Volume 18, No. 2 NAMI Dallas (214) February 2015

Transcription

1 Find Help. Find Hope An Affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness A grassroots, family and consumer self-help, support, education and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses and their families. Such illnesses are now known as serious and persistent neurobiological brain disorders. General Meeting Thursday, February 5, 2015 Support Groups: 6 p.m.-7 p.m. Presentation: 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Meeting Location: Park Central Baptist Church 7777 LBJ Freeway, Dallas, TX The February General Meeting will feature a discussion from the Fantastic Four. This panel discussion will include four members of a very special committee currently working on project that could impact individuals subscribed to the Medicaid funding through NorthSTAR. Nothing About Us Without Us! and friends are preparing to head to our state s capitol. Why? To let our voices be heard of course. With whispers of many changes, we want to ensure that mental health receives its due justice. On Capitol Day we rally to draw public attention to important legislation for persons with living with mental illnesses in Texas and visit with members of the Legislature. This is an important opportunity to address concerns in a uniformed manner. Those making decisions on behalf of the mental health community MUST see the faces they impact. Take this chance to put your words into action. Your participation could be the chief factor in saving many lives through quality mental health care. Does being an everyday hero sound like something you d be interested in? Take a look a page 5 to learn more about Capitol Day and how to become involved. 1

2 Some helpful websites NAMI National NAMI Texas PLAN National Mental Health Association NARSAD (National Alliance Research on Schizophrenia & Depression) Recovery International Child & Guidance Center Texas Legislature Online United States Congress Information Senate (202) House (202) Green Oaks Hospital physical address is 7808 Clodus Field Dallas, TX It is located in North Dallas and is also the crisis intervention unit for the NorthSTAR area. The hospital is near the east end of Merit Drive behind Medical City Dallas Hospital at Forest Lane and Central. This Psychiatric Crisis Stabilization Unit can be utilized as a psychiatric emergency room, just as Parkland Hospital Psychiatric ER is used. It is not necessary to be a member of NorthSTAR to access the services available at Green Oaks. They will accept indigent, Medicaid, NorthSTAR, most insurances, or private pay patients. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The NEWS is published monthly by 2812 Swiss Avenue. Dallas, Texas Ph. (214) namidallas@namidallas.org Web: Hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Friday The Board meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at Green Oaks Hospital. Visitors are welcome to attend. Staff Executive Director & Program Director: Marsha Rodgers Community Outreach & Support Coordinator: Quita Williams Director of Development & Public Policy: Matt Wolff Special Projects Manager John Dornheim Board of Directors President: Sherry Cusumano Vice-President: Herb Cotner Secretary: Ilana Presley Treasurer: Paul Sloane Board Members-At-Large Teena Adler Roberts* Mary Berger *Deborah Goodall * Leonard Keesee * Claudia Smith * David Whitley Current Board Members through May 2014 Current Board Members for 2 nd Term: New Board Members for 1 st Term: Ilana Presley, Secretary Mary Berger Claudia Smith Deborah Goodall, at large David Whitley Teena Adler, at large Leonard Keesee NAMI DALLAS MEMBER & VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH honors a seasoned volunteer: Anna Salazar. Anna currently serves as -to- teacher and presenter for NAMI in the Lobby. She consistenly offers support and educations to peers in need. Anna you are truly remarkable and we appreciate your hard work. Keep your beautiful spirit! 2

3 Support Groups For individuals living with a mental illness and family members/caregivers of loved ones diagnosed with a mental illness. Dallas TYPE TIME LOCATION FACILITATOR CONTACT 1 st Thursday Park Central Baptist Church Rita 6-7 p.m LBJ Freeway Mike (214) Dallas, TX Dallas (near Love Field Airport) Rockwall Greenville Terrell Duncanville Parents Group (Parents of children & adolescents) Richardson NAMI Connection Dallas NAMI Connection Dallas Schizophrenia Richardson Dual Recovery Dallas Dallas Rockwall Greenville 2 nd Saturday 10-11:30 a.m. 2 nd Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. 3 rd Tuesday 7 p.m. 3 rd Thursday 6:30-8:00 p.m. PLEASE CONTACT FACILITATORS TO ATTEND 3 rd Thursday 7-8:30 p.m. 1 st Thursday 6-7 p.m. 3 rd Thursday 6:30 p.m. Every Tuesday 7 p.m. Mon. & Wed. 5-6 p.m. 2 nd & 4 th Wednesday 7-8 p.m. 2 nd Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. 3 rd Tuesday 7 p.m. St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store 3052 W. Northwest Highway Dallas, TX First United Methodist Church 1200 E. Yellow Jacket Rockwall, TX Salem-Kinser UMC 1315 Rees St. Greenville, TX Lakes Regional Bldg 400 Airport Rd. Terrell, TX Trinity United Methodist Church 1302 South Clark Rd. Duncanville, TX The Warren Center 320 Custer Road Richardson, TX Park Central Baptist Church 7777 LBJ Freeway Dallas, TX Office 2812 Swiss Ave. (parking in back) Dallas, TX Custer Rd. (First Center) (House across the street from First UMC) Richardson, TX Quaker Meeting House 5828 Worth St. Dallas, TX Iris Place Apartments Emily Rd. Dallas, TX First United Methodist Church 1200 E. Yellow Jacket Rockwall, TX Salem-Kinser UMC 1315 Rees St. Greenville, TX Carmen (214) ext.117 or (214) Linda (214) Nadine (903) Emma Glenda Evelyn Madeline Cheryl Amanda (972) (214) (214) (214) (214) (214) Mike (903) Teena Sharniqua Vita (972) Mike (903) David (214) Jeanine (214) Amery William (214) Nadine (903)

4 Letter from our President Hello NAMI Members and Friends of NAMI!!! I hope that you ve been having a good January and are gearing up for the bus trip to Austin on February 19th!! Did you enjoy our little orientation to Advocacy that we did in our January general meeting? Didn t Matt make an interesting Senator? Anyway, the next step is for you to get signed up for a NAMI Smarts training if you haven t done so yet, so that you can register to be part of our day of advocacy at the capitol in Austin. If you ve already taken your training and registered through NAMI Texas, then you will also need to call the office at (214) so that they will know to include you in their numbers when reserving a bus. I believe that you will enjoy the training and also learn a great deal based on the evaluations we ve received from previous graduates! This is a NAMI Signature class and we are lucky to have a couple of NAMI Smarts teachers right here in the Dallas area! Our next general meeting with be a meeting with a committee of four people who are working on a very interesting project. As you know, the Sunset recommendation was to carve out Medicaid funding from NorthSTAR and include that funding in the Star/Star Plus managed care programs. In those managed care organizations, the payer is integrated. The rational for carving the funding into these organizations is the belief that integrating the payer will facilitate integrated care thus improving patient outcomes. IF these recommendations go into a bill and the bill is passed (which is a very big IF) this committee of four is looking at possible ways to provide services to the population who is not eligible for Medicaid in the Dallas County area but does meet criteria for treatment in the public mental health system (living at 200% of federal poverty and has a diagnosis which is covered in the public mental health system in Texas). So for those of you who have Medicaid, you will be able to become part of that system if this comes to pass. For those of you without Medicaid, this committee of four is working on a plan for ways that Dallas County could provide services for you. Which services are most important in facilitating recovery for you and/or your loved ones? This is your chance to voice your thoughts and ideas. The recovery mantra is Nothing About Us Without Us! We at believe that it is true! So come tell us about your thoughts and ideas when it comes to treatment, recovery and the redesign of your system, IF in fact, our system is to be redesigned at all. Remember, this is your system. I look forward to seeing you at the February meeting. Come at 6pm for a support group meeting and stick around for dinner and fellowship at 7:10pm. After dinner, please stay for the discussion and be ready to share your thoughts and ideas. I look forward to seeing you all at the next NAMI meeting. Sherry Cusumano Sherry Cusumano, RN, MS, LCDC President of Director of Region 2 on the NAMI Texas Board of Directors 4

5 Fight with All Your Might Please view the information below regarding our newest advocacy program, NAMI Smarts and our upcoming event Capitol Day! Training Details Choice 1 Location: PLAN of North Texas Address: Emily Rd. Ste. 240 Dallas, TX Date: January 21, 2015 Time: 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Choice 2: Location: Custer Road United Methodist Church Rm B-8 Address: 6601 Custer Rd. Plano, TX Date: January 29, 2015 Time: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Choice 3: Location: Metrocare Services Lancaster-Kiest Clinic Address: 3330 S. Lancaster Rd. Dallas, TX Date: February 3, 2015 Time: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Registration Details Individuals must register by: February 13, 2015 Registration fee: $10.00 (includes lunch) To register please contact Teena Adler Roberts AND Kelly Jeschke. Teena Adler Roberts Kelly Jeschke NAMI Texas (214) ext. 202 or tadler@namidallas.org (800) (Coordinator for bus trip) (Accepting ALL Registration Fees) Locate your Senator and Representative and if possible, call their offices for an appointment on February 19 between 1:15 pm and 3:00 pm. If they are not available, please ask to meet with their Chief of Staff or legislative health policy aide Capitol Day Details The itinerary is as follows: 6:00 am: Bus will leave from. Please plan to arrive between 5:15 a.m. and 5:45 a.m. 10:00 am - 11:45 am: Advocacy Workshop- receive briefings on key legislative issues 11:45 am - 12:15 pm: Box Lunch 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm: Rally on the South steps of the Capitol 1:15 pm - 3:30 pm: Visit with members of the Legislature 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm: Wrap-up your visit to the capitol with refreshments 5

6 Our next major event: Dallas NAMIWalks Kick Off Luncheon March 12, a.m. - 1:00p.m. Communities Foundation of Texas Mabel Peters Caruth Center 5500 Caruth Haven Lane, Dallas, TX RSVP requested by Friday, March 6,

7 The Recovery Corner The Recovery Corner is a section in which persons living with a mental illness in recovery can share a story of hope and recovery with our readers. Mom, Are you sure I m ok? By: Becky C. Maybe I was born with it. Maybe I developed it from having strep throat too many times. Whatever the case may be, my world has always been filled with maybes. Maybe I forgot to turn off the stove before leaving the house. Maybe I accidentally said something wrong and now my friend is angry with me. Maybe I m just a burden to my parents, constantly seeking reassurance over and over again. Maybe my left arm hurts because I m going to have a heart attack at any moment. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I have OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD is a disease of doubt. It s the constant checking, the constant reassurance seeking, the endless cycle of panic and relief, panic and relief. For me, my OCD isn t about having every pencil in the pencil case perfectly aligned or counting to 10 every time I open and close a door. It s not what we see in movies. It s not something to laugh at, not something to make colloquial. It s the agony that comes with wondering whether you re really a good person at heart. It s the fear of wondering whether your house will burn down while you re out because of carelessness. It s the anxiety about whether or not you re going to get HIV from a public restroom. It s knowing that something you hear that scares you now will still be on your mind, scaring you, 10 years later. My most vivid memory of my first OCD outbreak is from 7th grade. I remember waking up in the morning and running into my mom s bedroom crying, shaking. I thought I was dying. Why? Because I thought my heart was bleeding out. It s not rational. Looking back on it now, I don t even know how I somehow got myself to really think that my heart was bleeding. I don t even really know what that means. But it doesn t matter. Standing next to my mom, crying, I felt helpless. In that moment, nothing my mom could have said would have made it better. I asked her if I was ok, and of course, she told me I had nothing to worry about. Hearing her words provided momentary relief. Like the feeling you get when you squeeze your hand really, really tight and then let go. But the relief doesn t last. Not when you re me. Not when you have OCD. So I didn t go to school that day like every other 7th grader. I went to the emergency room. I spent the whole day there. And what happened at the end of the day? The OCD bully strikes again. My mom stopped off on the way home to get Chinese food take-out for dinner. But I wouldn t eat the food when we got home. I thought the chopsticks were contaminated. I really was terrified of the chopsticks. Was it rational? No. But were my fears real? Yes. OCD isn t a disorder of rationality. Even when my OCD strikes, one part of me knows that I m not being rational. It s like I have two different brains. I have the brain of Rebecca, the brain that knows what is worth fearing and what isn t. And then I have the brain of OCD, the brain that makes me doubt, makes me question, makes me worry. It s the brain that sent me to the emergency room that day. The brain that sends me spinning. The brain that makes everything just that much more difficult. Fast forward to high school. I m sitting in my guidance counselor s office talking about my class schedule for my senior year. I m asking if I can have Ms. G as my teacher for senior thesis because I was a pretty sensitive kid and the other senior thesis teaching style was a bit harsh. And I ll never forget what my guidance counselor said to me in response. You know, Rebecca, not everything in life is going to be handed to you on a silver platter. I can still hear her saying those words. From what my guidance counselor could see, I had good grades, I was athletic, I had loving parents and an awesome brother. Yeah, that was all true. But what she didn t know was that every single day of my life, every minute of every hour, I work hard. I work hard to beat the OCD bully that lives inside my brain. I m 22 now. I graduated from NYU. I m fulfilling my dream of living in Jerusalem. Am I cured of OCD? No. There is no cure for OCD. But am I in a positive place in my life? Yes. I ve never been happier, never felt more fulfilled. I ve worked hard to get to where I am today. I won t lie- I still have those moments where I want to run back inside the house and make sure I turned the stove off. And I still want to call my mom and ask her for reassurance. I m not a worry wort. I have OCD. I will always have OCD. But my OCD doesn t define me. And it never will. 7

8 2015 Spring Class Schedule DAY: Mondays (each Monday for 12 weeks) DATE: Beginning January 19, 2015 TIME: 6:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. LOCATION: Irving Bible Church 2435 Kinwest Pkwy, Irving, Texas DAY: Mondays (each Monday for 12 weeks) DATE: Beginning January 12, 2015 TIME: 6:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. LOCATION: Beilharz Carriage House 2802 Swiss Ave, Dallas, Texas DAY: Saturdays (each Saturday for 6 weeks) DATE: Beginning January 17, 2015 TIME: 9:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. LOCATION: King of Glory Lutheran Church 6411 LBJ Frwy, Dallas, Texas DAY: Tuesdays (each Tuesday for 12 weeks) DATE: Beginning January 20, 2015 TIME: 6:15 p.m.- 8:45 p.m. LOCATION: FUMC Dallas 1928 Ross Ave, Dallas, Texas DAY: Mondays (each Monday for 12 weeks) DATE: Beginning February 16, 2015 TIME: 6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. LOCATION: Grace Pointe Church 121 S. Story Rd. Irving, Texas DAY: Mondays (each Monday for 12 weeks) DATE: Beginning February 16, 2015 TIME: 6:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. LOCATION: FUMC Rockwall 1200 E. Yellow Jacket Ln Rockwall, Texas DAY: Tuesdays (each Tuesday for 10 weeks) DATE: Beginning January 20, 2015 TIME: 7:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. LOCATION: Texas Health Presbyterian-Dallas 8194 Walnut Hill Ln Dallas, Texas DAY: Thursdays (each Thursday for 10 weeks) DATE: Beginning January 22, 2015 TIME: 11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. LOCATION: FUMC Richardson 503 N. Central EXPY Richardson, Texas NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS ONLINE!! Visit 8

9 Announcements Many of you have been experienced several events in their life, positive and negative. wanted to remind each of you that memorials, donations and contributions can be made in honor of a loved one or someone who has captured your heart. If you would like send any of the above, please feel free to contact via phone, and/or paper mail. We d love to hear from you and acknowledge your support and tribute. and friend will be heading to our states capitol on February 19 th! Dallas NAMIWalks Kick Off Luncheon March 12, 2015 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Communities Foundation of Texas Mark your calendars!! Our next walk date is May 9, 2015 at 8a.m. with honorary chair Brian Cuban, director of the Mark Cuban Foundation and brother of Investor, Notable Businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Like on our official Facebook page, follow us on Twitter; connect with us on Google+ or LinkedIn. It s simple: Go to our website, and click on a social media icon above in the top right corner and it will direct you to the social media page of your choice. 9

10 (National Alliance on Mental Illness) 2812 Swiss Avenue Dallas, TX Hours: 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Monday - Friday Ph: (214) namidallas@namidallas.org Find Help. Find Hope. NON PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID RICHARDSON, TX PERMIT NO. 158 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 10