1. health and fitness
2. disorders

CLIPPINGS
North Carolina’s Voice on Mental illness
Inside this issue
UPCOMING TRAINING
OPPORTUNITIES
2
LETTER FROM THE
PRESIDENT
3
PREVENTING SUICIDES ON
COLLEGE CAMPUSES
4
ONE STORY OF HOPE AND
RECOVERY AT HOLLY HILL
HOSPITAL
5
NAMI NORTH CAROLINA
BOARD RECRUITMENT
5
AFFILIATE CLIPPINGS
6
ANTIPSYCHOTIC SAFETY
REGISTRY PROGRAM
7
MUST READ BOOKS
8
NAMI VOLUNTEERS HELP
REBBIE JACKSON—PICK UP
THE PHONE
9
THE EVER-CHANGING
LANDSCAPE OF LOCAL
MANAGEMENT ENTITIES
9
A MATTER OF FAITH
10
HOW FAITH COMMUNITIES
11
HELPED ME RECOVER FROM
MY SCHIZOPHRENIA
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SHAPE
THE FUTURE OF THE
MEDICAID WAIVER
11
NAMI WALKS HIGHLIGHTS
12
CONTACT US!
NAMI North Carolina
309 West Millbrook Road
Suite 121
Raleigh, NC 27609
Phone:
HelpLine:
Email:
Website:
919.788.0801
800.451.9682
mail@naminc.org
www.naminc.org
Edition: Summer
May 2011
NAMI WALKS 2011...CHANGING MINDS ONE STEP AT A TIME AND
RAISING MONEY—ONE DONATION AT A TIME
On April 30, 2011 over 1,100 participants
gathered on the beautiful Dorothea Dix
campus in Raleigh to celebrate the reality
of mental health recovery and to reduce
stigma for people with mental illness. The
Walk was held in a new location – on the
“big field” and it offered lots more room for
family and affiliate picnics and other fun
activities.
In partnership with Sunrise Premiums, NAMI
North Carolina was able to reward 24 Team
Captains who lead their teams to raise $1,000
or more ONLINE in support of the 2011 NAMIWalk by providing a fully-transferable voucher
good for a 3 DAY, 2 NIGHT VACATION GETAWAY! This was a great incentive and really
helped up make our goal! Congratulations
also to Audry Hill who won the Amazon Kindle!
Master of Ceremonies and NAMI North
Carolina Board Member, Mike Mayer introduced NAMI Walks Honorary Chair, John
Gilmore, UNC Dept. of Psychiatry and Center of Excellence and Business Team Chair,
Dr. Rob Turner from Holly Hill Hospital.
NAMIWalks is the single largest fundraising
event for NAMI North
Carolina and this year, 28
NAMI affiliates took advantage of revenue sharing opportunities! NAMI
Walks has enabled many
of our affiliates to increase their educational
and support programs,
attend conferences – as
well as participate in purchasing nonprofit discounted billboards across
the state.
Almost 50 volunteers assisted in organizing and implementing the huge event including community volunteers from
Kohls. Over 50 local businesses and organizations provided sponsorships of cash
and in-kind donations – including fruit and
health bars from
Whole Foods,
fruit from Kroger
and water from
Cocoa Cola Bottling Company.
The crowd enjoyed our newest edition of a Bounce
House (donated by Carolina Bounce
House) as well as our “after the Walk”
band, End of the Road.
Road
The crowd enjoyed visits with local mascots, including Wool. E. Bull and Muddy the
Mudcat! DJ Taylor Made kept the crowd
on its feet with great music, fun games,
and even costumes for the song Y-M-C-A!
NAMI services include psycho-educational
classes, support groups, advocacy, Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), presentations and resource specialists. One in four families are
affected by mental illness and NAMI is here to
support
them. All services offered by
NAMI are free of
charge to participants.
Donations of
support are still
being accepted at the Walk website at
www.nami.org/namiwalks/nc or by calling the
office direct at 800-451-9682.
Page 2
20102010-2011
NAMI North Carolina
Board of Directors
Executive Committee
David Bullins
President
Vickie Carpenter
President Elect
Bonnie Currie
Secretary
Marc Jacques
Treasurer, Consumer
Council Chair
Art Springer
At-large Member
www.naminc.org
IMPORTANT DATES AND CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION
NAMI North Carolina Board Meetings
Saturday, June 18, 2011 Board Retreat
Committee and Call Information
Affiliate Presidents’ Call
7:00-8:00pm 1st Wednesday monthly
ddihoff@naminc.org
Next To Normal—
Normal—at Charlotte’s Knight Theater!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Consumer Council
6:00pm—7:00pm 1st Thursday monthly
gharrison@naminc.org
Affiliate Leadership Training
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Mental Illness Awareness Week
October 2-8, 2011
Development Committee
9:00am 1st Monday monthly
skingcope@naminc.org
Annual Conference
Friday and Saturday, October 7-8, 2011
Quarterly Program Teacher/Coordinator Calls
3:00-4:00pm 4th Thursday Quarterly
(June 24)
bpiper@naminc.org or jrothman@naminc.org
Jim Pitts, PhD
Immediate Past President
Barbara diCiero
Becky Faucette
Samuel Hargrove
Veterans’ Council Liaison
Ernst Hayman
Lena Klumper, PhD
Mary T. Mandell, MD
Suzanne Martin, PhD
Mike Mayer, PhD
Julie McCormick
Tim Nordgren
Ted Thomas
Mike Weaver
NAMI NC Office Staff
Please Note the Changes in the Affiliate Leadership Training and Annual Conference!
NAMI North carolina is very pleased to be able to
offer the Annual Conference once again in October—
ber—in alignment with National Mental Illness
Awareness Week!
Call In Information for all Committees:
1-866-316-1519
Login password: 965-266#
DON’T MISS THESE UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES TO GET TEACHER TRAINED IN
NAMI’S SIGNATURE SUPPORT AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
NAMI PROGRAMS TEACHER TRAININGS
August 55-7, 2011
Family to Family
Greensboro
Sept. 3030-Oct., 2011
Connection
Asheville
October 88-9, 2011
In Our Own Voice
Raleigh
March 2323-25, 2012
Family to Family
NAMI Basics
Goldsboro
April 1313-15, 2012
Peer to Peer
Family Support Group
Morehead City
Deby Dihoff, M.A.
Executive Director
Gloria Harrison
Helpline Manager
Susan King Cope
Development and Special
Events Director
Claudia Krueck
Office Manager/Bookkeeper
Brenda Piper
Family–to-Family Program
Director
Jennifer Rothman
Young Families Program
Director
Jai Harris
Membership Specialist
NAMI North Carolina is pleased to
accept submissions, although
guaranteed publication requires
prior approval.
For more information about these teacher training opportunities, please contact
Brenda Piper, Programs Director (Family to Family, NAMI Connection, Support Groups)
bpiper@naminc.org or 919-788-0801 x 4
Jennifer Rothman, Programs Director (NAMI Basics, In Our Own Voice, Peer to Peer)
jrothman@naminc.org or 919-788-0801 x 2
National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina
LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
If you haven’t heard yet, NAMI NC just completed its
seventh very successful NAMIWalks. Again, our walk
was held on the beautiful campus of Dorothea Dix
Hospital in Raleigh and we thank the Department of
Health and Human Services for their permission and
help. On behalf of our Board of Directors, here is a
very big Thank You to every last person who contributed to this accomplishment. Our very capable Director of Development, Susan King-Cope, led us in
this extremely important undertaking. No other
event in the entire year gives NAMI North Carolina as
much visibility, good publicity, or brings in as much
funding to support our vital mission. Elsewhere is this newsletter, you
will find more information about the walk and additional appreciation for
our valued supporters.
A big THANK YOU also goes out to our affiliates in the far western part of
our state for planning and carrying out their second annual Regional
Walk at Carrier Park in Asheville, NC on the same date as our walk in
Raleigh. While Raleigh is a central location for our walk for most of our
members, it is a 600 mile round trip for many members in the far western part of the state. This year, NAMI NC board members Jim Pitts, Ted
Thomas and I, along with members of our families, attended this event.
This was a well attended and very successful event with about two
dozen items on a silent auction, a number of items on a raffle and food
and tee shirt sales adding to the income produced for NAMI NC and our
local affiliates.
If you have not had a chance to attend our NAMIWalks—please plan to
do so next year—it is a great event that is changing minds...one step at a
time!
Page 3
2011 NAMIWALKS SPONSORS
GOLD
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
KICK OFF LUNCH
Eli Lilly and Company
SILVER
Holly Hill Hospital
Myriad Media Designs
PhRMA
START/FINISH LINE
AstraZeneca
Graham Presbyterian Church
Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services
BRONZE
AirTran
Branch Residuals & Soils, LLC
Coastal Carolina Neuropsychiatric Center & Crisis Ctr.
Easter Seals UCP - North Carolina
Mission Health and Hospital - Asheville
NAMI Pitt County
One Mind Mental Illness Ministries
Teleflex Medical
Wal-Mart
SUPPORTER
A Alexandra Patterson Photography
Arboc Mobility
Brynn Marr Hospital
Coca Cola Bottling Company
CooperRiis
Fellowship Health Resources, Inc.
Garriss Hardy & Associates
GEN Buck & Marianne Kernan
Golden Corral
Jason's Deli - Triangle Area
Keys of Carolina
NAMI Durham
NAMI NC Board of Directors
Taylor Made DJ Services
The Silber Family
Therapeutic Alternatives, Inc.
KILOMETER
Balloon Decor
Bounce Carolina
Best Friends Cemetery and Crematory
Brenda and Jack Glenn
Corporate Incentive Products
End of the Road
Fairmont United Methodist Church
Fiberglass Pool Depot
Hamilton Hill International Designer Jewelry
Lutheran Retirement Ministries of Alamance Co.
NAMI Cumberland County
NAMI Moore County
NAMI Forsyth
NAMI Randolph
NAMI Wake County
Temple Beth Or
The Saguaro Group
Whole Foods
Windstream
Page 4
8
www.naminc.org
PREVENTING SUICIDES ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
College can be a stressful time, and the numbers bear
that out. The American College Health Association’s 2006
National College Health Assessment found that 94 percent of the college and university students surveyed reported that they felt overwhelmed by everything they had
to do. Forty-four percent confessed that they had felt so
depressed it was difficult to function. And 18 percent had
a depressive disorder.
According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2008,
young adults age 18 to 25 were more
likely than adults age 26 to 49 to have
had serious thoughts of suicide (6.7
percent vs. 3.9 percent).
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is
taking action on a broader scale (see page 8). With
this public/private partnership, Ms. Hyde and other
leaders from Government, business, the advocacy
community, and other groups work together to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
For more information about SAMHSA’s suicide prevention activities, visit ht t p://www.samhsa.gov/
prevention/suicide.aspx
—By Rebecca A. Clay
These statistics underscore why Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness—including
suicide prevention—is the first of eight Strategic Initiatives
that will guide SAMHSA’s work through 2014.
SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES AND INFORMATION
“Suicide is a preventable tragedy for college students,
their families, and our communities,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., noting the importance of
education about depression, substance abuse, and other
suicide risk factors, as well as resources such as SAMHSA’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. “By working on
suicide prevention on campuses and elsewhere, we can
save thousands of lives.”
For college students, they need all the support they can
get. The bad economy is adding to students’ stress about
debt and job prospects once they graduate. A 2010
Higher Education Research Institute study of more than
200,000 freshmen entering 4-year colleges found that
their emotional health had declined to the lowest level
since the annual survey began 25 years ago.
The Campus Suicide Prevention Grants program is one
way SAMHSA is working to achieve that goal. The program
supports colleges and universities in their efforts to prevent suicide among students and to enhance services for
students with depression, substance abuse, and other
behavioral health problems that put them at risk of suicide.
• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255) - a free, 24-hour hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center
provides prevention support, training, and resources
to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies.
Also, provides SAMHSA suicide grant and grantee
meeting information.
• National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
public/private partnership that catalyzes planning,
implementation, and accountability for updating and
advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
• National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and
Objectives for Action – provides a framework for preventing premature deaths due to suicide across the
life span in the United States.
• Mental Health Services Locator - a facility locator that
provides comprehensive information about mental
health services and resources by State or U.S. Territory.
• Studies and Statistics on Suicide - a list of reports and
statistics on suicide administered by SAMHSA’s Office
of Applied Studies (OAS).
National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina
Page 5
ONE STORY OF HOPE AND RECOVERY AT HOLLY HILL HOSPITAL
Twenty four years ago I had reached the end of my rope. I
had struggled with depression as long as I could. My life
had been hard on me and everyone who depended on me. I
remember driving to the Wake County Mental Health Center
in Raleigh and thinking, I am giving you one more chance to
prove that life is worth living or I am going to end it today.
I was full of nerves, headachy and exhausted from not
sleeping. My thoughts were full of death. I dwelled on suicide, graves, the apocalypse, including end of the world scenarios that went over and over in my mind. I had a teenage
daughter and a loving husband who were far away from my
consciousness. I felt the best I could do for them was to
stay away and not contaminate them with the decay in my
heart. God had abandoned me and I had abandoned God.
Fortunately, staff from the Mental Health Center walked me
across the street to Holly Hill Hospital. Full of despair, I entered a world of hope. I was in a therapy group each morning to talk about problems. I could see myself in others in
the group. After a few weeks, I even found a little humor
among all of the tears.
Gradually the shy person I was became able to talk to other
patients and I made friends. I learned to play a really bad
game of pool and a good game of rummy. I never really
understood before being hospitalized that life was meant
to enjoy and not just to struggle through.
My time there was not an instant cure. There have been
years of therapy, support groups, ups and downs. I am still
on medication, because my kind of serious depression
doesn’t just “go away.” However, I came out of my house
of denial and shame. Holly Hill helped me open the door to
recovery.
Now, as the HelpLine Manager at NAMI North Carolina, I
remember that visit to Holly Hill Hospital that saved my
life—and refer to those in need of mental health care there
as well.
At first, my psychiatrist, Dr. Blumenthal, gave me an antidepressant “to keep my elevator from dropping all the way to
the basement.” Little did he know how deep my basement
was! Then, he put me in a special support group for adult
children of alcoholics.
Gloria Harrison
HelpLine Manager
NAMI North Carolina
To talk with the NAMI North Carolina
HelpLine—call 1-800-451-9682
GIVE A LITTLE—GET A LOT (OF THANKS, PERSONAL GRATIFICATION, APPRECIATION AND HOPE)
Have you ever wanted to make a real difference and just did not know how to do it? Do you have a professional skill and
want to give back to the community that has helped you or a family member? Do you have ideas on how to make a nonprofit stronger and more efficient? Then NAMI North Carolina is the right board for you!!
NAMI North Carolina is currently looking for Accountants/CPAs, fund raisers, attorneys, marketing experts and business
managers who are willing to use their professional skills to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina by
serving as a board member with these special skills.
The board is looking for individuals with a passion for improving the quality of life for those living with mental illnesses to
help grow our overall membership and increase our financial position in order that we can make a bigger impact statewide.
Preferred geographic distribution: Eastern and Western NC
Requirements: NAMI membership, prefer activity within an affiliate for one year
75% of our board must be composed of family members or those living with a mental illness. We would also love to increase the racial/ethnic diversity on the board.
NAMI North Carolina Board meets six times per year in Greensboro. Some phone in capabilities.
For more information or to express your interest, please contact Art Springer, Chair, Nomination Committee, NAMI North
Carolina Board at 336-437-0206 or email beckart@triad.rr.com.
Page 6
8
A
FFILI ATE
NAMI DURHAM
Linda Burkhart was selected as Durham’s System of Care Community Partner of the Year.
The nomination and selection was made
by Durham’s community partners because of the valuable contributions she
has made in helping to establish Durham’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program. Linda and other awardees were
honored at the Making A Difference
breakfast on April 21.
NAMI WAKE AND NAMI NC
NAMI North Carolina and NAMI Wake
County attended WRAL’s Wellness Weekend. The event included activities for the
whole family, including
potentially life saving
health tests and screenings, valuable medical
and health information,
interactive sports activities, simulators, Healthy
Cooking demonstrations, rock climbing,
and much more!
NAMI North Carolina and NAMI Wake
volunteers felt the weekend event was a
great way to reach into the community
and provide valuable information about
mental illness—a illness like any other!
NAMI UNION COUNTY
Earlier this year, Lucille Clontz celebrated
her 90th birthday (December 15th).
As part of her birthday celebrations—
Lucille asked friends and family members to make a donation to NAMI instead
of buying gifts. The result—NAMI union
County sent over $700 to NAMI North
Carolina and kept some for themselves!
NAMI North Carolina is
so grateful to have
Lucille as a long-time
member and her
thoughtfulness and
dedication to NAMI is
heartfelt!
Happy Birthday, Lucille, may you have
many more!!
www.naminc.org
C
L I P P I N G S
NAMI ON CAMPUS AT
NC CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
On March 1st, at
NAMI Durham’s
education meeting,
Yusador Gaye,
President of NAMI
on Campus NCCU,
gave a presentation
on how the group
came to be and her
challenges in keeping it going.
Ms. Gaye has a college-age son with
mental illness. As a graduate student at
NCCU, she and others started the NAMI
On Campus affiliate as a group project in
a Leadership class. The members of the
group understood the importance of
mental illness awareness on campus.
Their research showed that NCCU has at
least one suicide every year. The purposes of NAMI-NCCU are to:
•
Educate and increase students’
awareness of mental health issues;
•
Combat the stigma of mental illness
through education;
•
Promote early detection and intervention;
•
Encourage students who may be
troubled to seek help.
But the group faces an existential dilemma: The organization was created by
graduate students in their last semester
before graduation and now they are busy
executives. How do they attract undergraduates who are clearly necessary to
keep the affiliate going?
They have tried presentation at a Student Organizations Fair and they have
set a low ($5) membership fee for students. They intend to keep trying,
through having membership qualify for a
community service requirement, by organizing a NAMIWalks team, through announcements on the campus radio station, and through an information series.
If you have ideas for helping NAMI-NCCU,
please contact Yusador Gaye at
ygaye@eagles.ncce.edu or 919-8104895.
NAMI CHARLOTTE
David Rains just published new book:
Appalachian Mountain Stories! David’s
book is about everything from murder to
love to preaching and
takes place in the
heart of the Appalachian Mountains.
David Rains was born
in Middlesboro, KY.
He is married to
Suzie Anderson Shermer. He is a retired
arbitrator/mediator,
past president of
NAMI Charlotte and
past president of Charlotte Rehabilitation
Homes, a home for recovering addicts.
He is currently a support group leader.
Go to www.publishamerica.net/
product120139.html to purchase a copy
of the book, then click Add to Cart. For
an introductory discount of 20%, use
coupon code: Discount20.
NAMI IREDELL
NAMI is more than a great support system—it is also a family. When Ruth Crousore’s home in Statesville caught on fire
and totally destroyed all her belongings—
the Red Cross helped by providing food
and immediate shelter—but it was Ruth’s
friends from NAMI that also made a difference. Friends have provided a temporary place for her to stay, have helped
with the cremation of her 2 dogs which
were trapped in the house fire and provided clothes as well as much needed
emotional support.
“I don’t know what I would have done if I
didn’t have NAMI” she said. “They give
me as much support as I allow them to.
It’s a family.” and while she’s lost a lot
in the fire, she’s gained a lot as well. “All
my life all I’ve ever wanted was to be
accepted,” she said. “This has made me
realize that I have friends and I am accepted.”
NAMI Iredell has started a fund to help
Ruth. Donations can be made at any
Wachovia Bank—just designate to the
Ruth Crousore Fund.
National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina
Page 7
ANTIPSYCHOTIC SAFETY REGISTRY PROGRAM
The use of antipsychotic medications in children is an
issue confronting everyone involved: parents, caregivers, healthcare professionals and advocates. Some
commonly utilized antipsychotic medications include
Zyprexa®, Risperdal®, Abilify®, Seroquel®, and
Geodon®. It is recognized that some of these medications do not have Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approval for use in children. Although it is appropriate
to prescribe medications without FDA approval (also
called “off-label use”), sometime the appropriate dosage and monitoring is unknown, which can be an increased risk for side effects. There is some information
that suggests that children and adolescents appear to
be at similar or perhaps greater risk than adults for side
effects related to the use of antipsychotic medications.
Taking into consideration the need to assure medications are used safely, the North Carolina Division of
Medical Assistance (NC Medicaid) developed a policy
entitled Off Label Antipsychotic Monitoring in Children
through Age 17. This policy creates an opportunity to
gather information about antipsychotic prescribing
trends in the children served by NC Medicaid.
NC Medicaid, partnering with Community Care of North
Carolina, is implementing a safety monitoring registry
for providers to document the use of antipsychotic therapy in Medicaid eligibles ages 0 through 17. This registry is supported by an advisory panel consisting of child
psychiatrist representatives from the four medical universities in North Carolina. This is not a prior authorization process and doctors are allowed to continue to prescribe antipsychotics as in the past. The only difference
is that the safety monitoring must be documented. The
prior documentation registry is called A+KIDS
(Antipsychotics-Keeping It Documented for Safety).
This program encourages the use of appropriate
safety monitoring and the safe and effective use of
antipsychotics in Medicaid eligible children in North
Carolina.
Both physical and mental health is important. All
antipsychotic treatment should be monitored by a
healthcare provider. Be sure to keep all of your
scheduled appointments so that you stay healthy
while on this medication and to allow your provider
to monitor for emergence of side effects. Before
giving up on a medication that could or has caused
weight gain, or is causing other adverse effects,
talk with your doctor about how these can perhaps
be managed If this is unsuccessful, your doctor can
work with you to help you to find a proper therapy
that works best for you.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website has detailed information regarding behavioral
health disease state and psychoactive medication
education. This information may be accessed at
www.NAMI.org .
DO YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NEXT CLIPPINGS NEWSLETTER?
We want to hear from you! We’re looking for people to contribute to the NAMI Clippings newsletter
and share their successes, tips, and creativity. including:
•
Poetry and artwork
•
Articles about local/state involvement in NAMI programs
•
Personal stories
•
General Interest articles
•
Spotlight suggestions
•
Anything else you want to
contribute to the newsletter!
For more information or to submit your piece, email skingcope@naminc.org.
Page 8
www.naminc.org
MUST READ BOOKS—GET THEM FROM THE
NAMI NORTH CAROLINA LENDING LIBRARY
Wrestling with Our Inner Angels
Nancy Kehoe
Wrestling with Our Inner Angels is Nancy Kehoe's compelling, intimate, and moving story of how she brought
her background as a psychologist and a nun in the Religious of the Sacred Heart to bear in the groups she
formed to explore the role of faith and spirituality in treatment--and in their lives. Through fascinating stories of
her own spiritual journey, she gives readers of all backgrounds and interests new insights into the inner lives of the mentally ill
and new ways of thinking about the role of spirituality and faith in all our
lives.
Crazy
Pete Earley
Suffering delusions from bipolar disorder, Mike Earley
broke into a stranger's home to take a bubble bath and
significantly damaged the premises. That Mike's act was
viewed as a crime rather than a psychotic episode
spurred his father, veteran journalist Pete Earley (Family
of Spies), to investigate the "criminalization of the mentally ill." Earley gains access to the Miami-Dade County jail where guards
admit that they routinely beat prisoners. He learns that Deidra Sanbourne,
whose 1988 deinstitutionalization was a landmark civil rights case, died
after being neglected in a boarding house. A public defender describes
how he—not always happily—helps mentally ill clients avoid hospitalization.
Throughout this grim work, Earley uneasily straddles the line between father and journalist. He compromises his objectivity when for most of his
son's ordeal—Mike gets probation—he refuses to entertain the possibility
that the terrified woman whose home Mike trashed also is a victim.
In Theaters now…
The Beaver
Directed by Jodi FosterStarring Jodie Foster and
Mel Gibson
The Beaver, a comedy-drama directed by and co-starring
Academy Award-winners Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson, is
the story of a man living with depression and its impact
on his family. Presented by Participant Media and Summit Entertainment, The Beaver explores the complexity of personal challenges that many encounter as part of this human condition.
You Will Find Me
Crawling through the tunnels of darkness
Underneath the vilest sin
Trying to wash away the excrement
That's clinging to my skin
Grabbing hold of jagged edges
Cutting fingers to the bone
While the children are at recess
I will be the one alone
Crouching far back in the corner
Reading poems to my doll
Some will rise to the occasion
Others, like myself, will fall
Sleeping in the sheltered doorway
Hiding in the vacant shed
Always conscious of my exits
I must stay one step ahead
For the monsters--they pursue me
And the tricksters laugh out loud
You may not recognize me
In a downtown crowd
But I'll be right there beside you
Close enough to touch your hand
Just another weary pilgrim
Searching for the Promised Land
If an angel comes to guide me
I'll be gone by morning light
But if you find that I'm still sleeping here
Would you make sure I'm all right
I don't want to be discovered
With tears frozen to my face
Because nobody ever found me
And I never found a place
If you seek me, stop and listen
When there's stillness in the air
I like to sing "Amazing Grace"
When I think nobody's there
Or if there's poetry on the sidewalk
In the middle of the day
Look no more, for chances are
The poet's not too far away
By Sheila Seim
To order books or DVDs from the NAMI North Carolina lending library,
contact Gloria Harrison at gharrison@naminc.org or 919919-788788-0801. A
list of available titles is available onon-line at www.naminc.org.
National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina
Page 9
NAMI VOLUNTEERS HELP REBBIE JACKSON—PICK UP THE PHONE
When your last name is Jackson, as in the musical dynasty Jackson family, it’s not unusual to be asked to
headline any concert. But for Rebbie Jackson, the eldest
of the singing Jackson family, her involvement with the
Pick Up the Phone Tour,
which was held at the Durham Hayti Center in April was
much more personal – it reflects the struggles she and
her daughter Yashi experienced and conquered. Jackson said that suicide is prevalent among people diagnosed
with bi-polar disorder.
The tour, which showcased artists to bring heightened
awareness about depression, suicide and the stigma of
mental illness to the public was a great opportunity for
NAMI North Carolina to reach into the community to
show that there is a local agency that provides hope in
recovery. NAMI North Carolina volunteers Samuel
Hargrove and Renee Pinkney greeted the crowed and
spoke not only about their own personal struggles with
mental illness – but also about the free support, education and advocacy opportunities offered by NAMI North
Carolina and our local affiliates.
According to Rebbie Jackson, “the
problem with this situation is that
there is such a stigma with that. But
like any other kind of sickness, it has
to be treated. People with high blood
pressure or heart problems have to
take medication in order to function
properly. It’s the same thing with
people who are bi-polar. If you take your medication, it
can be adjusted. But if you don’t you run into severe
problems.”
The Pick Up the Phone Tour is the first musical tour
aimed at suicide prevention and is now in its second
Don't underestimate the value of doing
Nothing, of just going along, listening to all
the things you can't hear, and not bothering.
~Pooh's Little Instruction Book
inspired by A.A. Milne
year. Rebbie Jackson first performed in the early 70s in
the Jackson Family shows in Las Vegas, and later went
on to have her own solo career. She debuted with her
album “Centipede” in 1984. The title track, produced,
written and arranged, and featuring backup vocals by
Michael Jackson, reached No. 4 on the Black
She went on to record “Reaction” in 1986 and “R.U. Tuff
Enuff” in 1988. After a 10-year break from music, when
she raised her three children, Jackson signed with Michael’s MJJ Music in 1997 and released “Yours Faithfully” in 1998. It featured a remixed version of
“Centipede” featuring a rap by her son Austin and “Fly”.
Rebbie Jackson also held a show in Charlotte, NC—and
NAMI Charlotte helped kick off the night, as well.
THE EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF LOCAL
MANAGEMENT ENTITIES
It’s 2011, how many do we have? And how many will
we have in 2012, and 2013 when they must meet the
500,000 population in order to have a viable base to
have a financially successful waiver. Here’s what
we’re hearing today about what the line up will look
like (no guarantees here, things change constantly):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
ECBH
Sandhills and Southeastern Regional
Durham- Guilford-Cumberland-Johnston
Wake
Smoky Mountain
Western Highlands
Southeastern Center and Onslow Carteret
Mecklenburg
PBH-OPC-Five County-Alamance Caswell Rockingham
10. Eastpointe-Beacon
11. Pathways-Crossroads-Mental Health Partners
12. Centerpoint
There were once 41, now we’re at 23, looking like it
will be more like 12. A lot of change!
By: Deby Dihoff, MA
Executive Director
NAMI North Carolina
Page 10
www.naminc.org
A MATTER OF FAITH
Over 300 participants gathered at the St. Thomas More
church in Chapel Hill on April 1st for the Mental Illness
As a Spiritual Journey: Creating Caring Communities.
Communities The
goal of the 1-day conference was to eliminate stigma and
provide education, understanding and comfort to those suffering from mental illness, their families, interfaith communities and the local community—to help communities of faith
better understand and address the needs of a parishioner
affected by mental illness.
Reverend Susan Gregg-Schroeder shared her wonderfully
funny and touching story about her own struggles of living
with a mental illness and being part of church community
that did not know how to help her with her illness. She
shared clinical aspects of mental illness as well as the
stigma for clergy and congregation members. In addition, Dr.
Gary Duncan, Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNC-Chapel Hill, discussed the brain and brain
disorders and related that back to how congregations can
better help those with mental illness.
NAMI North Carolina Walks Manager, Susan King Cope challenged members of the conference to go back to their community of faith and form a Walk team—as in initial way to
start the dialogue about mental illness and becoming a caring community of for those affected by mental illness.
The Conference, sponsored by over 20 communities of faith
and 10 nonprofits, was a huge success and future plans are
being made to continue the dialogue. For more information,
please contact Barbara or Gove Elder with NAMI Orange
County at gelder5@nc.rr.com.
FAITH CONNECTIONS IN ACTION
In my many years of service in the mental health
field, there has been no greater challenge than
bridging the gap between mental health and the
faith community. Based on clients being advised by
their faith leader to reject medication or that their
illness is a “spirit” that could be exorcised to statements from colleagues such as “religious people”
should not be allowed to work in the human services
field, I concluded that there is a lack of respect and
understanding on both ends which gravely concerned me.
On April 1, 2011, I attended the Faith Connections
on Mental Illness (FCMI) Conference. The number of
attendees was evident that I was not alone in my
concern. To hear pastors and ministers share their
own personal challenges with mental illness and
their particular faith community was perhaps the
most powerful part of the conference as it demonstrated a transparency that faith leaders and mental
health clinicians are often too afraid or were taught
not to display. I was amazed to learn that there are
ministries such as the FCMI and Stephens Ministry,
already established and partnering with state and
local agencies such as NAMI (National Alliance on
Mental Illness) to effect change through education
and training.
The conference provided me with a blueprint and
tools necessary to begin bridging the gap between
the two worlds of mental health and the faith community; both of which I am passionate and dedicated. On that Sunday immediately following the
conference, I requested a meeting with my pastor
and within days we were at the table incorporating
what I had taken away from the conference with the
vision that God had already given to him which included a crisis ministry with trained parishioners
operating as a team. I shared the manual and other
resource materials provided at the conference and I
shared the impact that the conference had on me
personally. It was quite refreshing to hear my own
faith leaders share their willingness to be educated
and trained on mental illness. In fact, during the
meeting it was decided that The River Church will
partner with the Faith Connections on Mental Illness
to carry out its commitment to bridging the gap between mental health and the faith community.
Mental Health Provider
National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina
Page 11
HOW FAITH COMMUNITIES HELPED ME RECOVER FROM MY SCHIZOPHRENIA
All my life in had a faint feeling something was wrong with
me. When I was nearly eighteen years old I had a severe
nervous break down. Two years later I was hospitalized in
patient. The pastor of my home church visited me at that
time, which was a great comfort to me. It was just his
presence with me when I was very sick that was so significant. My pastor coming to see me in the 1960's in a Pchy
hospital was radical.
After being discharged from the hospital I met a legally
blind man named Steve. Steve is one of the kindest people I've have ever known. Steve got me involved in another
church, First Baptist Church, Raleigh. From the first of our
relationship Steve knew about my mental health challenge. He has never reacted negatively to my mental illness.
Years later again I was hospitalized. I called my church. I
asked if some one from the church could visit me. That
very afternoon two pastors from the church came to see
me. That meant a lot to me.
Even later I began attending SNL at a United Methodist
Church on Sunday night. The pastor wears blue jeans.
People dress very informally. Much of the music is Black
Gospel. Every Sunday the pastor preaches from one of
the twelve steps of AA or NA. Preaching from those steps
encourages people with mental illness to attend SNL. The
pastor who preaches at SNL is very interested in advocating for a better mental health system in our area.
The people in these three churches had great empathy
and care for me. I definitely believe being plugged into
these three churches has helped me recover from my
mental illness.
By: Kent Goddard
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THE MEDICAID WAIVER
In North Carolina, are we getting used to the ever changing landscape of how the public mental health system is
organized yet? Brace yourselves, for one of the biggest
ever changes is coming. The state has required that the
whole state come under a Medicaid Waiver – a different
way of funding services that will slow down the growth in
spending while having a trade off for flexibility. Communities will get to pay different rates, decide which providers
they want to work with, and even decide on innovative
services. There are opportunities galore, but there are
also many risks. And one of the biggest risks perhaps is
the constant change that causes angst in our system and
confusion of people trying to access a system that is always recreating itself. Right now the system is what we
call fee for service – within the definitions, approved providers can enroll and bill. Under managed care, the entity
chooses which providers they need, and if they have trouble finding a psychiatrist because they are very rural, well,
they can pay more to make sure they can get one.
sumers and families? Here are some questions you might
ask your LME:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ask for a copy of the contract between the state and
the LME for the waiver;
Ask how families and those with mental illness will be
included in the planning and oversight of the managed care plan, and how recommendations will be
incorporated;
Ask for a list of covered mental health services;
Ask about their standard for access to care- will there
be at least two providers of each service within a reasonable drive time?
Ask how mental health and physical health care will
be coordinated?
Ask about quality assurance for providers. Will outcome data be used to determine if they continue as a
provider?
Ask about the percentage of each dollar that will be
spent on direct services (medical loss ratio) – it
should be high
Managing a waiver properly is a tough job, with a steep
learning curve. You must make sure you can meet the
needs of your population within a capped amount of
money- not like fee for service. It’s all about controlling
costs and working to ensure and improve the quality of
care.
Get involved. Ask questions. You can shape what is provided in a waiver environment through effective advocacy
possibly far more than is possible in a fee for service environment.
What can we do as advocates to shape the change that is
coming our way to be the best possible outcome for con-
By: Deby Dihoff, MA
NAMI North Carolina Executive Director
National Alliance on Mental Illness North Carolina
NAMIWALKS 2011—
2011—AND THE AWARD GOES TO…
Wow! Thanks to Team Holly Hill Hope and Business Team Chair Rob Turner—Team Holly Hill stole the
Awards this year! But—there is still plenty to celebrate!!
Awards will be presented at the 2011 Annual Conference in September 16-17— be sure to attend!!
Individual Who Raised the Most Money:
Team Who Raised the Most Money
Affiliate Who Raised the Most Money
Super Team Who Raised the Most Money
Team Most Walkers (online)
Best TT-Shirt
Most Team Spirit
NAMI on Campus Award
Best Community Team
Provider Team Award
Faith Community Team Award
Best All Around
Based upon results as of May 5, 2011
Dr. Rob Turner $7,510
Holly Hill Hope
$8,640
NAMI Wake
$21,910
Holly Hill
$10,025
NOC-NCSU
41 Walkers on-line
NAMI Randolph County
Breaking Dawn
NAMI on Campus—UNC
Jason’s Deli
Coastal Carolina Neuropsychiatric Center
(great T-shirt, raised $3,010, sponsor and
wonderful 1st time team!!
Chapel Hill Bible Church $3,062
NAMI Guilford and NAMI Cumberland Co.
Many thanks to Andrea Patterson (NAMI Wake)
and the many other photographers for taking the
beautiful Walk photos we have used in this newsletter!
In order to save resources—Clippings is going electronic! If you would like to receive your copy of Clippings
by email—please contact the State office (919.788.0801 or email skingcope@naminc.org with your email
address! Clippings will also be available on our website: www.naminc.org!!
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