focused meetings, workshops and plenary sessions, not to mention reconnecting with our NAMI peers and colleagues from across the country. On Thursday, we will make our way to Capitol Hill  to visit congressional representatives and let our collective voice at NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania be heard. 

Stay tuned this week as we make our way to the Capitol. 

"There's No Place Like Home" Rally

NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania will join the Consumer Health Coalition at noon today for its State Budget Rally.

There's No Place Like Home

State Budget Rally

Friday, June 25

12 p.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Roberto Clemente Memorial Park

Join the rally today to preserve funding for home- and community-based services.  Our Executive Director Chris Michaels will join others who will speak on having the:

• Wisdom to know this saves money.
• Heart to honor a person's desire to be at home.
• Courage to put people first.

For more information on mental health advocacy efforts, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website. 

Ready, Set, Walk!

Last night, the NAMI Walk Committee convened for the first time to start planning the 4th Annual NAMI Walk scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 3 at the SouthSide Works and Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

There was no shortage of excitement as the committee discussed ideas to make the walk even more fun and successful this fall.

We announced our dedicated Chairpersons who have enthusiastically agreed to support the walk in its 4th season.

Michelle Wright
Honorary Chair
News Anchor, WTAE-TV














John Lovelace
Business Team Chair
President, UPMC For You

Jim Ehrman
Family Team Chair
Partner, Margolis Edelstein

For more information on the NAMI Walk, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

NAMI's Dick Jevon Announced Winner of Craig Award

We are thrilled to announce that The Staunton Farm Foundation has chosen our dedicated Volunteer Advocate Dick Jevon as the 2010 recipient of the Albert B. Craig, Jr. Award for Innovation in Behavioral Health. Staunton Farm President James E. Knight announced Dick as the winner at a dinner ceremony on Friday. 

“Dick Jevon has been a tireless advocate for people with mental illness for over 20 years. His dedication and tenacity has influenced policy and opened doors for many consumers and their families. He embodies the type of individual that Dr. Craig would have admired and the Foundation is pleased to honor him with this award”, said Knight.

Dick first became active in 1987 as a volunteer for ADMIT (Advocates for the Mentally Ill in Transition), the predecessor to NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania. Currently a Board Member, Dick volunteers at NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania over 125 hours per month, representing the consumer voice educating the public about behavioral health.

Dick also serves on the Allegheny County MH/MR Board, a group whose recommendations were incorporated into what is known as the County’s Behavioral Health Plan. And he serves on the Board of Directors for Allegheny HealthChoices. He was a former Board Member for the Consumer Health Coalition and previously co-chaired the Southwest Behavioral Health Stakeholder Advisory Committee, a 10-county regional committee that highlights service problems and offers solutions to the State Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Prior to his involvement with NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania, Dick worked as an executive at Alcoa, where he retired after 33 years.

"Dick Jevon is an activist who has personally brought about changes in the community mental health system through unrelenting, persistent advocacy," said our Executive Director Chris Michaels. "Dick offers distraught family members great emotional support and comfort through education about mental illness and the service system, and he exudes empathy and understanding through his own shared experiences."

"We were honored to nominate Dick for the Albert B. Craig Jr. Award and thrilled that he is being recognized as a pioneer in mental health advocacy. His kindness, tenacity and generosity of spirit are unparalleled."

The Staunton Farm Foundation’s award is named in honor of Albert B. Craig, Jr., MD of Rochester, NY. Dr. Craig, who died in 2007, served as the chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Staunton Farm Foundation and was a Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Rochester Medical School. The award is made annually and includes a $5,000 cash prize. The person or agency nominated need not live in this region, but their innovation must have impacted people in southwestern Pa.

On Father's Day: Do New Dads Get Depressed?

As Father's Day nears, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests that amid the excitement of a new child's birth, some new fathers may be equally at-risk for what is usually called postpartum depression (PPD) in mothers. The study has challenged traditional understanding of PPD and sparked an interesting public dialogue. The greatest impact of the study may be underscoring the need for more PPD research in both men and women.

According to NPR, the JAMA study reveals that as many 10 percent of men whose partners are pregnant experience an onset of depression anywhere from three months prior to the baby's birth up to the child's first birthday. The incidence of depression in new fathers is twice the typical rate of depression in men and also corresponds with the rate of postpartum depression in women.

PPD traditionally has been defined as a temporary mood disturbance in women following childbirth. Symptoms may include experiencing insomnia, uncontrollable bouts of crying and thoughts of harming oneself or the child.

While previous studies have suggested that hormonal changes in women directly related to pregnancy and childbirth are a key factor in postpartum depression, some researchers point out that men also experience hormonal changes associated with stress, sleep deprivation and anxiety related to the birth of a new child.

Untreated depression in either parent can have a serious impact on the health and well-being of a family unit, resulting in strained or broken relationships and increased risk for substance abuse and even suicide.

Visit www.nami.org/depression to learn more about symptoms, medications and treatment.  For more information on mental illness, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website. 

Call to Action: Support HB 1190

We have just been alerted that House Bill (HB) 1190, introduced by Rep. Dan Frankel, will be considered by the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee on Monday, June 21.

NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania has been consistent in its support of this legislation, and we remain grateful to Rep. Frankel in his efforts to safeguard any proceeds from the sale of Mayview and all similar state-operated facilities.
 
YOUR CALL TO ACTION
--Send an email to Rep. Frank Oliver, majority chair of the HHS Committee, urging support for HB 1190. Multiply your efforts by copying and pasting your email to all HHS Committee members.

--Contact your respective member of the state House of Representatives and ask for their support when the bill comes before the full House. 

TALKING POINTS
--Urge support of HB 1190!

--Identify if you are a person in recovery, a family member, community provider, etc.

--Insist that funds resulting from the sale or lease of any state-operated MH/MR facility be placed in a special community services trust fund.

--Remind them that recovery from mental illness can be a reality for the 2.2 million Pennsylvanians living with a mental illness or behavioral health problem, but ONLY IF people can access effective treatment and supports in our communities.

--Tell them that HB 1190 offers the potential to have a positive effect throughout the entire state.

For more information on this legislation or assistance on contacting your state rep., please contact Sharon Miller at (412) 366-3788 ext. 25 or email smiller@namiswpa.org.

Advocacy Tool Kit

By popular demand, we have made the Advocacy Tool Kit available on our website.  The Tool Kit was created for and distributed at our 10th Annual Conference The Power To Ignite Change: A Personal Call To Action.

According to Sharon Miller, our Director of Education and Community Relations, the purpose of the Tool Kit is to "assist each of us in our advocacy efforts by providing tips and strategies to increase our confidence and effectiveness in having our voices truly heard." 

Click here to access and download the Advocacy Tool Kit. 

For more information about NAMI and our advocacy efforts, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

New Research Findings on Anxiety Disorders

A recent study conducted by the RAND Corporation,  a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis, concluded that people with multiple anxiety disorders carry a greater burden of disability than those with a single anxiety disorder.  Key findings included:

■ As the number of disorders increased, functioning levels (including ability to perform usual activities or to participate in work, social and family activities) tended to deteriorate.

■ Patients with multiple anxiety disorders had a much higher rate of depression than did those with only one anxiety disorder: 88 percent compared with 56 percent, respectively.

■ The combination of social anxiety and panic disorder appeared to be particularly debilitating. Patients with both conditions had the lowest rating of their overall health-related quality of life.

Click here to read the Fact Sheet on this study titled The Effects of Multiple Anxiety Disorders on Patient Functioning and Well-Being. For more information on mental illness, including resources for individuals and families, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.

NAMI Goes To "Capitol Day"

NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania took to the road to represent the voice of people in recovery and family members affected by mental illness at the Pennsylvania Community Provider Association's (PCPA) Capitol Day in Harrisburg today.

Our Executive Director Chris Michaels and Director of Education and Community Relations Sharon Miller are attending Capitol Day to rally and make legislative visits throughout the day. The goal is to educate members of the general assembly about the need to adequately fund essential mental health, substance use and intellectual disabilities treatments and supports in communities throughout Pa. 

Those in the mental health community can rest assured that their voices WILL be vocalized by NAMI today in Harrisburg.

Mark Your Calendar: NAMI Walk 2010

June is an exciting month at NAMI.  Now is when we switch gears and start planning our biggest awareness raising event of the year, the NAMI Walk. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for the:

4th Annual NAMI Walk

Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010

9 a.m.

SouthSide Works & Three Rivers Heritage Trail

This 5K event brings together thousands of people who walk for awareness of mental illness and celebrate the reality of recovery. 

For more information on the NAMI Walk or information about mental illness, visit the NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania website.