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IMPORTANT NEWS FOR THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY
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EMERGENCY SERVICES WILL NO LONGER BE HANDLED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH. DUE TO PRIVATIZING OF SERVICES, BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER THROUGH ITS SUB-CONTRACTOR, BAY COVE HUMAN SERVICES, WILL HANDLE ALL EMERGENCY SERVICES
It Takes A Community
When developing our Cape-specific Community Crisis Intervention Team training with the CCIT team from Taunton, the trainers who have been involved with Cape police training since its inception, we made a commitment to fully embrace the "extra C, the Community C" as we feel that the community effort and support is necessary for the police to do the front-line social service work that they are faced with in our communities as the number of mental health crisis calls continually grows in each town.
The change from Department of Mental Health services to those of a private provider Bay Cove Human Services/Boston Medical Center as the responder to crisis calls will go into effect on May 16th . As a part of our commitment to the police departments on the Cape, we arranged four informational meetings, Outer, Lower, Mid, and Upper Cape with Bay Cove personnel and the police departments enabling Bay Cove to explain their services and the police attendees to ask questions.
The theory behind the Bay Cove model is to eliminate, where possible, trips to the CC Hospital Emergency Department, which are time consuming and very often frustrating for both police departments and families. Bay Cove, with main offices in Hyannis, is hiring on call clinical workers based throughout the Cape with the standard of a "within one hour" response to any crisis call whether from the police or from a family or friend. The Bay Cove worker will go to the site, do an evaluation on the site and will confer with BMC. The situation can usually be handed off to Bay Cove thus freeing up the police officer. Bay Cove personnel are also able to do Section 12s through consultation with a Boston Medical Center psychiatrist. They will initiate a bed search when deemed necessary.
In addition to orchestrating these meetings with the police departments, we have also worked with Bay Cove and Boston Medical Center to share our knowledge of the challenges in providing services to such a large, diverse, and seasonal entity as the Cape. There are many challenges to be faced, but the personnel from Bay Cove and Boston Medical Center are working hard to figure out how to best meet these challenges and are very open to communication. This will not be easy, and we will continue to offer help and bring parties together, as well as provide information, as we move forward. We are cautiously optimistic. It does take a Community!
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May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. NAMI produced a TV production on C3TV that explains the focus of NAMI CCI and what exciting new programs we have launched in 2017 and what are in the works.
You should be able to watch it on cable channel 99 out of the Dennis C3TV production house. We would like to know what you think so when it airs, please send us your comments. If our reception is favorable, we may well produce quarterly shows about timely topics concerning mental illness. Thank you.
Stay tuned for more details.
Also, look for NAMI displays at all of the Cape libraries.
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For Mental Health Awareness Month, join the
Walk to Fight Suicide
Saturday, May 13, Eldredge Park, Orleans
Walk begins at 10:00 am, Ends at 12:30 pm
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From the desk of Jackie Lane, Executive Director NAMI CC&I
We are pleased to announce that NAMI CC&I has been awarded a $90,000 three-year grant by The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation to bring the internationally known evidence-based program Think:Kids (Collaborative Problem Solving) to all Cape Cod public school personnel.
This program, originating with Dr. Ross Greene and his book,
The Explosive Child, will be presented by Dr. Stuart Ablon of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University. Dr. Ablon, one of the leading academic speakers in the country, has done two "open to the public" six-hour presentations in the past year funded by us and received rave reviews from the audience of educators, parents, and social service workers. We were continually asked: What next? How can we implement this way of thinking and acting in our school?
Working with Dr. Gina Hurley, Director of Student Services at the Barnstable Public Schools, we planned an all-staff in-service training for the six-hour introductory presentation by Dr. Albon. This presentation will be followed by training sessions for selected 'mentors' who will be instituting the program in the schools. We are also planning to incorporate a parent piece into the programming. Based on the enthusiastic response to this effort, we decided to seek major funding to introduce the program Cape wide.
We have contacted the special education personnel in the other Cape school systems and have received extremely positive feedback. We are offering the schools a program that would otherwise be outside of most systems' training budgets. We will be scheduling programming and working with our Cape school
s for the next three years as we fulfill the terms of this significant grant.
As we here at NAMI CC&I made our plans for the immediate future, we determined that in addition to our regular NAMI classes and support groups, we needed to reach out into our large and diverse community in order to have maximum impact in our effort to promote mental
wellness for all. This effort to reach all our educators, along with our continuing CCIT training programs reaching out to the local police departments, will hopefully directly or indirectly impact the lives of many Cape Codders in a positive way.
The
Annual Meeting was held at 4 pm at the Cape Codder in Hyannis on April 20, 2017 with 40 people in attendance. Reports were presented (
Read the Executive Director's Annual Report) and staff members spoke of their activities and projects for the past year.
A discussion of public programming, its content and frequency was discussed at length. We all recognize the need for programs and speakers, and we will work to come up with a plan. We will be using Survey Monkey to get input from our members and other clients on what types of programs they would attend as well as what times worked best for them.
The BOD will also be undergoing a refresher in BOD governance led by board member and newly elected Vice President Mary LeClair. The strategic plan is scheduled for an update and focus groups of community members as well as directors are being formed.
The Nominating Committee presented the following slate which passed:
Board Members for re-election:
Mary LeClair 3-year term
Kevin Dale, Esq. (Nantucket) 3-year term
Dr. Daria Hanson 3-year term
S.Elizabeth Rabideau 3-year term
Craig Rockwood, Esq. 3-year term
New Directors:
Cecilia Brennan (Martha's Vineyard) 2-year term (replacing Susan Mercier)
Scotti Finnegan (Lower Cape) 3-year term
Following the business meeting, Tasha Ferguson, Clinical Director of the Emergency Services Program at Boston Medical Center, along with Dan Tarlin and Deb Jones from Bay Cove Human Services presented a program explaining the new system being instituted on May 16, 2017 replacing the role of DMH in the crisis response role in the Cape Cod community. Much input was given by members familiar with the issues that have existed in the past and many questions were answered.
As required by the current by-laws, the Board of Directors, elected officers for the year. The following were elected and have agreed to serve:
Co/Presidents - Craig Rookwood, Esq. and S. Elizabeth Rabideau
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Co-Presidents |
Vice president - Mary LeClair
Beverly Arnett - Secretary
Bruce Williams - Treasurer
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From the desk of Mary Zdanowicz, Esq.
NAMI Cape Cod & The Islands held the first Advocacy Network meeting in April for families of individuals with serious mental illnesses.
The purpose of organizing families is to raise awareness of the need for high quality mental health treatment and services on the Cape and Islands, as well as the challenges that families face everyday. We discussed what it means to network and advocate and the importance of building a collective voice. There are two key areas of advocacy.
Personal advocacy involves the day-to-day struggle to ensure that our relatives receive the care, treatment and support that they need for their health and security. Many of us have been navigating the mental health system for years and have learned strategies for overcoming some of the many obstacles to treatment. Through our family network, we will share collective knowledge about dealing with issues, such as HIPAA, Section 12, emergency room evaluations, guardianship, and the criminal justice system.
Public advocacy is required to ensure that the family perspective is represented in policy and oversight of the mental health system. This will be critical as the mental health system undergoes changes over the next couple of years. Important strategies include: family representation on advisory and oversight committees; monitoring policy and legislation; and informing legislators, policy makers and the public.
Upcoming issues of concern to families and individuals with serious mental illnesses:
- o Ensuring that the FY2018 budget includes funding for the remaining 45 beds at Taunton Psychiatric Hospital.
- o Monitoring the privatization of DMH emergency services programs on the Cape & Islands.
In Surviving Schizophrenia, Dr. E. Fuller Torrey described the history and importance of family advocacy.
"Effective public leadership for individuals with schizophrenia and other serious mental illness had to await the birth of NAMI. The roots of NAMI go back to 1976, when Dr. Richard Lamb, then working in San Mateo County, California, assisted some local families in organizing advocacy efforts to improve county services for their family members with schizophrenia."
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"You Are Not Alone"
Mental Health Primer
is Coming...
NAMI CC&I is producing a concise, user-friendly, free 60-page booklet containing 10 chapters on the most common issues facing families, friends and caregivers who are dealing with a loved one with a mental illness including: what to do in a crisis, how to deal with the police, what happens when you go to the hospital, myths of mental illness, medication and treatment options, how to apply for DMH services, how to navigate the legal system and much more. It will also have an up-to-date Resource List of inpatient and outpatient resources on Cape Cod. The lack of this kind of written information was seen as a crucial missing piece by many mental healthcare professionals as well as members of our classes and support groups. The goal of the Primer is to help allay fears, foster understanding and provide concrete information and education to those who need it so that they will be better able to deal with and help their loved one.
We are grateful to grants from Cape Cod Healthcare, The Edward Bangs Kelley & Elza Kelley Foundation and The Cape Cod Five Charitable Foundation to cover printing costs.
We expect to have the Primer available in June 2017,
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Monthly Book Review
Unbroken Brain
by Maia Szalavitz
In the last two months of 2016 drug addiction took the lives of two former patients of mine and one of my nurses. It was a painful realization about how far we are from dealing with this enormous tragedy. In learning more about addiction I read this fascinating book that really points in a new direction for treatment and prevention of this crisis.
Maia Szalavitz bases her book on both her own personal experience with addiction and the growing scientific research describing the changes in brain function due to chronic drug use. In each chapter she describes her own path to addiction and then recovery. She then systematically presents an understanding of addiction as a learning disorder. Essentially the brain over-learns a behavior and becomes "rewired" to compulsively seek drugs that are self-destructive. The subtitle of her book is "A Revolutionary Way of Understanding Addiction." And revolutionary it is! For a long time we have approached addiction as a moral issue that must be dealt with by punishment and criminalization. That approach has not worked. An understanding of the science of both learning and addiction will lead to better treatment and prevention strategies.
Neuroscience research has described the changes that occur in the brain's reward circuit after repeated exposure to addictive drugs. Addictive drugs lead to the abnormally high release of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine in turn leads to over-learning addictive behavior and increasing craving for a drug. Cravings become triggered by more and more cues related to the physical, emotional, and social environment related to an individual's drug use. At the same time that cravings become irresistible, the frontal area of the brain, which helps control our behavior, becomes less effective and the result is compulsive self-destructive behavior.
This book then describes the implications for both treatment and prevention. In regard to treatment Szalavitz devotes an entire chapter to the area of harm reduction. With so many people dying from addiction we have to look to ways that will reduce the harm addiction causes. Then in a chapter titled "Teaching Recovery" she examines how one can relearn and "rewire" to recovery. Such learning requires things such as respect, autonomy, and support. Szalavitz also stresses that every brain is different so the approach to recovery cannot be a "one size fits all."
The implications for prevention are also important. Why do some people become addicted and others do not? I think for many the brain finds that the drug solves a crucial underlying problem or issue. The author describes how her drug use made her feel accepted and reduced many anxieties and feelings of depression. So called self-medication may play a key role in the course of many addictions. Other factors include genetic factors, insurmountable stress, and serious childhood trauma.
One prevention program briefly touched upon in the book but more recently described in greater detail by the author is the Preventure program developed in Canada. This program identifies middle school students that exhibit four traits that put them at risk for drug use. These four traits are sensation-seeking, impulsiveness, anxiety, and hopelessness (depression). Those students then receive training in techniques to address these risks. Studies of this program from several countries attest to its success in diminishing drug use, most notably alcohol.
I really recommend this book to anyone touched by the tragedy of drug addiction. After reading it I could not help but think that the drug addiction crisis is but a symptom of our failed mental health system. We both fail to identify and address needs before they lead to addiction and then fail those trapped by addiction.
Written by Dr. George Vitek, retired pediatrician who practiced for 28 years in Wilbraham, MA. Educated at MIT and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Trained in pediatrics at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester. Married father of four and grandfather of 8 and 1/2.
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Ruth Blount
NAMI on Nantucket Program Coordinator |
Just as spring brings new life, April brought a renewed surge of plans and hope to NAMI on Nantucket!
Here's a glimpse:
April 1 & 2 - FIVE Nantucket Family to Family participants joined others in Hyannis for teacher-training. Congratulations to Suzanne Fronzuto, Maria Partida, Gracie Partida, Ana Patricia Hull, and Jaime Saravia for their dedication and willingness to serve our island families. Reports filtered back that this teacher-training class was one of the best ever and that bonding and networking were amazing. We look forward to seeing Family to Family and Basics classes expanding in 2017 in both the English and Spanish-speaking communities.
April 6 - Congratulations to the group of eleven Family to Family graduates! We are so thankful that you joined our NAMI family. Thank you again so much, Connie Voges and Sandy Kendall for the dedication you have proven again and again in teaching F2F on Nantucket! Here are some comments from the class:
"Great information and supportive! I love NAMI and I am so happy that now we can enjoy and learn from it in Nantucket. Can't wait to start a "Spanish group".
"NAMI F2F opened up a dialog in our family about the challenges that lie before us. We can face the unknown armed with the knowledge that we will not walk alone".
"Very grateful for this course. It has informed and given relief to our family and hope for the future".
"I recommend NAMI with all my love to the community... have a beautiful program to family to family who are dealing with family and friends with mental illness is a great support program that bring a big information and help us to our challenge, our life, and the people we love. Thanks."
April 10-11 - We welcomed our NAMI CC&I Executive Director, Jackie Lane, who spent a busy two days on the island. She met with Richard Ross, Christina Polachi, Kate Kling, and Ruth Blount to plan the upcoming Dragonfly Emotional Wellness Gathering, a therapist-led, participant-driven group which will provide a safe place for individuals struggling with behavioral health challenges to grow in friendships, social activities, and skill sets. They hope to meet twice/ month starting in June. Jackie also met with Dr. Cozort about THINK KIDS and with Peter Mackay at the hospital about setting up the David Glidden Memorial Travel Fund. A highlight was an informal potluck supper where Jackie was able to meet many NAMI on Nantucket members, including participants of the most recent class. We are grateful for Jackie's energy and dedication!
April 11 - NAMI Family Support Group - a safe time for family members to share one another's journey, struggles, and joys.
April 14-15 - two-day strategic planning meeting of the Nantucket Behavioral Task Force where new goals and visions were discussed and set. This is an important networking opportunity for NAMI on Nantucket.
April 20 - Sandy and Connie represented NAMI on Nantucket at the NAMI CC&I annual meeting. Connie reports: "
going to the annual meeting helped me put
NAMI on
Nantucket into the larger context of NAMI CC & Islands, and it was great to meet people whose names I've seen on e-mails. Jackie gave a shout-out to Nantucket, especially for the venture into Spanish F2F & Basics classes. There was a presentation by Boston Medical Center / Bay Cove personnel, who are taking over the emergency services beginning in May".
 April 21- Sandy and Connie recorded a personal take on NAMI on Nantucket for the radio broadcast ACK SOBER by Janina Keane and ASAP. Mental health and substance use are closely intermingled, so we look forward to our two organizations collaborating for a common goal.
April 23 - Heartfelt thanks to the Nantucket Island Resorts and the chefs and crew of the Brant Point Grill for the beautiful charity luncheon that benefitted NAMI on Nantucket and the Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs!
Donations of $4,610 (to be matched by NAMI CC&I) were generously designated for NAMI as seed money for the David Glidden Memorial Travel Fund, which will be available to help individuals and families with travel and related expenses when a loved one requires behavioral health treatment off-island.
 It is both an indication of the generosity of this caring community and a tribute to the loving memory of David, that such a generous amount of money was raised. Thank you, thank you, thank you! The fund will be available soon.
That's all for April, and we look forward to see what May brings NAMI on Nantucket!
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Knitting for NAMI CC&I
to benefit the homeless served by the
Housing Assistance Corp (HAC) Hyannis
NAMI CC&I collaborated with
A Great Yarn of Chatham to knit blankets for the homeless and the newly rehomed.
Thank you to all of our NAMI knitters:
Ellen Chapman, Stacia Connors, Barbara Gold, Arlene Hoxie, Toby Kalman,
Jackie Lane,
Ann O'Hare, Karen Santos, Judie Selleck
Thanks to our knitters, we were able to donate
19 panels plus 2 full blankets
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Families for Depression Awareness
Free Webinar
Wednesday, May 3 3 - 4:15 pm
Registration Required
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"Facebook Live" and other live-streaming platforms have provided an unanticipated medium for people in troubling life circumstances to express an unfiltered display of suicides, homicides, and other disturbing events. More than one teen has used Facebook Live to broadcast their suicide to the emotional devastation of the communities they leave behind. Learn about how these issues affect our teens and how we can help those struggling with depression.
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Learn from teen depression experts Jessica Feinberg, LICSW, and Dana Sarvey, MD:
- how to identify depression in teens
- how depression is diagnosed and treated
- how to get help
- what are effective communication techniques for dealing with teens
- how to address special areas of concern such as self-injury, bullying, suicide, and live-streaming social media.
Can't attend? Don't worry! Register and watch at your convenience. Be sure to include your questions on your registration and we'll ask as many as time permits.
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Walk for NAMI May 13, 2017 in Boston
 This event is a fundraiser for NAMI MA with a percentage of the money raised by our affiliate benefiting our affiliate. Last year we raised money to support peer programs on the Cape and Islands.
Sign up to be on the Cape & Islands Team at:
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Tidbits...
Mark Your Calendars:
Depression & Suicide in Men: Moving Beyond the Stigma
Wednesday, May 10 6:30 pm
Franklin Cook: Director of CommunityOutreach, MassMen.org
Harwich Community Center, 100 Oak Street, Harwich
For more info, contact Sergeant Kevin Marshall kmarshall@police.nantucket-ma.gov
Grandmothers Against Gun Violence
Mass Attorney General Maura Healey will be the guest speaker at the next Cape Cod Grandmothers Against Gun Violence meeting to take place on
Tuesday, May 2 from 3 to 5 pm
at the Cape Cod Synagogue, 145 Winter Street, Hyannis.
The Attorney General has been a strong advocate of enforcing a 1994 assault weapons ban, issuing a directive in 2016 to prevent the sale of so-called "copy-cat" assault firearms.As a result this past January, the Mass chapter of the National Rifle Association - the Gun Owners Action League - filed a civil suit against both Governor Charlie Baker and Attorney General Healey, contending the state's ban on assault weapons is unlawful and should be declared void and unenforceable. Healey maintains her agenda is to be prepared to take the legal action necessary to uphold the rule of law and the rules of the Constitution.
Grandmothers Against Gun Violence (GAG) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded following the Sandy Hook School shootings in Newtown, Conn.It is a member of the Mass Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.It does not oppose responsible gun ownership or the Second Amendment but works to educate and inform the public about gun violence homicides whether resulting from criminal activity, domestic abuse, accidents or suicides.GAG encourages common sense- common ground dialogue between those of opposing views and advocates for legislation that supports gun safety.
Meetings are open to all.You do not have to be a grandmother to attend.
Presented by Attorney Lynn Girton, this
legal workshop is being offered in collaboration with WE CAN, Cape Cod Neighborhood Support Coalition, MA Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren:
May 11, 2017 5-8 pm at the Barnstable Senior Center
825 Falmouth Road, Hyannis, MA
dinner and childcare on site
Registration required: 508-430-8111 or kara@wecancenter.org
This workshop is intended to respond to the legal questions & needs of grandparents raising grandchildren. Please come and have dinner with other grandparets from 5:00-5:30. Then attend the session while your grandchildren are cared for in a separate space.
Quality of Life Expo
The Orleans Citizens Forum presents
Quality of Life Expo
Saturday, May 6, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Admission Free
at the Nauset Regional Middle School Gym
70 Route 28, Orleans
Meet representatives from over 50 non profit organizations including library and educational offerings, musical groups & local theatres, culture & nature organizations as well as organizations providing human services and programs. There will be opportunities to express interest in supporting these organizations, inquire aout volunteering and learn how to access the programs & services they provide. These organizations contribute to the quality of life we all enjoy and appreciate that makes the Lower Cape such a special place to work and live.
New Support Group in Wellfleet
4
th Tuesday of the month
6:00 - 7:30 pm at the Preservation Hall
For more information, call 508-778-4277 or email info@namicapecod.org
As with all NAMI support groups, this is a drop-in--you do not have to register in advance
NAMI membership makes your voice stronger
Effective July 2017, a new membership category as been added: The new dues will be:
Household: $60
Regular Individual: $40
Open Door: $5
Join now and avoid the increase for the year!
Borderline Personality Disorder/Family Connections Course
Family Connections, through the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorders (NEA-BPD),
will be offered in Barnstable starting in May. If you are struggling with how to communicate with a loved one who is highly emotional, this course is for you. The course is 12 weeks and will be on Wednesday evenings. Course is free but registration is required. Please call Kim Lemmon at 508-778-4277 or email info@namicapecod.org
Siobhan Leigh Kinlin Memorial Golf Tournament- September 11, 2017
This event raises the money to support all of our educational programs each year. Please consider helping us prepare for the auction. All you will need to do is ask merchants to donate items or services that will be part of the auction baskets. Donations are tax deductible and support the mission of NAMI Cape & Islands to educate, support and advocate for our citizens coping with the challenges mental health issues have on our families. If you are able to help prepare for the auction, please call the office at 508-778-4277 and we will send you the tax donation forms to give to supporting merchants.
We are delighted to report a Cape & Islands sponsored Family-to-Family teacher training took place on April 1 and 2. We certified 17 new teachers from all areas of the Cape as well as Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
T
entative classes at this point are:
Barnstable and
Bourne
this Summer
Mashpee and Wellfleet in the Fall, Ptown in the late Fall
Nantucket & Martha's Vineyard TBD.
If you are interested in taking the course, call the office or email:
klemmon@namicapecod.org 508-778-4277 or
namionnantucket@gmail.com 508-221-6202
NAMI National Convention, Washington D.C. June 25- July 1
Lawyer For A Day--Free Legal Advice
Held daily at the Barnstable Probate Court. It is advisable to arrive promptly when it opens at 9:00 am as it is first come, first served and fills up quickly.
I
nclusions in the Newsletter
We have recently been asked for last minute inclusions of events in our newsletter. We have instituted a new policy: It is at the discretion of the Executive Director to determine whether content being submitted for distribution to the membership is aligned with our mission. If the content is determined to be appropriate, it may be included in the monthly e-newsletter if it is submitted prior to the first of the month.
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Every dollar you give to NAMI CC&I goes to help support, educate and advocate for the residents of Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
AmazonSmile is a simple way to give when you are shopping on Amazon
Amazon donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases.
It's so easy, you can still use your Amazon Prime and you still collect points. All you need to do is: When you are going to make a purchase on Amazon, first enter
in your internet browser. On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization .
Select NAMI Cape Cod Inc.
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