A publication of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health   July 2017

JULY IS MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH MONTH! July is designated as   National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month   by the U.S. House of Representatives resulted after years of advocacy by Bebe Moore Campbell   and her friend Linda Wharton-Boyd. The goals of the Month are to Improve access by communities of color to mental health services; Raise public awareness of minority mental health; and Recognize Bebe Moore Campbell's work in the area of minority mental health. READ MORE

NEW RLC OPENS IN CAMBRIDGE Bay Cove Human Services has partnering with Boston Medical Center to open a new Recovery Learning Community (RLC) in Harvard Square, Cambridge. The new program called Peer Support Network (PSN) opened on July 5, and welcomes all interested individuals during program hours of operation. Please call Sarah Selkovits with any questions regarding the program at (617) 788-1034.    LEARN MORE

Located at: The Democracy Center 45 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA Hours: every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.

MEET THE DMH OFFICE OF MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS The DMH Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMCA) is committed to culturally and linguistically competent care for DMH clients and their families.  OMCA collaborates with colleagues within DMH and with community-based organizations to outreach to diverse communities.  OMCA also coordinates interpreter and translation services for DMH clients with limited English proficiency. OMCA is staffed by:

Tina Sang  Program Coordinator

Dianelys Nuñez Program Coordinator

Please contact OMCA with questions about interpreter services, multicultural mental health, or to collaborate on community outreach projects. OMCA can be reached at  omca@massmail.state.ma.us or 617-626-8134.

WELCOME DMH 2017 SUMMER INTERNS By Kasey Cook, Summer Intern This summer 26 undergraduate and graduate interns join the Department of Mental Health. The internships aim to recruit young talent as well as provide opportunity for students in a variety of disciplines. These disciplines include, but are not limited to, inpatient care, clinical and professional services, legal services, licensing, data analysis, web programming, forensics, and communications. READ MORE

Commissioner Mikula hosts a meet and greet for the summer interns working at Central Office

THE DOUBLE LIFE: STRUGGLING AS A FIRST GENERATION AMERICAN By Ridha Abidshah   Have you ever felt like you couldn't be yourself? Always trying to please others around you but never pleasing yourself. This was the harsh truth of my life.    Being brought up by immigrant parents in the United State had a significant impact on me and my well-being. My parents were amazing in the sense of giving me whatever I wanted; but when it came time for me to develop as my own person it was not the case. I was taught to be perfect and that there was no room for mistakes. I was always told what to do and how to do it. Because of their beliefs, I instilled within myself that I could not disappoint my parents, no matter what.   READ MORE

COMMEMORATING 27 YEARS OF THE A.D.A.  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) celebrates its 27th anniversary on July 26! The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation and all public and private places that are open to the general public. In 2009, the ADA was amended and the definition of “disability” was expanded to include matters of physical as well as mental health. Massachusetts will be celebrating the anniversary of the ADA with events across the state. To view and learn more about the specific events being hosted in Massachusetts in honor of the anniversary of the ADA, check out our calendar of events If you are interested in other events in Massachusetts surrounding the topic of mental health, view our Active Calendar.

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DMH EVENTS CALENDAR

Our new "Active Calendar" is now the one stop location for upcoming events planned around the state.  TIP - click the search tab to search for events by by area, category or keyword

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PHOTO OF THE MONTH Colorful Chinese dragons entertain participants at the closing of the 8th Annual Asian American Mental Health Forum. Photo by: Leah C-S Photography View DMH photos on Flickr

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS OR QUESTIONS CONTACT Michelle Cormier,- Communications Coordinator michelle.a.cormier@massmail.state.ma.us To view past issues of DMH Connections visit our  Archive page

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