THE WALK – A RECAP……

The first annual NAMI CCNS 5K walk on Sunday October 23 was a great success! More than 100 people came with their children and dogs, and we raised more than $23,000 (well in excess of our goal)! It’s great that the community is recognizing the importance of the work we do!

Kudos to Patricia Caine and the other members of her Walk Coordination team, Mary Rose Cavanaugh, Nancy Carstedt, Helene Rhodes, John Schladweiler, Adele McCarty, and Brian Rootberg. Despite the little time that they were given, they arranged for everything needed and made sure that the walk went smoothly.

The walk started at Blue Star Memorial Woods on the corner of Harms and Lake in Glenview. It was brisk at starting time, but Dunkin Donuts provided much needed coffee. Sue Roberts, President of the New Foundation Center, treated walkers with donuts.

Co-presidents Pat Rodbro and Sandra Shovers welcomed the walkers and explained what NAMI CCNS does and hopes to do. Hugh Brady, President of the Board of Directors of NAMI Illinois, was nice enough to visit and tell us about important new legislative developments affecting mental health care in Illinois

Junior and Senior Peer Leaders from Regina High School led walkers through warm-up exercises and then used their very positive energy to lead the other walkers on a path extending through Blue Star Memorial Woods, Glenview Woods, Harms Woods, and back.

The walkers, wearing free T-shirts promoting NAMI CCNS, were of all ages, from toddlers to grandparents, and even some dogs sported NAMI CCNS T-shirts. Everyone was in great spirits and had a wonderful time seeing old friends and making new ones.

After the walk, there was Grecian chicken from Johnny’s Kitchen and Tap and bruschetta from Gusto Italiano Ristorants to eat on paper plates provided by Foodstuffs. Music provided by 101.9fm THE MIX heightened the festive atmosphere.

All in all, the walk lived up to its name: Raising Awareness About Mental Illness With Every Step.

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To see ALL THE PICTURES – CLICK HERE

Our fearless leader and friends start the walk!

NEW STUDY on NAMI BASICS:

NAMI Basics: New Study on the Importance of Education and Support for Families of Children and Adolescents Living with Mental Illness

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 19, 2011 — A study published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies (August 2011) has found that a family education program offered by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illness produces “significant improvement” for families in communication and coping skills.

Currently offered in 36 states, “NAMI Basics” consists of six classes that meet either weekly or twice weekly for two and half hours per class. They are led by two teachers or facilitators who themselves have had the experience of having a young child or adolescent live with mental illness.

“Parents play a critical role in treatment and recovery of the children they love,” said NAMI Executive Director Michael J. Fitzpatrick. “Doctors and other mental health care workers are often unable to provide the level of education and support they need.”

“NAMI Basics bridges the gap. It provides help that can’t be found in a doctor’s office.”

The study found:

• Parents and caregivers who participated in the study reported improvements in self-care and empowerment, based on information and about resources, parenting strategies and self-advocacy.
• Participants “also experienced a reduction in inflammatory communications,” through control of anger, preemption of problems, and being highly specific about expectations.
• Participants did not report changes in “affirmational communications” within the family. However, this may simply reflect the emphasis of the curriculum.

The study is based on “before” and “after” questionnaires completed by 36 caregivers in Mississippi and Tennessee in 2008-2009. The small sample and geographic scope should cause the study to be interpreted cautiously, while suggesting directions for broader research.

Hugh Brady of NAMI IL recently spoke about the need for everyone’s help to prevent a grave loss of Mental Health services in the State of IL. You can help.

Please read on:

Legislative Update:

Action Needed – ASAP

By Hugh Brady

The Illinois General Assembly will meet for its Fall veto session during the last week of October and the second week of November.  Our legislators must address two important mental health items during these final meetings of 2011:

·        Governor Quinn’s plans to close and restructure state mental hospitals, and

·        The missing $30 million.

We urge every NAMI member will contact their state legislators about these two issues, if possible, before the veto session begins and certainly before it ends.

If you don’t know who your State Legislators are, you can find out through this link:

http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByZip.aspx

Once you’re there, type in your Zip Code, or you can also do a search using your home address by clicking on the address tab at the top of the Zip Code page.

Either way, the search program will take you to a page that lists your legislators.  Once you’re there, click on a legislator’s name and you will be taken to a page with their contact information, including the phone number of their local office.

If you write, send copies of your letter to your legislators’ local and Springfield offices.  And if call, remember you probably won’t talk to the legislator him/herself, but will talk with a secretary.  Go ahead and leave a message.

Message for State Representatives:

Governor Quinn has proposed closing 3 state mental hospitals and reducing services at most others.  This will result in a net reduction in acute care beds for non-criminal patients from the current 550 down to 220.  There is no plan to provide services for the people who will be displaced.  There is no additional funding for community mental health service providers to care for the people who will be displaced.  The legislature should insure that there are no closures or reorganization until there is a plan and funding for services for the people who will be displaced.

If you want a snappy conclusion, you might say, “No plan?  No funding?  No closures!”

Message for State Senators:

When you contact your State Senator give him/her the same message you gave your State Representative.  But add:

The Senate must also pass SB (Senate Bill) 2407, including amendments 1 & 2 that the House passed last May.  This bill will transfer $30 million dollars to community mental health services.  That money was inadvertently put on the wrong line in the budget and so appropriated to the wrong department.  SB 2407 and its amendments 1 & 2 simply put the money back where it belongs.  The bill passed the House last May by a vote of 109 to 7.  The Senate should do the same, ASAP!

Once again, please call as soon as you can.  Once the veto session ends on November 10^th it will be too late!  Don’t let these problems go unaddressed because you didn’t talk to your legislators.

NAMI CCNS WALK – SUNDAY OCT 23rd 2011 – WE’RE ON!
RAISING AWARENESS at EVERY STEP!

TOMORROW – SUNDAY OCTOBER 23rd, Blue Star Memorial Woods Park at the corner of Lake Ave and Harms in Glenview – ENTRANCE off LAKE AVE ONLY.

8:00 am – CHECK- IN
9:00 am – WE WALK!

FOR MORE INFORMATION – Please see our website at www.namiccns.org or click below!

Please support us! Please join us! It’s not too late!

Don’t miss the upcoming Public Education Series gathering on NOV 7th 2011.

Hope to greet you there!

Please be a part of this great event: RAISE AWARENESS! RAISE HOPE! REDUCE STIGMA! RAISE FUNDS!

You can really make a difference for hundreds and hundreds of people.

Please join us on this walk or support a walker/team as generously as you can. NAMI changes lives. You can too!

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