Updates and Status Regarding COVID-19

Dear All,   In response to Governor Hogan’s state of emergency proclamation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and in an effort to minimize its spread to additional people, we at NAMI Maryland are taking several steps to address the situation:   The NAMI Maryland office will be closed to the public from Monday, 3/16/2020, through at least Friday, 3/20/2020. We will re-assess this closure for its possible continuation next week as needed. While NAMI Maryland staff and volunteers will not be physically in our office, we will still be actively working remotely and will still be accessible to conduct business through email and phone calls during regular business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you need resources and/or information, please do not hesitate to send us an email at info@namimd.org or leave us a voicemail at (401) 884-8691. We will respond to your message as soon as possible during regular business hours.

Support Groups and Classes Updates All NAMI Model A Affiliates (NAMI Anne Arundel County, NAMI Howard County, NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore, NAMI Montgomery County, and NAMI Prince George’s County) have suspended their education courses and support groups from Monday, March 16, 2020, through Friday, March 28, 2020. They have communicated their respective decisions to the contacts in their affiliate listservs.   We have directed all NAMI Model B Affiliates that are programs of NAMI Maryland (NAMI Carroll County, NAMI Frederick County, NAMI Harford County, NAMI Kent & Queen Anne’s County, NAMI Lower Shore, and NAMI Southern Maryland), as well as our volunteers and activities that are outside of Model A territories, to suspend all education courses and support groups from Monday, March 16, 2020, through Friday, March 28, 2020. We are investigating other (possibly online) means that can be used to meet the needs of the people they serve in their areas without actually meeting in person. Please stay tuned for updates regarding these options.   If you have questions about the status of NAMI programs in your area, please contact your local NAMI affiliate or reach out to us for more information.

Program Training Updates We are postponing the NAMI Connection Support Group training that was to be held on the weekend of 3/28-29/2020 and are contacting each registered attendee personally to confirm they have received this information. We will continue to reach out to applicants that have not been officially registered yet to screen them and will advise them of the postponement of the training at that time. A new weekend and location for this training will be determined and communicated to you and the registrants as soon as possible. No decision has yet been made about the NAMI Family-to-Family training that is currently scheduled to be held on the weekend of 4/4-5/2020 at this time, but we are carefully watching the situation and will advise you of our decision regarding this training before the end of March.

NAMI Maryland Events The 2020 NAMIWalks Maryland Kick-Off is currently scheduled to be held on April 19, 2020 in Laurel. We will continue to monitor the situation and are hopeful we can still have this event in-person. However, steps are also being taken to adapt the material for an interactive digital event to take place the same day and time. Updates regarding this event will be communicated via email, phone, and social media. At this time, we are still committed to holding the 2020 NAMIWalks Maryland at Canton Waterfront Park in the Inner Harbor on June 7th, and Walk activity will continue to go on. We will continue to watch the situation to determine the best way to proceed as we get closer to that date. Remember that the Walk and related kickoffs and gatherings are simply celebrations of all ongoing community conversations about mental illness and NAMI that our thousands of stakeholders and supporters are participating in up to, and after, the Walk event itself. These occur through many means, including digital communications. As a matter of fact, the vast majority of the funds raised in the Walk are raised by “virtual” means, and the “walkers” are not even at the in-person Walk!   Please continue to engage people online and otherwise to keep this conversation and the momentum of the Walk going, even when your ability to meet with people in person is limited. We hope that we’ll still be able to hold our in-person celebrations and will keep you updated.

Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19 (sources: X X ) Avoid excessive exposure to media coverage of COVID-19. Take care of your body. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Make time to unwind and remind yourself that strong feelings will fade. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. Connect with others. Share your concerns and how you are feeling with friends and family and maintain healthy relationships. Take social media breaks. Practice good stress management. Understand that it is normal to be somewhat concerned by this, but try to not let fear drive your anxiety to an unhealthy level. Extra resources: Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for social distancing, quarantine, and isolation during an infectious disease outbreak. Talking to Children about COVID-19: A Parent Resource

We know that this is very stressful and unusual time for everyone. As we at NAMI Maryland move to a more remote work setting, we are still here to help you in any way we can . If you have any questions regarding this email, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@namimd.org or leave us a voicemail at (401) 884-8691 . We will respond to your message as soon as possible during regular business hours.   Stay healthy and safe!

Kate Farinholt, Executive Director, & NAMI Maryland Staff

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