Dear VOCAL Members,

I am completing my service to VOCAL this week, with joy in our shared accomplishments and sadness at my future less intense involvement with you and our Peer Run Programs statewide. I have worked with so many of you from Fairfax and Loudoun counties to Martinsville and Middle Penninsula~Northern Neck and from Charlottesville to our VOCAL conferences.

I feel very fortunate to have grown up in your company, understanding that mutual Peer Recovery Supports and Peer Wellness Coaching are the wave of the present through which we are bringing about a more truly healing Mental Health-care system.

I will be moving forward to discover how my vision for Community Wellness Co-Operatives and Mental Health for All can become meaningful avenues for well-being. It's time to put all my organization development skills into new program and health-care education development.

I hope to see you all at the VOCAL Conference. In the meantime, we will celebrate together at my "commencement" gathering at Java Dragon Coffee House - 923 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, 22903 this Friday, March 16 from 11 am to 1 pm.

Thank you for your all the ways you have enriched my life and your communities.  I wish you well.

Health and Wholeness, Lovingkindness,

Heather

VOCAL is pleased to announce that Mr. Paolo del Vecchio will give the keynote address at this year's conference, " Strength in Diversity and Purpose".  

Mr. del Vecchio is Acting Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS).  Paolo currently serves as the CMHS Associate Director for Consumer Affairs and in this capacity he manages SAMHSA's precedent-setting activities addressing consumer participation and education, issues of discrimination and prejudice, consumer rights, wellness, recovery, trauma, access to treatment, and other issues affecting persons with mental health conditions.

Paolo was the first Consumer Affairs Specialist hired in 1995 by SAMHSA.  In this capacity, he promoted consumer participation in all aspects of the Center's policies and operations ranging from public education to developing evidence-based treatment and recovery practices to address the needs of persons with mental illnesses. Prior to joining SAMHSA, Paolo worked for the Philadelphia Office of Mental Health in the areas of policy formulation and the planning of a comprehensive system of community-based mental health services addressing homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and many other issues.  He graduated summa cum laude with a master's degree in social work from Temple University.  Paolo has been involved for over 40 years in behavioral health as a consumer, family member, provider, advocate, and state and federal policy-maker.

Register for the RTP Webinar: Understanding and Building on Culture
and Spirituality in Recovery-Oriented Practice
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The next RTP Webinar will describe three components of culture and spirituality in recovery-oriented care: cultural and spiritual assessments, culturally appropriate interventions, and ways in which spirituality and culture can shape an individual's recovery journey.  Our presenters will introduce a range of strategies that ensure care is responsive to a person's cultural identity and discuss approaches for fostering cultural strengths and spirituality in care planning and recovery practices.  An important facet of culture and spirituality in recovery-oriented care addresses the aging process-how can practitioners be cognizant of person- and family-centered culturally specific needs? 


April 4th from 3:00-4:30 p.m.

Description
Three multidisciplinary specialists will share their perspectives.  Reverend Laura Mancuso, M.S., CRC/CPRP, will describe practical tools for making assessment culturally and spiritually oriented.  Dee Bigfoot, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, will discuss recovery-oriented interventions that have spiritual and cultural components.  Finally, National Association of Peer Specialists President Gladys Christian will address how spirituality and culture have affected her recovery journey.

Registration
Click here to register.

Join the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in recognizing consumer/peer leaders in recovery from mental health and/or or substance use disorders, as well as TV and film professionals, for their efforts to educate the public about the real experiences of people with behavioral health problems. Through their work, both groups of leaders demonstrate that people can and do recover from these conditions and lead full and meaningful lives in their communities.

Each year, the Voice Awards features a theme that supports SAMHSA's key strategic initiatives and is integrated throughout all facets of that year's program. In 2012, the awards program will spotlight the strength and perseverance of athletes who face unique challenges in managing mental health and/or substance use disorders while continuing to train, compete, and remain in the public eye. Consideration is being given to consumer/peer leaders who educate the public about the behavioral health challenges of athletes and help empower them to begin the journey of recovery. Additional consideration is being given to TV and film productions that accurately and respectfully portray the behavioral health struggles of athletes, their resilience, and their paths to recovery.

The Voice Awards honor consumer/peer leaders who have played a vital role in raising awareness and understanding of behavioral health problems. The awards also recognize TV and film writers and producers who have given a voice to people with behavioral health problems by incorporating dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of these individuals into their scripts, programs, and productions.

If you know a consumer/peer leader who has led efforts to promote the social inclusion of people with behavioral health problems; personally demonstrated that recovery is real and possible; and made a positive impact on his/her community, workplace, or school, please nominate him/her for a 2012 Voice Award.

Similarly, if you know of a TV or film production released after April 15, 2011, that contains a positive behavioral health storyline, please nominate it for a 2012 Voice Award.

CONSUMER/PEER LEADER NOMINATIONS ARE DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012.

ENTERTAINMENT NOMINATIONS ARE DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2012.

Nominations are open to anyone and are free. There is no limit to the number of nominations an individual can submit and self-nominations are welcome.

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An Informational Alert Prepared by Fifth Freedom

Olmstead Planning: Litigation, Collaboration and the All
Important Financial Calculation
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