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March 31, 2019
NAMI NH ENews
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Support NH's Future!
SB292 Public Hearing: Implementation of
10-Year Mental Health Plan
Wed. 4/3, 2 PM
NH SB292, relative to implementation of the new mental health 10-year plan.
SB292 Public Hearing
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2:00 pm
Legislative Office Building, Room 205
33 North State Street, Concord
Please come and share how mental illness has impacted you or your loved one, and why full implementation of the 10-Year Mental Health Plan is critical.
For assistance with testimony, to learn more, or to let us know you plan to attend Wednesday's public hearing, please email
advocacy@NAMINH.org.
To learn more about NAMI NH's 2019 legislative priorities for mental health and suicide prevention in NH, click here or message advocacy@NAMINH.org.
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Thank You for Testifying!
Thank you to the mental health and suicide prevention advocates who made their voices heard in Concord before the NH House Finance Committee on March 18 at the public hearing on the proposed state budget.
Mental health advocates have a united message for legislators:
The 10-Year Mental Health Plan must be 100% funded.
There will be another opportunity to testify when the budget crosses over to the NH Senate - stay tuned for details of a public hearing before the NH Senate Finance Committee.
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Veterans Deserve Mental Health Care
When Veterans transition out of service into civilian life, they can experience many challenges. Especially during the first year of change, we need to give them a bridge to health and mental health care to successfully move into civilian life.
Earlier this month, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced a bipartisan bill, S.785, The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act.
We know this bill will help transitioning service members access better care-care they deserve and need.
This bill is named to celebrate the legacy of NAMI Montana member and retired Navy SEAL Commander John Scott Hannon, who served for 23 years and fought a courageous battle with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and bipolar disorder.
Mental health care is health care. Veterans need access to primary care and mental health care for stability and to improve care coordination. The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act will turn this into a reality.
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Happy Birthday, ACA!
The Affordable Care Act turned 9 on March 22nd.
Thanks to the ACA:
- All health plans must cover mental health services as an "essential health benefit" & cover it at parity with other health care. This ensures people with mental health conditions can get the services they need.
- Insurers must cover pre-existing conditions, so they can't deny or limit your coverage because of a mental health condition.
- You are limited on your out-of-pocket costs for health care each year, protecting you against high costs.
- There are bans on annual and lifetime limits on your health coverage, including for mental health care. That means that your insurer can't drop your coverage when you need more care.
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Today in NH Emergency Departments...
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34 adults and
8 children
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are waiting for psychiatric hospital care.
NAMI NH continues to make the ED boarding crisis a top priority of advocacy efforts on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental illness and suicide.
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Special thanks to Representative Latha MangipudI from Nashua who also attended. Also pictured is conference moderator Dr. M. Keshavan.
To learn more about First Episode Psychosis (FEP), click here.
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Kim LaMontagne Brings NAMI NH In Our Own Voice Presentation to Nova Scotia
NAMI NH volunteer Kim LaMontagne,
In Our Own Voice speaker and teacher of the
Family-to-Family program will set out on a journey to Nova Scotia to bring the message of hope, healing, health and happiness. Kim is a guest speaker at the
Worth Living Mental Health conference in Nova Scotia on May 31, 2019. Kim will present on mental health in the workplace and share her story of navigating a corporate role while living with mental illness. Speakers come from varied backgrounds and have all lived with or have been impacted by mental illness.
The goal of the conference is to provide hope, inspiration and support to attendees by bringing the conversation of mental illness out in the open. No one should feel or think they are alone on this path through the darkness of mental health challenges. We want to foster a safe place for people to feel accepted, understood and respected. The conversation on mental health awareness must continue everyday whether through conferences, blog posts, podcasts, and more events. "If there is one thing, I want people to take away from the Worth Living conference is that even though we experience the darkness at times, we should try to celebrate the special moments in life", says Keith Anderson, LL.B., LL.M., Founder of Worth Living Mental Health.
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Suicide Prevention & Survivors of Suicide Loss
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Suicide Prevention Resources
Veterans Crisis Line - veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online,
or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Support for deaf and hard of hearing individuals is available.
Crisis Text Line - free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor.
Trans Lifeline - call 1-877-565-8860 for a hotline staffed by transgender people for transgender people. Trans Lifeline volunteers are ready to respond to whatever support needs community members might have.
Disaster Distress Helpline - call 1-800-985-5990 for a 24/7 national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster.
The Trevor Project - a national 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth. If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk, call 1-866-488-7386 to connect with a trained counselor.
LGBT National Help Center - call 1-888-843-4564. Open to callers of all ages. Provides peer-counseling, information, and local resources.
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Parents Meeting the Challenge Coming this Spring to:
Manchester |
Claremont |
Milford |
Whitefield |
Tilton
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Veteran & Military Families
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Seacoast Veterans Conference - Saturday, April 13
Join Service Credit Union for a day dedicated to educating veterans on resources to better their health and well-being. Featuring guest speakers former Chief Justice John Broderick and Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc.
Bring your DD214 for VA Health Care Enrollment with VA Benefits Expert
Shred Truck Available During Lunch and until 3 p.m.
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NAMI Homefront
Registration is open for NAMI Homefront, a free class designed to address the unique needs of family, caregivers and friends of those who have served or are currently serving our country.
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Do you struggle with your child's or teen's behavior?
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Please join us at these FREE Parent & Caregiver Groups:
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* To learn strategies on how to deal with challenging behavior.
* To learn what resources are available to help you.
* To meet other families who understand your situation.
* To know that you are not alone in this journey.
To learn more about resources & supports in the Granite State, contact NAMI NH's Info. & Resources Line at info@NAMINH.org or 1-800-242-6264 (ext. 601 for general inquiries, ext. 602 to get info. for individuals 18+, ext. 603 to get info. for children/youth under 18).
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NIMH Update
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) provides a monthly e-newsletter with the latest in mental health-related news, resources and grant opportunities from across federal government.
Highlights in the March 2019 issue included:
-- Researchers funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the NIH, have shown that a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - called neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) - is a potential biomarker for psychosis. NM-MRI signal was found to be a marker of dopamine function in people with schizophrenia and an indicator of the severity of psychotic symptoms in people with this mental illness.
-- NIMH Director Dr. Joshua Gordon discusses the Institute's support of global mental health research and shares his first-hand experiences from his recent visits to Nepal and Kenya to see some of the NIMH-funded research projects.
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This blog post by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins describes recent progress made by neuroscientists in pinpointing a part of the brain that, when stimulated, triggered laughter, smiles, and a sense of calm. Researchers hope the findings may lead to new strategies for treating a range of conditions, including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
Read the full March 2019 update
here
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NAMI NH's Online Groups
NAMI New Hampshire offers four unique online groups - they're places to find peer support, share experiences, offer encouragement, and pass along resources. These closed Facebook groups require an add from admins - click each link below to learn more and request membership. Don't hesitate to contact
info@NAMINH.org with any questions.
This group provides a place for youth whose lives are affected by mental illness to share ideas, concerns, and questions they have about planning their future. (This group is growing - watch for an additional presence on Twitter and Instagram soon!)
A place to find support, information and to meet other family and friends of adult loved ones with mental illness. The group is intended to provide peer support to our members, to share experiences, offer encouragement and support in ways that are kind, helpful and most of all respectful.
A place to find support, information and to meet other parents, primary caregivers and loved ones of children, adolescents and young adults with serious emotional disorders (diagnosed or not). The group is intended to provide peer support to our members, to share experiences, offer encouragement and support in ways that are kind, helpful and most of all respectful.
This group is intended to be a place to find support, information and to meet other veteran and military families in NH. It is intended to provide peer support to our members, to share experiences, offer encouragement and support.
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Youth Resources on Social Media
NAMI NH and the NH Family Network offer social media platforms, including Facebook
,
Twitter
and now
Instagram
, as resources to find information and support for youth affected by mental illness. Each is administrated by youth with oversight from staff to ensure safe messaging. Check them out and help us spread the word to those youth who might benefit from accessing these tools.
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Registration is OPEN for NAMIWalks NH 2019!
On September 30, 2018, NAMIWalks NH shattered records with more than 2,000 participants - let's do it again! We walk again on Sunday, October 6, 2019 at NH's largest mental health and suicide prevention event.
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Introducing the NAMI NH Legacy Circle
Every year, mental illness impacts the lives of at least one in five adults and children in the Granite State.
NAMI New Hampshire is a grassroots organization working to improve the lives of all people affected by mental illness and suicide through support, education, and advocacy.
Many New Hampshire citizens concerned about mental illness have chosen to make provisions in their wills or trusts to support the work of NAMI New Hampshire, becoming charter members of the NAMI New Hampshire Legacy Circle. The Legacy Circle recognizes those who have generously included NAMI New Hampshire in their estate planning, and we invite you to consider joining this thoughtful and generous group!
Ways to Become a Legacy Circle Member:
· Designate NAMI NH as a charitable beneficiary of your will or trust
· Name NAMI NH the beneficiary of all or part of an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
· Speak to NAMI NH about how to make a gift that will pay you income for your lifetime
· Name NAMI NH the beneficiary of a life insurance policy.
For more information, or to let us know you have included NAMI New Hampshire in your estate plans, please contact Kristen
or call 603-225-5359 x350. Sample bequest language is available on our
website
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Save the Date to Celebrate Children's Mental Health Awareness Week: May 1st, 10 AM @ NH State House
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Save the date of Wednesday, May 1, 10:00 am to join children's mental health advocates at the NH State House to celebrate Children's Mental Health Awareness Week!
There will be speakers, awards, and plenty of fun - including photo ops with Fungo, the Fisher Cats mascot.
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NAMI NH Annual Leader & Teacher Retreat
Save the date of April 13th for the Annual Leader and Teacher Retreat.
More information coming soon!
#hopestartswithyou
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The preparation of this newsletter was financed under an agreement with the State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health, with funds provided in part or in whole by the State of New Hampshire and/or the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
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