NAMI National Friday Facts **April 21, 2006** 1. Heroes in the Fight Program Honors Community Heroes 1. Heroes in the Fight Program Honors Community Heroes The Heroes in the FightSM recognition program celebrates dignity, courage, hope, and recovery in the treatment of people with severe and persistent mental illness within specific local or state communities. Designed to recognize a wide range of health care and other professionals who provide exemplary care and support for consumers and their families, Heroes in the FightSM was established by Eli Lilly and Company. The NAMI National Regional Leadership Consultant team is collaborating with Eli Lilly and Company on this project. Here's a quote from one NAMI Affiliate involved in the December pilot: "These are dark times for people with mental illness and their families. Huge budget cuts caused severe rationing of mental health care and thousands have lost their Medicaid coverage. Tough times challenge everyone and bring out the heroic spirit in some. We were thrilled to join with our colleagues to call attention to truly heroic individuals and treatment teams. This program gave us inspiration and new energy to continue the fight." Cynthia Keele – President, NAMI Missouri Twenty-four programs are targeted for 2006 with select local or statewide advocacy organizations across NAMI, NMHA or nonprofit mental health advocacy coalitions. Eli Lilly and Company is responsible for the program design, materials and costs but is not involved in the nomination and selection process or the event planning. A third party program administrator, VMS Medical, provides each advocacy partner with a full range of planning and logistics and event planning support. An independent selection committee created by each advocacy partner will review nominations and select seven recipients across categories spanning health care professionals, community supporters and media. In addition, each advocacy partner will choose a separate nonprofit mental health organization to receive a $500 donation from Eli Lilly and Company in each award recipient's name (seven awards). These donations will be used to improve education or help advance care for persons with severe and persistent mental illness in their community. Advocacy partner applications will be accepted from Monday, April 17 through Friday, May 5. Partner selections will be made on a rolling basis based upon pre-defined partnership criteria defined in the application form. For more information and an application form, contact Cari with VMS Medical at (317) 805-6645 x241 (email cari.nicholson@...) or contact your NAMI Regional Leadership Consultant: Region 1 and Region 4 – Liz Smith lsmith@...; Region 2 – Teri Brister tbrister@...; Region 3 – Karen Ford Manza kmanza@.... 2. NAMI State Policy Conference Call Scheduled to Address Impact of Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) on Medicaid Policy On Friday, May 5, NAMI leaders are invited to participate in a conference call to discuss the impact of the Deficit Reduction Act on State Medicaid Programs. Under the DRA, state Medicaid programs can make significant changes without seeking a waiver from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The DRA enables broader use of copays and imposes new documentation requirements for gaining or maintaining eligibility for Medicaid benefits. New waiver initiatives will also be addressed in the conference call, which is hosted by NAMI staff members Mary Giliberti and Steven Buck. Please RSVP for the call by emailing Steven at sbuck@.... Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time 3. NAMI 2006 Elections Congratulations to our 2006 NAMI National Board candidates! The following NAMI leaders have been nominated for the five slots up for election on the National Board of Directors: 4. Free Teleconference on Self-Disclosure Offered by SAMHSA The SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated With Mental Illness invites you to participate in a free teleconference training titled, "Self-disclosure: The Public and Personal Effects of Revealing Mental Health Problems." Date: Thursday, April 27, 2006 5. Eliminating Disparities: Multicultural Strategic Summit NAMI's Multicultural Action Center (MAC) will host Eliminating Disparities: Multicultural Strategic Summit on June 28 to July 2 as part of NAMI's 2006 Annual Convention. The Summit will bring together multicultural mental health leaders from across the nation to address the lack of access to care and the disparities in treatment faced by multicultural communities. The Summit will feature policy and research briefings, plenary sessions and program tracks to address issues specific to African American, American Indian, Asian American and Latino/Hispanic communities. Nationally recognized consumer and family advocates, researchers, policymakers and providers will work together to offer a vision for change. For more information contact us at MACenter@... or visit www.nami.org/summit. 6. Justice Department Announcement On Criminal Justice/Mental Health Grant Funds Expected Shortly The U.S. Congress allocated $5 million in FY 2007 for the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, a program which will be administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). A notice from BJA announcing the availability of funds through this program is expected in the next several weeks. These funds, which will be available to state, tribal and local governments, may be used for a variety of purposes to assist non-violent offenders with mental illnesses, including jail diversion, reentry programs, and training programs for law enforcement, corrections, and mental health personnel. The BJA will solicit applications for these grants through a "Notice of Fund Availability" (NOFA). While the specific requirements for grantees are not yet available, it is expected that applicants who can demonstrate strong collaborations between criminal justice, mental health and other key stakeholders (including consumers and families) will be favored. We also anticipate that prospective grantees will have approximately one month after the date the NOFA is released to submit their applications. NAMI will provide more specific information about the NOFA and how to apply for these grants when it becomes available. For more information about this program, go to http://consensusproject.org/infocenter/news/Mar06/miotcra-update. 7. Second Annual CIT Conference Call for Presentations! We are pleased to announce a Call for Presentations for The Second Annual CIT Conference! The Second Annual CIT Conference will be held this year in Orlando, Florida. For more detailed information, contact Michele Saunders at Michele.fpic@... or Bonnie Sultan at Bonnies@.... Mark your calendars for September 25, 26, 27! Information on the program, registration and accommodation will be released in the near future at the following website:http://cit.fmhi.usf.edu. This national conference is designed to highlight effective community collaborations that are responding to the needs of those with mental illnesses including co-occurring substance use disorders. General sessions and workshops will address the development, implementation, advancement, and effectiveness of Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT). Other innovative programs for the diversion of individuals with a mental illness from the criminal justice system will be included. The Conference will be hosted by the Florida CIT Coalition, the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Orange County (Florida) Sheriff's Office, Florida Partners in Crisis, Florida judges, and the National and State Alliance on Mental Illness. 8. Multicultural Mental Health Research Conference Call Postponed The American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Conference Call scheduled for Friday, April 28, 2006 at 11:00 am will be postponed until further notice. This conference call is part of the new series of adult conference calls hosted by Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI's Medical Director. This new series has focused on mental health research in communities of color. Dr. Duckworth has been joined by prominent researchers who focus on African American, American Indian, Asian American, and Latino/Hispanic mental health. We will let you know the date in an upcoming issue of Friday Facts. 9. Avanzamos! Subscribe to Avanzamos!, NAMI's new Spanish language newsletter. This quarterly magazine features news from NAMI states and affiliates, research and policy updates specific to Latino issues, educational resources, personals stories and more. Also makes a great outreach tool to your local Latino community. The first issue has been very well received; over 4000 copies have been distributed nationwide. Order up to 10 hardcopies for free at www.nami.org/store (a shipping and handling fee will be charged for orders greater than 10 copies), or sign up for the electronic version at www.nami.org/subscribe. 10. Seeking Nominations for the Family-to-Family Hall of Fame In celebration of the 4th annual F2F Hall of Fame, it's time to nominate your Family-to-Family teachers who have taught 10 or more F2F classes. Nominees will be recognized at the NAMI convention in Washington, D.C. during the NAMI Education, Training, and Peer Support Center reception on Friday, June 30, with a special certificate and have their names included in the national F2F Hall of Fame. We are also seeking nominations for F2F trainers who have trained 10 or more teacher training sessions. Nominations must be sent to Lynne@... no later than May 31. Have any of the 10+ teachers reached 20 or more classes? If so, let us know about them. 11. Airline discounts available for NAMI Convention Attendees We have arranged discounts on two airlines, UNITED AIRLINES and AMERICAN AIRLINES, for attendees for the NAMI National Convention in Washington, D.C., June 26-July 2, 2006. We have arranged the following discount on UNITED AIRLINES: Book your ticket at least 30 days in advance and receive 7% off the lowest fare. Simply call the United Airlines Meeting Desk at 1-800-521-4041 and refer to Meeting ID Number 538TO. Either you or your travel agent can make this reservation. (To book the United discount fares you must call the Meeting Desk. These special fares are not available on-line.) We have also arranged the following discount on AMERICAN AIRLINES: To make your reservations on American, please call American Airlines Meeting Services at 1-800-433-1790 and provide the discount code A5666BG. If you prefer to make your arrangements on-line, you may review fare and schedule information and make reservations using the 5 percent discount at American Airlines web site: www.AA.com. 12. NAMI Legal Center in Need of Mental Health Attorneys The Legal Center is presently in need of more Mental Health Attorneys in Criminal Defense practice. Nearly one third of callers to the Legal Centerequest such support for family members in jail and prison to present facts on serious mental illness in the criminal justice system. Although we have nearly 100 Mental Health Courts at present, there continues to be a critical need for more attorneys in this discipline, both for fee and pro bono. Please send nominations for such legal support to stuart@.... Thank you. NAMI does not warrant or guarantee results of referrals from the Legal Center. However, we use the Disability Directory of the American Bar Association, the Directory of the American Council of Trust and Estate Attorneys, the Directory of the Planned Lifetime Assistance Network, the Directory of Legal Aid and Defender Offices, and our own Directory of Mental Health Attorneys. We make our best effort to find legal support for inquiries to the NAMI Legal Center. 13. Deadlines and Dates to Remember - April 27 – April 30: NAMI National Education, Training and Peer Support Center Training of Trainers; Family to Family, In Our Own Voice; Family Support Group Facilitation; and NAMI-C.A.R.E., St. Louis, MO, Airport Hilton. - April 27: Teleconference: "Self-disclosure: The Public and Personal Effects of Revealing Mental Health Problems," Time: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (Eastern Time). For more information and registration go to: http://www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov/regpage.cfm. - May 5 - NAMI State policy conference call to address impact of Deficit Reduction Act, Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time; Call-in Number: 1 - 888-858-6021 (Toll Free), Access Code: 309918#. - May 5: Multicultural Strategic Summit scholarship applications due. - May 5 - Heroes in the Fight Program applications due. - May 31: F2F Hall of Fame Nominations due to Lynne@.... - June 28-July 2, 2006: NAMI's 2006 Annual Convention at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. - June 28-July 22: NAMI's Multicultural Action Center (MAC) will host the Eliminating Disparities: Multicultural Strategic Summit as part of NAMI's 2006 - September 25-27: Second Annual CIT Conference - November 10-12: NAMI’s 2006 Fall Leadership Conference, St. Louis, MO. NAMI Friday Facts are electronic newsletters provided free of charge as a service to NAMI members, leaders and staff. With more than 1,100 state and local affiliates, NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses. Contributions to support our work can be made online at www.nami.org/donate. You are subscribed with the e-mail address: agibson@.... If you do not wish to receive further Friday Facts, please click here, sign in and uncheck the box next to Friday Facts. Please do not reply to this email (it will go to an unattended mailbox.) If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please send an email to staterelations@.... NAMI ~ 2107 Wilson Blvd. ~ Suite 300 ~ Arlington, VA 22201 |
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