NEW NAMI TWO OPENINGS CALIFORNIA ON THE NAMI … · lor and Gigi Crowder for working ... remission, averting relapse, im-proving quality of life and - im-portantly - reducing overall

NAMI Contra Costa 1

July 2016

Contra Costa’s Voice on Mental Illness July 2014 61714 1200P

The NAMI Contra Costa Newsletter is available on the web at: www.namicontracosta.org

Email: [email protected] Phone Number 24/7: (925) 465-3864 Office Number: (925) 942-0767 If Your Family Faces The Challenge of Serious Mental Illness . . . Email: [email protected] and 5150crisis.com

July 2016 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

GENERAL MEETING

Please see the information

On Page 5

of this newsletter.

Location:

John Muir Hospital

Concord Campus

2540 East Street

Concord Open To The Public- Free Admission

NEW NAMI

CALIFORNIA

PROGRAM

NAMI CA is excited to

announce a great training oppor-

tunity for family members, loved

ones and peers who are interested

in using their lived experiences to

help other families in similar situ-

ations.

The Family and Peer

Support Specialist program con-

sists of 70 hours of specialized

“webinar” training. Participants

will learn skills that include Sui-

cide Prevention, Recovery Model,

Cultural Competency, trauma

informed services, motivational

interviewing, triggers, etc.

By the end of the pro-

gram, they will be equipped with

the necessary skills and support

from the participating NAMI af-

filiates (NAMI San Diego, NAMI

SF, NAMI Sonoma, NAMI Fres-

no) to go out into the community

to volunteer or to secure a paid

position within a wide range of

behavioral positions.

For more information:

Zuleima Flores,NAMI California

Community Engagement Coordinator

1851 Heritage Lane, Suite 150

Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone: (916) 567-0163 Ext. 111

Email: [email protected] www.namicalifornia.org See The Article on Page 6, Column 2

TWO OPENINGS

ON THE NAMI

BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

There are two openings

on the NAMI Contra Costa Board

of Directors.

For anyone interested in

the mental health field in Contra

Costa county, a board membership

provides an incredible access to

the workings of the mental health

field.

Those interested should

contact Charles Madison, Presi-

dent:

[email protected]

Newhall Park

NAMI Contra Costa 2

July 2016

NAMI-CC Care and Support Groups Central Contra Costa County

3rd Monday of Each Month, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., John Muir Medical Center , 1601 Ygnacio

Valley Road, Walnut Creek Campus, downstairs in the Epstein Conference Room. Park in the

FREE public garage on the La Casa Via side of the hospital. The group is facilitated by Sharon

Madison and Bob Thigpen. Email: [email protected], or call: (925) 256-9640, (925) 676-5771.

Open Our Hearts

Family Member Support Group

For family members of adults with mental illness. All faiths welcome!

4th Monday of Each Month 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Temple Isaiah

945 Risa Road, Lafayette

(In The Talmud Torah Center, Room E204)

Call Karen at (925) 945-7272 or

email at [email protected]

www.openourhearts.net

NAMI Contra Costa Writers’ Group All writing levels welcomed. 1st Tuesday of Each Month

10:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon

Rainbow Center-2118 Willow Pass Road, Concord Roberto Roman 925-957 5105

Margaret Netherby, facilitator, [email protected].

Support Group for Parents of

Adult Children with Mental Illness Meets the 2nd Sunday 2-3:30 pm

San Ramon Valley United Methodist Church 902 Danville Blvd., Alamo, CA 94507

Karen Scalzi: (925) 820-7495 or [email protected]

Marilyn Clarke: (925) 837-5243 Office: (925) 837-5243

NEW HOPE SUPPORT GROUP

Offering support, education and resources to parents, caregivers of children, teens and young adults diagnosed with a mood disor-

der. Meets the 2nd Monday of Each Month

Lafayette/Orinda Presbyterian Church 49 Knox Drive, Room 204, in Lafayette

7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Christina Mellin 925-899 0862

Bi Polar Chill

Mood Disorder Support Group

Wednesday 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

1320 Galaxy Way, Concord Parking on the street or in the lot on the left side of the building

Contact Lisa or Scott at (925) 743-1160

NAMI CC Mandarin Program

Family Support Group

3rd Saturday of every month, July & Sept.

Educational Program-Topics on Mental Illness

Time– 10:00 to 12:00 Noon

Location: DCBC 2278 Camino Ramon, San Ramon

Contacts: Gloria 925-487 8288 Shelly: 925-238 6286

Family to Family Friends Group For Family to Family Graduates

4th Thursday of the Month 7:00 pm The Times Will Change in August to 4th Thursday of Each Month 7:00 pm

Hillcrest Church Room 7

404 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill

Contact: Baika Pratt 510-407 7910

NAMI West County Support Group 2nd Wednesday Each Month 6:30—8:00 pm

Richmond Medical Center of Kaiser

901 Nevin Avenue– 3rd Floor Room 317 Conference Rm 1 Richmond Contact Dr. Sumchai 510-237 9277 or

E mail: [email protected] NAMI SPANISH LANGUAGE

FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP—PITTSBURG

1st Thursday each month 7:00-8:30 pm

Faith Based-ALL Creeds Welcome!

Church of the Living God

1125 Harbor St. Pittsburg

Veronica: 925-250 4032

defamiliaafamilia@namicontracosta

NAMI Contra Costa 3

July 2016

NAMI Contra Costa

National Alliance on Mental Illness

OFFICERS:

Charles Madison, President

(925) 256-9640 [email protected]

Douglas Dunn 1st Vice President

[email protected]

Mark Cohen, Secretary

[email protected]

David Kahler, Treasurer (925) 676-5771

[email protected]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kay Derrico Barbara Scott

Susan Horrocks

Al Farmer Gene Schulting Gloria Chang Don Green

Executive Director: Will Taylor 925-289 9859

[email protected]

COMMITTEES:

Don Green Criminal Justice

Gloria Chang Mandarin Groups

Susan Horrocks Membership

David Kahler Publishing

Veronica McManus F 2 F Spanish

Barbara Scott Scrip Program

Nancy Seibert Family-to-Family

Clare Beckner Database

Richard Derrico Behavioral Health Court

Gigi Crowder FaithNet Coordinator

Gene Schulting Internal Auditor

Kay Derrico Outreach Committee

Steve Sullivan Libraian

Newsletter Group Caroline Jackson Fran Martin

Peggy Luna Dick Owens David Kahler Karin Baker

Greg Beckner

Rich and Yvonne DeAndre

Email: [email protected] Website: www.namicontracosta.org

Phone: (925) 465-3864 60516Su239AMMMM

Newsletter Deadline:

20th of Each Month

PRESIDENT’S

COLUMN By Charles Madison

SAVE THE DATE: On Sep-

tember 10th NAMI CC will host

NAMI in Motion, an important

fund raising event, at Newhall

Community Park in Concord.

This is not the NAMI

Walk but will still be similar in

that it is a local opportunity to

provide awareness of mental

health. This is just a few months

away, so please go to the NAMI

Contra Costa website and sign up

today. This is a fund raising

event for our Affiliate that pro-

vides funding for our free pro-

grams. It is very easy to sign in

on our website and you can even

form your own team when you

sign in. It will be a great event

and will be held in Contra Costa

County with easy access and

parking.

The Nominating Com-

mittee is currently taking applica-

tions from those individuals that

would like to apply to become a

member of the NAMI CC Board

of Directors. We have two vacan-

cies at this time. One position is

to arrange and set up the speakers

for our General Meetings, and the

second position is a member-at-

large position. Application and

interest should be directed to Bar-

bara Scott, the Chair of the Nom-

inating Committee. You could

also let Will Taylor know of your

interest and he can pass it on to

Barbara.

The Crash Course that

David Kahler is chairing address-

es valuable information to people

new to the journey of those living

with a SMI and what is available

in our community. The program

is going strong with great attend-

ance; help and education is being

provided to all who attend. Thank

you very much David. I also

want to thank all the dedicated

group of volunteers and presenters

that work with David on this pro-

gram.

As you all know, Family

to Family is one of our signature

programs that has helped thou-

sands of families in Contra Costa

County learn important infor-

mation about mental illness. I want

to thank Nancy Seibert for recently

holding a F2F teachers meeting at

her home that was well attended.

This was an opportunity for the

teachers to meet and greet as well

as coordinate future training. We

currently have one F2F program in

progress in Pleasant Hill that will

be completed on July 13th. I want

to thank Sharon Madison, Vickie

Deem, Mark Cohen and Kirsten

Heher for conducting this class.

I want to thank Will Tay-

lor and Gigi Crowder for working

diligently on potential new pro-

grams to help our community. I

also want to thank the NAMI CC

Board of Directors for providing

their input on the details of these

programs.

On Thursday July 21st the

General Meeting will feature a

Resource Fair at the John Muir

Hospital in Concord. This will be

the second time we have presented

a program like this which was very

popular and informative. The pro-

gram will provide a variety of

mental health service groups for

both family members and those

living with a mental illness. We

look forward to seeing you at this

meeting.

NAMI Contra Costa 4

July 2016

ANTIPSYCHOTICS

MAY SAVE

LIVES

Editor’s Note: This article is by Doris A. Fuller and was printed in the Treatment

Advocacy Center’s newsletter.

Often overlooked in

debates over the merits and draw-

backs of antipsychotic medication

is its role in reducing suicide by

individuals with schizophrenia,

who die approximately 20 years

younger than their unaffected

peers in the United States.

"One way anti-psychiatry groups

trivialize psychosis and marginal-

ize psychiatry is by emphasizing

the adverse effects of antipsy-

chotic medications while denying

or minimizing their benefits,"

writes Ronald Pies, MD, in the

June issue of Psychiatric Times.

"To be sure, the well-recognized

metabolic, neurological and car-

diovascular risks associated with

many antipsychotic medications

must be taken very seriously.

Moreover, antipsychotics (APs)

are often used when they are not

needed....

"On the other hand, there is con-

vincing evidence that in patients

with chronic schizophrenia, APs

play a crucial role in maintaining

remission, averting relapse, im-

proving quality of life and - im-

portantly - reducing overall mor-

tality" (author's emphasis).

In other words, despite

their medical side effects, anti-

psychotic drugs appear to save

lives.

Antipsychotics and Suicide

Prevention

Pies writes that "even

many psychiatrists" may be una-

ware of the role antipsychotic

medications play in reducing sui-

cide among individuals with

schizophrenia, whose lifetime risk

of killing themselves is at least 10

times that of the general public. He

cites research that "the only con-

sistent protective factor for suicide"

is delivery of and adherence to

effective medication, particularly

clozapine, the only medication

approved by the FDA for the pre-

vention of suicide.

While clozapine is well-

documented for its effectiveness in

reducing suicidal behavior (e.g.,

suicide attempts, hospitalizations

and rescue interventions), Pies re-

ports "there is accumulating evi-

dence that antipsychotic medica-

tion in general is associated with

decreased risk of suicide" in schiz-

ophrenia. He cites studies with

findings of:

Excess mortality mostly in

schizophrenia pa-

tients not taking antipsychotic

medications (26 suicides in

patients not taking APs vs 1 in

patients taking them out of a

population of 2,230 patients)

400% increase in risk of at-

tempted suicide among pa-

tients who stopped taking pre-

scribed olanazapine or risperi-

done for at least 30 days

Maximum anti-suicide benefits

at higher dosages of antipsy-

chotics

"It would be incorrect to

infer from this brief review that the

optimal treatment of schizophrenia

is simply a matter of giving pa-

tients antipsychotic medication,"

writes Pies, a professor of psychia-

try at SUNY Upstate Medical Uni-

versity and Tufts University School

of Medicine. Psychosocial services

such as assertive community treat-

ment, supported employment and

family-based services also confer

important benefits, he said "But

there is little question that, for pa-

tients suffering the chronic, debili-

tating symptoms of schizophrenia,

antipsychotic medication is a criti-

cal component of treatment - and

may literally be lifesaving."

POSSIBLE

2 BILLION + HIT

TO MHSA FUND No Place Like Home could take

$2.79M/yr. from county MHSA

Funds

We all want to help

solve the homelessness problem

for our most severely mentally

ill. However, to do this, the Cal-

ifornia legislature and Governor

Brown want to attach a 30 year

$2B bond to Mental Health Ser-

vices Act funding.

Because of bond indebt-

edness, this would decrease

statewide MHSA services and

treatment funds by $3.9-$4.5B

over that time period. Contra

Costa’s MHSA funds would take

up to a $2.79M/yr. hit with a

$12.36M hit in the first 8 years

alone. As a result, The Board

of Supervisors, the Mental

Health Commission, NAMI-

Contra Costa, and the Consoli-

dated Planning Advisory

Workgroup (CPAW) all vigor-

ously oppose the No Place Like

Home legislation, AB 1618 and

SB 846. Unfortunately, the state

senate has nearly unanimously

(36-1, 3 abstain) passed these

bills. Please contact the follow-

ing persons and tell them to vote

no on AB 1618 and SB 846: Senator Steven Glazer-District 7

Teresa Gerringer-District Chief of Staff-

[email protected].

1-925-942-6082 Assembymember Susan Bonilla—

District 14—central county

Sonja Palladino

[email protected].

1-925-521-1511 Assemblymember Jim Frazier—District

11—east county

[email protected]

Jennifer Barton—District Chief of

Staff—[email protected].

1-925-513-0411

Assemblymember Catharine Baker—

District 16—south county

Nanette Faraq-Chief of Staff

[email protected]

Faith Lane-Legislative Director

[email protected]

1-925-328-1515

NAMI Contra Costa 5

July 2016

DON’T MISS A VERY SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

NAMI Contra Costa 6

July 2016

EMPLOYMENT

OPPORTUNITY

Contra Costa County

Behavioral Health Services

has two Adult Family Support

Worker positions open.

The positions provide adult sup-

port and services for families

who have loved ones in the Con-

tra Costa Behavioral Health

System.

Requirements: having a

lived experience providing for a

family member who has a serious

mental illness and completion

of the N.A.M.I. Family to Family

course or the S.P.I.R.I.T. program.

If interested please contact:

Robert Thigpen

925-957-5139.

[email protected],

Upcoming

Presentations at NAMI General Meetings

July 21-Resource Fair: a var iety

of mental health services for both

family members and those living

with mental illness.

July 7:00 PM, John Muir Medi-

cal Center (Hospital), Concord

Room, 2540 East Street, Concord.

August 18 Presentation at

Monthly Education Meeting

SPIRIT program, a program

that prepares participants to work

in a consumer/family provider

position in either a paid or volun-

teer capacity within an agency

that provides behavioral health

services.

NAMI EDUCATION

COURSES Register Now for Fall 2016

The following NAMI CC, educa-

tion courses are taught by certified

peers with the “lived experience.”

Basics Concord, starts August 6, 2016

Pittsburg, starts Sept. 21, 2016

Saturdays

An interactive six-session course

designed for parents and other fami-

ly caregivers of children and ado-

lescents living with a mental health

condition. The Pittsburg class will

provide education credits to any

foster parent or prospective foster

parent completing the course.

Contact:

[email protected] or

leave a message on the NAMI an-

swering service 925-942-0767.

Family to Family

Education Course Brentwood starts Sept. 19, 2016

Lafayette starts Sept. 12, 2016

Through 12 free, weeknight clas-

ses, families have opportunity to

gain understanding and confidence

about issues and facts related to

their mentally ill relative or friend.

Contact F2F Program Coordinator

Nancy Seibert for class flyers and

registrations, (925) 285-5995 or

[email protected]

de familia-a-familia:

Family- to-Family for Spanish

speakers. To be offered in Pittsburg

and Richmond, dates to be deter-

mined.

Contact Veronica McManus at

925-250-4032 or [email protected].

Peer-to-Peer Concord starts August 8,

at Putnam Clubhouse

A 10-week, once-weekly educa-

tion course open to those living

with mental illness who want to

maintain or increase wellness as

well as prevent relapse. Contact

Kristin Visbal at Kris-

[email protected] or leave

a message for her at 925-942-

0767.

NAMI

IN MOTION (Continued from page 1)

On September 10th,

NAMI Contra Costa will be un-

veiling our new annual communi-

ty awareness event called “NAMI

In Motion.”

This will take place at the

Newhall Park in Concord and will

be in place of the annual NAMI

Walk. We will have much more

information in the July newsletter,

but if you’re interested in volun-

teering to help that day (for exam-

ple: set-up, cleanup, team cap-

tains) then please contact us at:

925-942 0767

or e mail our executive Director,

Will Taylor at

[email protected].

THE CRASH COURSE

The 120 page script and

the 160 slides have information

that might just be invaluable in the

management a psychiatric case.

Nearly 300 have attended so far.

Every Wednesday evening,

6:30pm

No pre-registration required, FREE

2151 Salvio St., Suite 201,

Concord

[email protected]

(925) 676-5771

(925) 567 6109

NAMI Contra Costa 7

July 2016

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

NAMI CONTRA COSTA Make check payable to NAMI Contra Costa

Complete this information and please return to:

Treasurer

NAMI Contra Costa

P.O. Box 21247

Concord, CA 94521

Name _______________________________________

Address ______________________City ___________

Zip _________Phone ___________ Cell ___________

Email Address _______________________________

Renewal New Member

Open Door $ 3 General Membership $35

NAMI CONTRA COSTA

DONATIONS FAMILY

CONNECTIONS

Joy Rynearson is a co-

leader of the Family Connections

classes on Borderline Personality

Disorder. There are 12 classes in

the session.

The next series of classes

will begin Tuesday, September 13,

2016, from 7:00-9:00 pm. The

classes are in the Berkeley area.

Family Connections is a

12 week course for family mem-

bers with a relative with borderline

personality disorder (BPD) in the

context of a supportive group en-

vironment. The program seeks to

provide the most current infor-

mation and research on BPD and

to teach coping skills based on

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

(DBT). The classes are led by

trained family members.

The information present-

ed is based on effective treatment

theories and practices and the lat-

est research findings to provide the

foundation for a better under-

standing of this complex disorder.

The classes are for par-

ents, spouses, children and siblings

of someone with borderline per-

sonality disorder. They are an

adaptation of a decade of profes-

sionally led Dialectical Behavior

Therapy family groups. These

institution-based programs are

now brought into the community.

Contact Information:

Joy Rynearson

[email protected]

National Education Alliance for

Borderline Personality

Disorder

In Memory of:

John Bell

From: Veronica McManus

In Memory of:

Andy Mathews

Jess and Sally Baker

NAMI Contra Costa 8

July 2016

NAMI Contra Costa

P.O Box 21247

Concord, CA

94521

Phone: (925) 465-3864

Email: [email protected]

Stamp

3rd Monday Support Group July 18, 2016 7:00 p.m.

John Muir Medical Center

Walnut Creek

Epstein Meeting Room

Basement Area (See page 2)

Email: [email protected]

Questions About Mental Illness?

Go to the CRASH COURSE Every Wednesday Evening, 6:30 to 8:30 pm No reservations Required. FREE

At the Family Justice Center

2151 Salvio Street, Suite 201, Concord 925-676 5771 E mail: [email protected]

Located in the same building that E.J. Phair’s Restaurant is in. Across from Todas Santos Park

To:

From: