MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
| July 2012
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National Alliance on Mental Illness, California State Organization
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 Welcome Members and Affiliates
We welcome your ideas for topics to cover, your feedback on issues that face consumers, families, and providers across the state. Contact us at newsletter@namicalifornia.org.
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Ontario NAMI California Regional Meeting a Success
 The staff of NAMI California would like to thank the San Bernardino and Riverside affiliates for participating in the NAMI California Regional Meeting in Ontario! Bettie Reinhardt, Kathleen Derby and Margot Carmassi traveled to Ontario on June 11th and were welcomed by an outstanding group who brought positive energy and remarkable insight to this meeting. There was a presentation on NAMI Smarts, and the group completed an exercise that provides a specific formula to tell personal stories in a poignant and effective way. The group heard about the CalMHSA grant and how it is rolling out in the local affiliate offices, and there was an update on MHSA, the changes in Sacramento and how this can affect services and programs. The affiliates were able to meet with the county mental health directors from their local areas, and an informal roundtable discussion followed that addressed important issues in their communities. A break-out session followed where information was shared with the group. NAMI California Board of Director members May Farr and Brenda Scott attended the Ontario meeting representing their local affiliates, and we appreciated the great response in identifying the successes and challenges that local affiliates face. A very special thanks is extended to Kathy Ellis for all of her assistance in making us feel welcome and for taking care of the thoughtful details that helped make this meeting a success! We want to be sure to thank all who have helped host and participate in regional meetings held thus far. Since January, we have received warm welcomes and had great participation from all surrounding affiliates attending meetings in Sacramento, Shasta, Los Angeles, and San Mateo counties. If you would like information about upcoming regional meetings in your area, please see the list below:
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Sonoma Region: Includes Sonoma, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Marin counties. There are no active affiliates in Napa, Lake or Del Norte counties.
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July 16, 2012
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Merced County: Includes Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced and Tuolumne counties. There are no active affiliates in Madera, Mariposa and Kings counties.
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September 17, 2012
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San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara County: Includes Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
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October 15, 2012
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San Diego County: Includes San Diego County.
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November 5, 2012
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Tulare County: Includes Tulare and Fresno counties.
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February 2013
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National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month offers organizations of all types and sizes a wonderful opportunity to create mental health awareness in diverse communities.
The US House of Representatives proclaimed July as ths special month in 2008, to honor the pioneering work of Bebe Moore Campbell, accomplished author, advocate and co-founder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles.
For our part, NAMI California is presenting information in minority communities in Orange County during July. This advertising campaign consists of transit ads that are on printed on actual buses and in transit stations that will be run in the Los Angeles area and will target the underserved populations in this area.
NAMI California is also pleased to report there is a wide-spread radio PSA announcement that highlights NAMI California and this ad will run during the month of July and will help bring people to our website where they will find information about programs and services that NAMI California has to offer.
Looking for ideas for your own events? Visit NAMI National's page.
And browse the Resource Guide.
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Duals Demonstration Stakeholder Update
 Toby Douglas, Director California Department of Health Care Services, announced on July 2, 2012 the legislature's passage of the Coordinated Care Initiative.
Douglas thanked stakeholders for our participation in this process as they develop the Duals Demonstration. The legislation included the following key changes:
- Eight Counties. The final initiative scales back implementation of the demonstration to eight counties. Long-term services and supports (LTSS) will be integrated as managed care benefits only in those eight counties, versus statewide as originally proposed. The eight counties are Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Mateo, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Clara and Alameda.
- Greater Preparation Time. While the demonstration was scheduled to start in January 2013, implementation now will occur no sooner than March 1, 2013 but no later than June 1, 2013, to provide more preparation time.
- Population Carve Outs. The legislation excludes additional dual eligible beneficiaries from passive enrollment, including those under age 21, those with certain medical conditions, such as end-stage renal disease, and people in existing home- and community-based waiver programs. The department is analyzing the final list of excluded populations to project the number of beneficiaries eligible for passive enrollment.
- Stronger Protections. About one-fourth of the legislation is dedicated to protections that ensure beneficiaries are adequately informed of their options and their continuity of care is guaranteed. It requires strong readiness criteria for the health plans and the Department of Health Care Services before implementation next year.
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NAMI Contra Costa: Grant Will Extend De Familia a Familia
 NAMI Contra Costa has received a four-year, $70,000 grant to extend De Familia a Familia, the Spanish language edition of the Family-to-Family education course, to the underserved Spanish-speaking community in Contra Costa County. The contract will enable NAMI CC to provide part-time support for a culturally competent and responsive program coordinator, as well as pay for transportation, publicity, facilities and program materials. Over one hundred families will directly benefit from De Familia a Familia classes, gaining a new awareness of mental health and the important role that families can play. NAMI CC expects these benefits to extend outward to thousands of others.
The grant is provided by Contra Costa County Mental Health Services from the Mental Health Services Act funds. For further information about the grant, please contact Jim Lugannani at jclugannani@gmail.com. For information about De Familia a Familia in Contra Costa County, contact Veronica McManus, who is fluent in both Spanish and English, at vershumc@pacbell.net. |
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NAMI Walks Update
SF Bay Area NAMI Walk was well attended by approximately 2,500 participants of all ages in Golden Gate Park on June 2nd. It was an exciting and uplifting walk starting with a send off from bagpipers and ending with cheer leaders at the finish line.
The walk was organized by 9 NAMI affiliates from as far north as Solano County and as far south as Santa Cruz County. This year the number of teams increased to almost 200.
The goal this year was $400,000. Donations are still being received. On-line donations will close on Saturday, 7/14/12 and off-line donations can be mailed to NAMIWalk SF Bay Area, 2010 N. First St., #535, San Jose, CA 95131 until Tuesday, 7/31/12.
This year Solano County had a total of 5 teams participate. NAMI Solano County has raised 80% of their goal and hopes to make 100% before the closing date. The donations will be used to increase the number of free Family to Family classes and, start In Our Own Voice and Peer to Peer programs.
If anyone has any questions, please contact Laurie Williams, Walk Director at laurie@namiwalksfbay.org or 800-556-2401.
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Working Well Together: The End of a Fiscal Year & the Beginning of a New Era within California's Mental Health Services
 Ron Shaw, Technical Assistance Center (TAC) Coordinator for the 'Working Well Together' (WWT) Program has successfully completed his first six months at NAMI CA. He would like to share exciting news of WWT accomplishments throughout the Central Region:
Technical Assistance (TA) Visits and presentations were made to Departments of Behavioral Health & stakeholders within the following counties: Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Merced, San Joaquin, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter/Yuba. In the Los Angeles Region, two Para-professional Labs were presented to consumer and family members of the LA Department of Behavioral Health Services. Constance Burgess (C Burgess Consulting & Associates) presented two skill building, interactive Cultural Responsiveness trainings -- one in the LA Region (at Project Return Peer Support Network site in Commerce, CA) and another through a webinar presentation (35 participants).
Most importantly, two educational products were completed simultaneously over the past three months. An eLearning Curriculum was developed to support the TAC Coordinators and inform participating agencies about the TAC Coordinator position. Finally, a Marketing DVD titled 'Working Well Together & the Future of Mental Health' will be utilized as a tool for promotion and awareness of WWT throughout California.
Note: Ron enjoyed his 6 months of learning, traveling and multitasking. Now, he looks forward to 'spreading the word of WWT and the future of consumer & family involvement in mental health of the 21st Century'.
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NAMI Kern County's FRONT LINE 2-day Class on PTSD Called "Incredible" and "Awesome"
The FRONT LINE project held (for the first time) a FREE 2-day, (2 hours each day) community education class just for Veterans, First Responders and their families in February.
The class presented NAMI's "Supplemental Take-Home Module" Understanding and Coping with PTSD that is usually recommended for use in the NAMI Family-to-Family Educational Program. Co-developers of the program, Patrice Maniaci and Russ Sempell offered the class at Bakersfield's new VA Vet Center (another FRONT LINE Collaborative partner).
They decided to present the course on PTSD after realizing Veterans, First Responders and their Familes were NOT willing to take the full 12 week Family-to-Family Class.
"The results were tremendous," reports Maniaci and Sempell. FRONT LINE Vets and their Families and new participants came forward to complete the class. Some voluntary feedback by the participants included:
- "An awesome class and very educational. I would recommend it to everyone."
- "The classes were incredible. I hope they become nationwide. There was invaluable information that will help millions of people... This class will help me to better support and communicate with my loved ones (with PTSD)."
- An experienced mental health professional offered: "It validated everything I learned while treating clients with PTSD."
Maniaci and Sempell plan to offer this same class again later this year recommend it to other NAMI organizations.
For more information, please contact Patrice Maniaci, President & Co-Founder of NAMI Kern County's FRONT LINE project at (661) 333-5484 or email: patricemaniaci@gmail.com
FRONT LINE was endorsed by the NAMI National Veterans Council in 2008 and was first presented at the 2008 NAMI National Convention in Orlando, Florida. Visit NAMI Kern County's FRONT LINE website:www.frontlinenami.org
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The Countdown Is On: Help People Switch Now to Electronic Federal Benefit Payments
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service
 Everyone who receives Social Security, SSI/SSDI or other federal benefit payments by paper check is required by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to switch to an electronic payment option by March 1, 2013. This move will save taxpayers $1 billion over the next 10 years, while ensuring all federal benefit recipients receive their money in the safest, most reliable way possible.
There is less than one year left to ensure that people know about this new requirement so they can make the switch to one of the two Treasury-recommended electronic payment options: direct deposit to a checking or savings account or the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card.
It's fast, easy and free for people to make the switch online at www.GoDirect.org or by calling the U.S. Treasury Electronic Solution Center at (800) 333-1795. For direct deposit, people can also sign up at their bank or credit union.
Help the people you know take action and switch to electronic payments before time runs out. The Treasury Department's Go Direct campaign offers free materials and ideas to help you share this important message. Get involved today.
For more information or to download or order free materials, visit www.GoDirect.org.
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Save the Date!
2012 NAMI CA Annual Statewide Conference
When: Friday, August 17th & Saturday, August 18th Where: Marriot Hotel, Irvine, CA More information to come! Hope to see you there!
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If You Paid for Paxil®, You Could Get a Payment from a Class Action Settlement
A class action settlement will provide money to California residents who were 18 years old or older and who paid for any portion of the price of the prescription antidepressant Paxil® while living
in California from January 14, 1999 through January 1, 2003, and who qualify under the settlement (these people are called "Class Members"). If you're included, you may ask for a payment, or you can exclude yourself from, or object to, the settlement.
The Superior Court for the State of California, County of Los Angeles will have a hearing to decide whether to approve the settlement so that payments can be issued. The lawsuit claims that GlaxoSmithKline falsely advertised and promoted Paxil® as being non-habit forming or non-addictive and that GlaxoSmithKline's advertisements and promotional materials failed to disclose the risk of symptoms from stopping or discontinuing Paxil®.
GlaxoSmithKline denies each of these allegations.
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NAMI California Financial Statements and Supplemental Information
NAMI California is posting the most-recent Independent Auditor's Report, June 30, 2011.
Click here to read the full report.
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| Contact Information |
newsletter@namicalifornia.org
or call NAMI California
(916) 567-0163
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Proud Sponsor of NAMI California: 
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NAMI California's Tree of Tribute
Fiscal Year 2011-12
Each year many donors elect to give a gift in celebration of an event, in honor of a special individual or in memory of a loved one.
The Tree of Tribute formalizes this tradition by providing a lasting acknowledgement
for individuals who are remembered, individuals who are honored or have an enduring record of a significant celebration.
Gifts in Celebration, in Honor or in Memory
Gifts of $500 or more will be eligible for an engraved leaf on the Tree of Tribute or an engraved stone at the base of the tree.
$500 - Bronze leaf
$1,000 - Silver leaf
$2,000 - Gold leaf
$3,000 -- Small stone
$5,000 - Large stone
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Major Donors 
NAMI California thanks the following for their very generous contributions of $500 or more.Humanitarian: $5,000-$15,000 Kelly Foundation, Sacramento, CA
Janssen Pharma, New Brunswick, NJAstraZeneca, Wilmington, DE
Ruth Knudtson, Redlands, CA
Phrma, Sacramento, CA
Lilly Grant Office, Kalamazoo, MI Patron: $2,500 - $4,999 May S. Farr, Upland. CA
Samira V. Moran, Encino, CA
Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, Pacific Palisades, CA
Teva Biologics & Specialty Products, North Wales, PA
Lilly Grant Office, Kalamazoo, MI Benefactor: $1,000 - $2,499
The Knudtson Family Donor Advised Fund, CARalph E. Nelson, Visalia, CA Attias Family Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Frances Tibbits, Pacific Palisades, CA Pfizer Inc., New York, NY David M. Knapp Special Needs Trust, San Diego, CA Dwelle Family Foundation, Visalia, CA
Shackleton Adventure Racing, LLC, Carmel, CA Edward Gaston, MD, San Rafael, CA Ngena Asante, Cypress, CA Henry Garner, Yorba Linda, CA NAMIWalks Los Angeles County Shareholder: $750-$999 Orange County's United Way, Irvine, CA Teresa Walker, San Mateo, CA Ralph E. Nelson, Visalia, CA Ronnie Okon, Tarzana, CA Sponsor: $500-$749
Joseph Kotzin,, Los Angeles,CAPatricia Goldring, PhD, Sherman Oaks, CA Kessel, Young, & Logan, Charitable Account, Long Beach, CA NAMI Glendale in honor of Tom & Kay Connus, Glendale, CA Virginia Whitcombe, Palos Verdes Estates, CA Linda K. Pontious, Grass Valley, CA Miriam C. Wille, Ventura, CA Elizabeth Chamberlain, Woodside, CA Michael Aldrich, Glendale, CA Arnold Klein, Malibu, CA George Greenspon, Westlake Village, CA
Elizabeth Chamberlain, Woodside, CA Google, Inc., CA Joseph Kotzin, Los Angeles, CA Patricia Goldring, PhD, Sherman Oaks, CA Corning Exchange Club, Corning, CA Linda K. Pontious, Grass Valley, CA NAMI California Annual Conference Donors, 2012 Janssen Pharma, $7,500 Lilly Grant Office, $7,500 Teva Biologics & Specialty Products, $2,500 River City Bank, $2,500 Turning Point Community Programs, $500 _________________________ All donations,large and small,
are greatly appreciated by
NAMI California and help
us achieve our mission
at the state level.
_______________________
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This educational newsletter is supported, in part, by an educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC. For further information concerning Lilly grant funding visit www.lillygrantoffice.com. |
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