The STARR News: June 2022 |
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PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people develop after seeing or living through an event that caused or threatened serious harm or death. PTSD may result in sleep problems, irritability, anger, recurrent dreams about the trauma, intense reactions to reminders of the trauma, disturbances in relationships, and isolation. Some people may recover a few months after the event, but for others it may take years. For some, PTSD may begin long after the events occur.
The SAMHSA and NIMH offer a variety of resources designed to help people who suffer from PTSD, as well as aid their families and friends in better understanding and dealing with trauma’s aftermath.
You can find some of the resources here:
Whether you are involved in a PTSD trial or not, it is never a bad idea to review the STARR's Trauma-Informed Care module. This month, be sure to support PTSD Awareness!
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June is
PRIDE Month!
Throughout June, Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall riots in Manhattan in 1969 and rallies support for the LGBTQIA community. Communities across the country hold parades, workshops, celebrations, and marches for LGBTQ civil rights and awareness.
The month is a time for breaking the stigma around LGBTQ people and remembering those who paved the way for the LGBTQA community and who continue to do so. Diversity is important.
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A message from Mallory... |
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Hello STARR Community,
Earlier this month, I had the great pleasure and honor of representing The STARR Coalition at the ASCP Conference. It was so incredible to meet many of you in person after almost a year of Zooms and I truly left refreshed and eager to tackle many new projects.
I want to thank all of you that made time in your schedule to come speak with me or even stopped and said hello. I also want to give a special shout out to Luke Kramer, Dr. Shishuka Malhotra, and Alex Wise for mentioning The STARR Coalition in your Diversity Panels, as well as everyone that offered to have STARR materials set up at their meetings or events. What may seem like a small mention or gesture does so much for our Coalition and we appreciate your advocacy more than we can express!
Erica and I are working hard on following up with everyone I spoke with at ASCP but if any of you met with anyone interested in The STARR Coalition, please let us know or send an introductory email and we'll follow up.
Again, I want to thank all of you for being such fierce advocates for The STARR Coalition as well as being incredible colleagues.
Warmly,
Mallory Mercer
Director of Advocacy Engagement
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Project RockSTARR is a donation program that puts sponsors' advocacy support to work, building relationships between advocacy and research at the local level, and supporting community efforts to help those living with mental illnesses. |
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The RockSTARR program is simple: when a volunteer screens for a study, they are given information about the advocacy organizations and resources within their community. At that moment, the volunteer is given the opportunity to allocate a donation (provided by the Sponsor) to a local advocacy group.
This is a great way to empower volunteers to give back to their community and for the sponsor to support the volunteer beyond their research participation.
Contact us today to discuss how you can incorporate a RockSTARR program into an ongoing or upcoming study!
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Language is recognized as one of the greatest barriers in forging partnerships with individuals and organizations across the industry and advocacy. Not only can terminology and semantics affect the tone of a conversation, but it is a critical component of cultural empathy.
The guidelines aim to raise awareness, guide learning, and support the use of culturally sensitive terms and phrases that center the voices and perspectives of those who are often marginalized or stereotyped. They also explain the origins for problematic terms and phrases and offer suitable alternatives or more contemporary replacements. This document will be flexible and iterative in nature, continuing to evolve as new terminology emerges or current language becomes obsolete.
By embracing inclusive language and encouraging others to do the same, we firmly believe that we will not only communicate effectively with more people, but also better adapt to a diversifying society and globe.
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The STARR Podcast
Series is back!
Check out the latest in the STARR Podcast Series. We've given the podcast a refresh with new host, Mallory Mercer, the STARR's Director of Advocacy Engagement.
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In this episode, we introduce Chris Bullard, who serves as the Executive Director for the Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health. Chris founded the Sound Mind Live Music Festival to help end the stigma around mental illness through the power of music, drawing on his own lived experience. Prior to creating the festival, Chris worked with the NAMI affiliate in NYC to start a music support group for musicians with mental health disorders. Sound Mind Live grew from there. Meet Chris on this month's featured podcast HERE.
For this and all of the STARR Podcasts, you can find the STARR Podcast archive HERE.
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988, the mental health equivalent of 911, is about to launch across the United States.
Beginning July 16, a new 988 number will be available 24/7 for Americans dealing with a mental health crisis. It's akin to 911, long used to get help for medical emergencies.
The new code will replace the 10-digit number currently used to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which was established in 2005. Health officials expect the easy-to-remember 988 to spur a surge in calls.
The trouble is, few jurisdictions are ready for that, according to the new study, by the nonprofit research organization RAND Corp.
"At the service level, the 988 transition is a simple number change," said Ryan McBain, a RAND policy researcher who co-led the study. But on the ground, McBain said, it's a different story.
For one, local crisis centers need enough counselors to handle any influx of calls. Beyond that, some callers will need additional in-person help.
Yet, the study found, many jurisdictions lack such resources. It surveyed 180 state, regional and county health officials, and found that only half said their jurisdiction had short-term "crisis stabilization" services to which callers could be directed.
Even fewer -- 28% -- had urgent care units that could be dispatched to people in urgent need. Meanwhile, only 22% had call centers that could schedule mental health appointments on behalf of people who wanted them.
On top of those shortfalls, most local hotlines did not offer text or online chat options. That's a key gap, McBain said, since teenagers and young adults often prefer those modes of communication.
Overall, McBain said, the findings confirm the concerns of many mental health experts: Jurisdictions have not had the time or resources to prepare for the 988 rollout.
The 988 code was authorized by Congress in 2020, with the intent of giving Americans an easier way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline is a network of almost 200 crisis centers throughout the United States. When people call the national number, they are connected with the center closest to them to speak with a trained counselor and, if needed, get help finding local resources.
"It's when it comes to referral to local services that things will get more complicated," said Trestman, chair of the American Psychiatric Association's Council on Healthcare Systems and Financing.
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The Dana Foundation issued a request for proposals for the future Dana Centers for Neuroscience & Society
The Dana Foundation recently released a request for proposals for planning grants for future Dana Centers for Neuroscience & Society. The deadline for proposals is July 6, 2022.
The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization that funds and coordinates programs about brain science. The foundation’s leadership is working to determine priority areas at the intersection of neuroscience and ethical, legal, and societal factors including policy, humanities, and arts.
The Foundation recently determined a need for neuroscientists to integrate these factors into their research to understand the societal and ethical implications of advancing neuroscience technologies and has recently released a request for proposals (RFP) to design and host Centers for Neuroscience & Society. The Dana Centers for Neuroscience & Society will be launched in 2023 to serve as a hub to exchange ideas, foster collaboration, and engage in multidisciplinary research.
Proposal submissions are due July 6, 2022, with grant funding beginning as early as October 1, 2022. Proposal grantees will receive 5-month planning grants of up to $150,000 designed to develop a plan and vision for the Center, outline programs, gather expertise, and test models for training and education. To be eligible, applicants must be affiliated with a U.S. accredited institution of higher education, or a non-profit organization based in the U.S. For more details about the opportunity, visit the Dana Foundation’s funding and grants page. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Ishan Dasgupta at idasgupta@dana.org.
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The 2022 BIO International Convention takes place June 13-16 in San Diego and will feature 100+ interactive sessions across 4 days covering a variety of therapeutic areas, business development, digital health, patient advocacy, public policy, and next-generation biotherapeutics, and the latest updates from industry experts on COVID-19 and the vaccine. Learn more here.
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The 8th Annual BRAIN Initiative Meeting will take place from Tuesday, June 21 – Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Everyone with an interest in BRAIN and neuroscience research is welcome as we aim to continue building this vibrant and cross-collaborating community. This forum will provide space to discuss exciting scientific developments and potential new directions, and to identify areas for collaboration and research coordination. It is anticipated that this event will be a hybrid format, stay tuned for further details. Learn more here.
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The 147th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA2022) will be held in Chicago October 22 - 25, 2022. Registration is now open. Additionally, the Research Careers Reimagined Course Planning Subcommittee, is offering a Research Careers Reimagined Course (RCR), which is taking the place of the prior Translational and Clinical Research Course (TCRC).
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NAMI-NYS Board of Directors Nominations Are Open!
NAMI New York State (NAMI-NYS) is looking for new Board Members. This is an excellent opportunity for a NY member of the STARR community to bring a research perspective to NAMI-NYS. NAMI-NYS is already supportive of clinical research, but whenever there is an opportunity to join a NAMI state organization's Board, we encourage the research community to consider it.
The NAMI-NYS election for the Board of Directors will take place November 12th and nominations are open for interested candidates. Candidates for the NAMI-NYS Board must be members in good standing, and the Nominations Committee is seeking members who represent diverse backgrounds and areas of the state. If you are interested or know someone who would be a good fit for the NAMI-NYS Board, you can find the application and nominating letter here. The deadline to apply is September 1st.
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Sites -- please share your feedback!
Do you survey your research volunteers during or after the clinical trial?
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Yes, we survey the volunteers THROUGHOUT the study.
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Yes, we survey the volunteers AT THE END the study.
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No, we don't survey the volunteers.
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Responses to last month's survey:
What is the best way to get volunteer input on a study?
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Everything The STARR Coalition does comes from our stakeholders looking to make positive change.
The STARR Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, our Tax ID # is 47-4634007.
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The STARR Coalition | phone: 501-725-8890 | www.thestarr.org |
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SHARE, CARE, AND BE KIND. |
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