MultnomahReporter NAMI

NAMI MultnomahReporter
Volume 35, Issue 2
May 2010
“A Way to Show Support and Love”
NAMI Walk Enthusiasm Builds $$$
“I sent out my first batch of e-mails just last night
and look what’s happened!” exclaimed Judy Jackson,
viewing the $775 in donations she received overnight.
Judy think friends and family have long wondered
how they can help her family in its struggles with
mental illness. “This seems to be a way for them
to show support and love. I’m humbled by their
generosity,” said Judy, who took the Family-to-Family
class last fall. “It’s time to give back to the program
that has helped me so much,” she says.
Northwest NAMIWalk starts at noon, May 23, Eastside
Esplanade, near Hawthorne Bridge. When you sign up at
www.nami.org/namiwalks/OR, choose Multnomah County.
Advocacy Efforts
NAMI Figures in City’s Solutions
by Don Moore
It’s a great time to be an advocate. Let me repeat that: It’s a great
time to be an advocate. When NAMI members began their efforts
to educate legislators about the disparity of insurance coverage
for mental health and physical illness, they were often met with
indifference. It took ten years of NAMI’s persistent efforts to help
legislators finally see the light and enact more equitable treatment
for Oregonians who live with mental illness. Today, most families
can access a better level of care, thanks to those efforts.
As NAMI Multnomah representative on the Portland Police
Bureau’s Crisis Intervention Training Team, Sylvia Zingeser has
advocated relentlessly for appropriate treatment of the disabled
and mentally ill. Those persistent efforts are beginning to produce
results as City officials turn to NAMI as a resource for helping to
resolve public safety issues.
Last month, when City Commissioners Dan Saltzman and
Amanda Fritz and Police Chief Rosie Sizer held a press conference they recommended, among other things, that the City: a)
“seek help from ...NAMI;” b) “Sponsor the NAMI Walk in
2010;” c) “...find additional ways for police officers to engage the mental health community on meaningful levels;” and
Walk Co-chairs Curtis May and Wendy Sample
saluted Judy and all who’ve signed up. “We have
33 teams already; several have raised over $1200,”
Wendy reports, noting there’s still plenty of time to
sign up at www.nami.org/namiwalks/OR, then ask
your dentist, grocer, and neighbors to walk or support
you in the NAMIWalk. You can raise desperately
needed funds as a “virtual walker:” Just register online
and send an e-mail to your friends. The internet
makes it easy for people to contribute...and easy for us
to ask them.
Need help? Call 503-228-5692.
d) “use its Governmental Relations Office and ... elected
officials to advocate on the state and federal level for stable
and adequate funding for mental health services.”
In other developments, Multnomah County Commissioners
have a budget recommendation to fund a clubhouse, consistent with the International Center for Clubhouse Development model of supportive employment that NAMI Multnomah has been promoting for several years as Northstar
House. Northstar House committee chair Susan Matthies
continues to advocate, hoping to open doors this summer.
All of these partnerships were unheard of just a few short
years ago. Unfortunately, it has taken tragedy to raise the
level of discussion to its current position of importance.
The cost to individuals like James Chasse, Aaron Campbell, Jack Collins and their families and loved ones
continued on page 3
NAMI Multnomah Reporter -- 2
NAMI Multnomah Reporter
A publication of
NAMI Multnomah
Our mission is to improve
the quality of life
for people with mental illnesses
and their families
through support,
education, and advocacy.
NAMI Multnomah
524 NE 52nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97213
503-228-5692
www.nami.org/multnomah
Board of Directors
Terri Walker, President
Noah Horst, JD, Vice President
Molly Gorger, Secretary
Ron Sarna, Treasurer
Steve Bullock, MBA
Natasha Dolezal, JD
Pamela Dunham, MPA
Susan Matthies, PhD
William Nunley, MD
Jeffrey Oppenheimer, MD
Derald Walker, PhD
NAMI Multnomah Staff
Margaret Brayden
Executive Director
[email protected]
503-929-0926
Anna Guillen
Family System Navigator - Bilingual
[email protected]
503-572-1540
Milele Hobbs
Family System Navigator
[email protected]
503-860-0279
Arlene Stine
Peer Education Coordinator
[email protected]
971-409-8519
Special Thanks
to
Guest Editor
Robin Dunitz
From the Executive Director
Unsung Heroes Make a Huge Difference for Us
We all know that our Peer Mentors, support group facilitators, Familyto-Family teachers, phone and office volunteers and In Our Own Voice
presenters make a difference in so many lives. To keep those wonderful,
signature programs going, it takes powerhouses to run an organization. I’d
like to thank these unsung heroes whose enormous contributions of time
and professional talent have streamlined our accounting and office systems, improved our publications, and broadened our fund-raising abilities.
Gary McGee, CPA, has provided his professional services free of charge
over the last two years. Gary established a new chart of accounts and prepared our tax filings. His guidance has been invaluable.
Susan and Joe Peter totally updated our membership database program,
networked our system, re-configured donated laptops, and spent countless
hours training our staff on the new database.
Nancy Barnett and Billie Erwin are updating our records management
protocols and organizing our file system.
Cynthia Ries formatted the updated edition of Mental Health Resource
Guide from her home in Chicago, then visited Portland on her vacation
and worked two days in our office.
Trinity Sell is a graphic artist who designed the new cover for our Mental
Health Resource Guide.
Lin Haak, a professional artist who donated a painting for our conference
room, has now donated note cards with the same ‘Blue Moon” artwork for
us to sell at health fairs and other events.
Michael Ward and his firm, Solo Films, are preparing a short video about
NAMI Multnomah—our programs, our people and our challenges—to
post on our web site and show at presentations.
Thanks to these unsung heroes, vital projects are moving forward and the
professionalism of our operations is increasing daily.
With all best wishes to each and every one of you, and appreciation for
your own contributions,
Margaret Brayden
Executive Director
Donate Your Time: Spend a few hours delivering brochures to local
clinics & hospitals!
Donate Your Stuff: Our library needs your books & videos on mental
health issues. Oregon State Hospital patients need your gently used
clothing.
Donate Your Car: A tax write-off for you; essential support for NAMI
programs. Call for details: 503-228-5692
A calm, reassuring presence
Helping Families with Highest-Risk Kids
She has a quiet smile and exactly the calm, confident, reassuring presence you’d want
nearby in a crisis. That’s a good thing for her clients, many of whom have few financial or
emotional resources and are trying to navigate their way through a crisis in their families.
As NAMI’s only bi-lingual Family System Navigator,
Anna Guillen has been helping Latino families with
highest-risk youngsters to navigate their way through
both their own crisis and the mental health services
system for the last three years.
Her goal is to “stabilize the home,” so youngsters have
a better chance at recovering and maintaining their
health. “We try to relieve a lot of the stress at home,”
she says. That could involve her in anything from
arranging food boxes, finding assistance with paying
the rent, and helping families keep appointments for
their child’s therapy, to translating for psychiatrists and
helping Moms who don’t speak English understand what’s happening to their straight-A
student who just had a psychotic break.
Most of her clients are single moms. Most are struggling to stay in drug- or alcoholrehabilitation programs—or to get back into rehab. Many have mental illness themselves
but are unaware or in denial and tend to self-medicate. “That’s where we come in,” says
Anna, “educating them about mental illness and helping them access services at agencies
like LifeWorks, Lutheran Family Services or Cascadia.”
Her case load averages 8-12 families at a time. The average family remains a client for
six months to a year. “The goal is to strengthen them,” Anna says. “Educating and
empowering them, walking them through the system, so they can become their own
advocate.” In fact, that’s the best thing about her job: “I love the satisfaction of knowing
that you can educate and empower a family to become self-sufficient when they felt they
had no hope.”
A mother of two, Anna grew up in a Wilder, Idaho, where her parents were migrant workers.
“There were six of us kids, living in labor camps with very little privacy, communal
showers and latrines.” When Anna was 18, her younger sister became ill and spent ten
years in and out of the Idaho State Hospital before she stabilized. “That’s when I started
learning about mental illness, so I’ve been at this for a long time.” She earned a scholarship
to Boise State University, “But I didn’t finish,” she says. She’s going back to school this
fall, with the goal of becoming a child psychologist because she would love it and...”we
need Latina women who are psychologists.” When she smiles that calm, reassuring smile,
you’re pretty sure she’s going to make it. You can picture her in her psychologist’s office,
still helping youngsters just as she does today.
City’s Solutions--continued from page 1
has been a terrible price to pay, but we as NAMI members would have only ourselves to
question if we did not honor their sacrifice to further the cause of service to those in need.
Yes, it is a great time to be an advocate. There is so much to do, but issues have been
raised. It is up to us to gather support for change and progress in our community.
A tireless advocate, Don Moore was President, NAMI Multnomah Board of Directors, 2004-07. He and
Sylvia Zingeser co-chair NAMI Multnomah’s Advocacy committee. Don is as passionate about spending time
at lakes in his home state of Michigan as he is about mental health advocacy.
NAMI Multnomah Reporter -- 3
NAMI Support Groups
NAMI Connection Support Groups
Recovery support by and for people
living with mental illness
Every Tuesday, 11 AM-12:30 PM
9224 NE Halsey, Portland 97220
Every Saturday, 3:30-5:00 PM
5228 NE Hoyt, Portland 97213
Bipolar and Depression Group
support for those with bipolar
disorder or depression
Every Thursday, 7 PM
Providence Hospital, Room HCC1
4805 NE Glisan, Portland 97213
Contact Jean at 503 231-7513
Anxiety Society Support Group
A safe place for people ages 18-36
with social anxiety to develop
communication skills in a relaxing,
fun environment
Every Tuesday, 7 PM
Contact Terri at 503-890-4805
Schizophrenia Group
Fellowship and support to help achieve
and maintain good mental health
Every Wednesday, 1 PM-2 PM
524 NE 52nd Ave., Portland 97213
Dual Diagnosis Anonymous
Support for those with mental illness
who also deal with substance abuse
Every Wednesday, 6 PM
524 NE 52nd Ave., Portland 97213
Contact Arlene at 971-409-8519
Drop-In Family Groups
For families of adults with mental illness
Every Monday, 7 PM
NAMI-Multnomah Office
524 NE 52nd Avenue, Portland 97213
Every Thursday, 6 PM
Mt. Hood Medical Center Cascade Room
24800 SE Stark, Gresham 97030
“Talk it Over” Group
A supportive place for families of
children or teenswith mental illness or
substance abuse
2nd and 4th Sundays, 4-5:30 PM
Providence Child Center
830 NE 47th Ave., Portland 97213
Contact Margaret at 503-317-1130
NAMIMultnomahReporter
Volume 35, Issue 2
May 2010
Angela Kimball
NAMI National Director of State Policy
The ABCs of Grassroots Advocacy
NAMI Multnomah Benefit
Rich Layton and the Troublemakers
The Ponderosa Lounge at Jubitz Truck Center
10350 N Vancouver Way, Portland, OR 97211
8 PM, Saturday, May 8, 2010
$5.00 cover
I-5 Exit 307
“This ain’t no stuffed-shirt, rubber-chicken,
snore-fest benefit, Baby,
This is...Trouble at the Truck Stop!”
Treatment works—if you can get it.
How can we change laws so services are available?
As Director of State Policy for NAMI National,
Oregon’s Angela Kimball
works to empower people to take action
to make the changes we so desperately need.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
7:00 PM
Providence Hospital Social Room
4805 NE Glisan Street, Portland OR 97213
Social hour: 6:30
RSVP 503-228-5692
Coming Events
May 15:
May 23:
May 25:
May 27:
June 2:
June 10:
8:30 AM-Noon Poverty, Mental Illness and Community, 605 NW Couch St., 503-223-8361
Noon Northwest NAMIWalk, Eastside Esplanade
6-8 PM Multnomah County Budget Hearing 10301 NE Glisan, Portland
6-8 PM Multnomah County Budget Hearing 600 NE 8th St., Gresham
6-8 PM Multnomah County Budget Hearing 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland
7 PM Advocates Network, Derald Walker, CEO of Cascadia Behavioral Health, Inc., the largest
mental health care provider in Oregon
July 24: 11 AM-2 PM Annual Picnic, Laurelhurst Park, SE 39th & Oak Streets
Help us save a Tree!
send your email address to
nami.multnomah@qwestoffice.net
Address Service Requested
NAMI Multnomah
524 NE 52nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97213
Support for this newsletter provided by:
NAMI Multnomah is a
proud United Way
Community Partner
Permit No. 1043
Portland, Oregon
US Postage Paid
Non-Profit Organization