Newsletter - NAMI Hernando

HERNANDO COUNTY
An Affiliate of The National Alliance on Mental Illness and NAMI Florida
P.O. Box 5613 Spring Hill FL 34611 (352) 684-0004 www.flnamihernando.org
NAMI is your community mental health resource, advocating for those without a “voice”
Newsletter— April 2016
A Mental Health Victory for Hernando County!
The state budget signed last week by Gov. Rick Scott includes money for two projects designed to shore up
Hernando County's scanty network of services for mentally ill residents. The Hernando County School District will
receive $500,000 to establish project StarFISH, which emphasizes early intervention for elementary and middle
school students with mental health and behavior conditions.
Another $250,000 will go for a local Vincent House, a project the local chapter of National Alliance on Mental
Illness has been working on for more than a year.
The house, modeled after a facility that opened 13 years ago in Pinellas Park, would be a refuge for residents
suffering from depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It would provide a venue for support groups and
counseling. And it would teach work skills with the goal of helping mentally ill residents to return to work.
"Vincent House is a proven model," said David Lambert, the board chairman of Hernando County NAMI and
spokesman for the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative.
"It's a great recovery through work program," he said. "It teaches people life skills and gets them employable
again."
Florida ranks 49th out of 50 states in mental health funding, said NAMI executive director Joanne Schoch, and
Hernando ranks near the bottom of funding for counties in the state.
The appropriation for Vincent House and StarFISH were pushed by lawmakers representing Hernando, Rep. Blaise
Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby.
The county also has been supportive of Vincent House, Lambert said, and helped identify unused county-owned
lots that might be suitable for the building. One of the main criteria, he said, is proximity to a bus route because
many prospective clients are unable to drive or do not own a car.
NAMI's plans call for a 7,000-square-foot building, with 2,000 feet for NAMI offices and 5,000 for Vincent House.
Comments From a NAMI Hernando Facilitator and Consumer Liaison
Thank you to all who made this possible. We finally have great people in our corner that understand that a mental
illness such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, schizoaffective, PTSD, autism, paranoid schizophrenia,
multiple personalities and borderline personality, are not a choice for us, these illnesses pick us. For so long we have
been suffering in privacy and scared to open up about our illness due to misunderstanding and being stigmatized or
Marie
being judged by being labeled as simply crazy. It's so hard to live with any of those illnesses on a daily basis, that's
why NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Hernando is so very important to people like myself and others that share these devastating cycles. It's sad to know that so many people suffer in silence because of the harsh stigma that's attached to a mental illness.
Not only do people suffer in silence they also suffer with a dual diagnosis, self medicating with drugs/alcohol to help them through
the feeling of pain mentally. NAMI Hernando helped me get my life back. It gave me a safe place to talk about hard things and
helped me learn to be me and know that my bipolar disorder is not who I am, it's just what I have. Therapy alone is fine and recommended. So is taking your medication as prescribed. The most encouraging help is having a place to go be me, seen as me, heard
as me and being understood as me and not my disability. We may not have all the answers yet but we have to start somewhere and
NAMI Hernando has already started by having people that care and finally hear our needs. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart
for not just listening but hearing what we needed in our county that will work hand and hand with NAMI Hernando. We're all in this
together and we will change a life one at a time and change the way society as a whole looks at mental illness.
WE HAVE LOST A CHAMPION AND BELOVED FRIEND
Judith "Judy" Kay Thompson (Bullock)
January 19, 1943 - March 3, 2016 (Age 73)
In Loving Memory of Judith Kay Bullock Thompson. Judith Kay Thompson
won a difficult victory over salivary gland cancer, only to lose a
subsequent battle with liver cancer, on March 3rd 2016. She died at her
Spring Hill home, surrounded by the love of her life, husband William J.
(Bill) Thompson her husband of 51 years (together for 54 years); her two
children, William Jerry Thompson ("Jeremiah") and Jennifer Kay
Thompson ("Kaya"); her three siblings; Michael Ross Bullock, Jodell
Charlene Bullock, and Pamela Alice Martinez; her daughter-in-law Renee
Thompson, her two granddaughters Gianna and Sabina Thompson;
nieces Alicia Upton, Leslie Thompson, nephews Ross Martinez and
Jordon Mickens. She is survived by other nieces and nephews who all
were with their beloved Aunt Judy in spirit. Judith was born in
Indianapolis, Indiana on January 19, 1943, to Joseph Charles Bullock
and Martha Elizabeth Miller Bullock. Her childhood was spent in
Decatur, Georgia; Niskayuna, New York; and Rock Island, Illinois. In New
York, her family often vacationed at Lake George, where they enjoyed
nature, hiking, boating, and swimming. Judith graduated from Rock
Island High School in 1961. She then moved to Washington DC to
attend Washington Hospital School of Nursing and American University, where she graduated in 1963 and met
her husband Bill, who went on to have a long and successful career at Xerox. The marriage and Bill's career at
Xerox were described by some to have broken the "color barrier", starting as they did in 1962. Bill's success
earned them many Xerox-sponsored trips around the world. Judith continued her nursing career with more
education and assuming more responsibility, eventually becoming the Director of Maternal Child Health at
Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, MD. She continued her love of nursing and eventually retired due to
her salivary cancer in 2012, from her position of charge nurse on L&D at Spring Hill Regional Hospital. She is
fondly remembered by the staff and patients for her loyalty, patient advocacy, dedication, and compassion. She
also became an instructor at the National Association for Mental Illness (NAMI) and took an active interest in
local community affairs, as well as policy discussions and trends at both the state and federal level. In lieu of
flowers, please consider sending contributions in remembrance of Judy to The National Alliance on Mental
Illness, Hernando County, located at 10554 Spring Hill Dr. Spring Hill, Fl.
We at NAMI Hernando are heartbroken to have lost Judy much too soon. Judy and her husband Bill
have served as Family to Family instructors here at NAMI Hernando for 9 years, teaching nine 12 week classes.
Judy and Bill have also served as NAMI’s representatives at the CIT training for the Hernando County Sheriff’s
Department and other organizations. Both Judy and Bill have been inspired in their work with NAMI as they are
one of the many families in our community touched by mental illness. Judy is a past President of NAMI
Hernando as well as the head of NAMI Hernando’s speakers bureau. Both Judy and Bill continued to serve on
the NAMI Hernando Advisory Board and represent NAMI Hernando at local and state associations and
conferences. Through her tireless work at NAMI Hernando, Judy has changed family’s lives.
Our hearts and love are with Bill and his family.
NAMI Hernando Peer-to-Peer Program Begins July 13th
NAMI Hernando announces its free 10-week Peer-to-Peer educational program will begin on
Wednesday, July 13 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the NAMI Beautiful Mind Center, 10554 Spring Hill
Drive, Spring Hill, FL 34608.
The Peer-to-Peer program is a unique and experiential learning program for people living with a
serious mental illness who are interested in establishing and maintaining their wellness and
recovery.
Topics will include:
How to prevent relapse
How to improve quality of life
Coping skills
Exercises to calm thinking
Skills for working with providers and the public
How to protect your interests
Guided by peers who successfully manage their own recovery and wellness.
Open to adults (18+) living with mental health challenges.
No specific medical therapy or medication is endorsed or recommended.
Call Ann or Marie at 352-684-0004 or email: [email protected]
 ANOTHER STEP FORWARD IN MENTAL HEALTH 
Mary Giliberti, chief executive officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
issued the following statement today following an announcement by the President that he
will establish an interagency Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force
to improve implementation and enforcement of parity.
In addition, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final mental health and substance use parity rule for
both Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs.
"NAMI is pleased that the final rule provides needed guidance on how the federal parity
law applies to Medicaid and CHIP plans," said Giliberti. It is a long road to achieve parity.
Finalizing the rule is another step forward. The Parity Task Force will be important for
taking further steps for enforcement.
"In 2015, a NAMI parity report revealed that health insurers were denying mental health
care at nearly two times the rate of other medical care—often with no explanation. Greater
enforcement is needed in order for the promise of parity to be realized for the millions of
Americans living with mental illness."
th,
Sunday, April 10 9am to 3pm
Sale includes home, business and construction items:
Office furniture and supplies, building materials
(cabinets, toilets, electrical breaker boxes, sinks, etc.)
household items, furniture, clothing, artwork,
and much, much more.
Food and refreshments will be available!
All proceeds go to NAMI Hernando
to aid in building better lives for those living with mental illness.
“Our Mission is to promote mental health wellness in our community
through education, support, advocacy, empowerment, and outreach.”
Located at the Beautiful Mind Center
10554 Spring Hill Dr, Spring Hill, FL 34608
Memorial Donations
In Memory of
Kelly Quinto
Mary Howerton
Allen & Elsie Gould
Eileen Bernard
Lin & Sandra McAdams
In Memory of
Judith Bullock Thompson
Ann Mary Hines
Joseph & Lisa Groeneveld
William & Lethia Sawyers
Kathy Saguel
Chris & Carol Frank
Lee & Winston Grant
Denise Hanson & Family
From Judy’s WHC Sisters…
Janet Lumpy Bachman
F Jean Bernard
Constance Millstein
Margaret Griffin
Jewell Berry
TP DeLaFleur
Margaret Chapman
Katherine Truter
JoAnn Moxon Slack
Kathy Bassett Gonzalo
Marcy Nolan Kirsch
Barbara Brown Sherrill
Jo Barrett Maas
Caesar & Duke Armstrong
Sharon Bohrer Mears
Linda Anderson
Sarah Thompson Fletcher
Sandy Knazovich Johnson
Carol Romeo Rydel
Janet Byrd Eastman
Dianne Nordan Miller
Carole Raucheisen
Kathleen Lowe
Judy Rollins
Charleen Booker
Sarah Blum
Mental Illness Can Touch Any Family
Robert De Niro has revealed that his son Elliot has autism.
Excerpt from an article by Jodi Guglielmi @JodiGug3 ~ People Magazine
03/28/2016
"Grace and I have a child with autism
and we believe it is critical that all of
the issues surrounding the causes of
autism be openly discussed and
examined,"
De Niro, 72, had said in a statement amid controversy swirling
around the planned screening of the
anti-vaccination documentary Vaxxed
at the Tribeca Film Festival. (He later
decided to pull the film from the
festival's schedule.)
While this is the first time the actor has confirmed his child's
diagnosis, it's not the first time De Niro has associated himself
with a film on the topic of autism. At the 2014 festival, he and
his wife hosted a screening of the documentary Sounding the
alarm.
While De Niro has mostly kept his private life out of the spotlight, in the past he's hinted at the experience of raising a child
with special needs.
In a 2013 interview with Katie Couric, De Niro broke down
while discussing the film Silver Linings Playbook, saying he can
relate to director David O. Russell, who wrote the film for his son
who has bipolar disorder.
"I don't like to get emotional," he said. "But I know exactly
what he goes through."
And while De Niro is known to be a man of few words, the
actor has often shown his softer side while speaking about his
family.
"There are great moments and moments of sadness," he previously told PEOPLE of raising his kids. "Sometimes you're the
last person they want to deal with.
Thank you to our friends at Spring Hill Lanes for their hospitality and support.
Everyone at NAMI Hernando looks forward to our time with you and your staff every week.
You make lives brighter!
Submitted by Justin Marquis, March 2016
Eight people came to have fun and some of them played pool. Dennis got a 210 in
game 3 with 4 stikes in a row. Way to go Dennis!! Keep up the good bowling.
NEW GROUPS, New CLASSES AND NEW HOURS in 2016!!
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday—Friday, 9:00am—3:00pm
Beautiful Mind Center, 10554 Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill, FL
(Group meetings and classes may differ from our office hours)
CONSUMER RECOVERY GROUPS ~ Monday 7pm, Wednesday 3pm, Friday 6:30pm and Saturday 10am
FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP ~ Wednesday 3pm and Saturday 10am
CONSUMER COMPUTER CLASS ~ Wednesday at 1:00 pm (starting March 9th)
ART CLASSES ~ Thursdays the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month
Spring Hill Lanes, 3447 Commercial Way, Spring Hill
NAMI BOWLING ~ Every Sunday at 2:00 PM and Thursdays at 3:00 PM
LET’S SHOOT POOL ~ Saturday at 6pm (the 2nd Saturday of each month)
BOARD OFFICERS
SUPPORTING BOARD
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
David Lambert, President
Shahra Anderson
Lori Morrison, Treasurer
Dr. Timothy Beard
Marie Goodwyn
Gina Prespare
Jay Rowden
Anne Marquis, Secretary
Debra Steele Thompson
Bill Thompson
Dave Mickelson, Vice President
Joanne Schoch, Executive Director
Ann Hines
Diane Rowden
Maureen Soliman
NAMI HERNANDO is a non-profit, volunteer supported organization whose mission is to promote mental
health awareness in our community through education, support, advocacy and outreach while improving the
quality of life toward recovery for all who are living with mental illness, their families and their supporters.
Your membership changes familY’s lives.
MEMBER APPLICATION: NAMI HERNANDO— P.O. BOX 5613, SPRING HILL, FLORIDA 34611
Providing the following information will help us ensure funding that
will allow us to continue providing free services to Consumers and
Family Members!
Date____________________
Full
Name_______________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________
City _______________State________ Zip Code____________
Home Phone_____________________________
Gender: Male / Female
Birth date _______ /_______ /_____
Month
day
year
Dues Enclosed:
(only for Consumer members with very limited income)
Family Member $35.00 per year
Cell Phone_______________________________
 Business Member $100 per year
Email___________________________________
 Business Partner $500 per year
How did you hear about us?
____________________________________________________
Donation: $________________
Are You a……...
If you need financial assistance for your
membership please call 352-684-0004
Consumer  Family Member
 Friend of NAMI

Other:____________________________
Our services are free to the public
Thank you for your continued support!