al Ill-

January 11th

Meeting: Navigating Mental Health Services in Montgomery County

At the foundation of the public mental health service system is the belief that people can and do recover from serious mental illnesses.

Come learn about how to access services and navigate the mental health system in Montgomery County with a representative from our Office of Behavioral Health. We will share resources, strategies for finding what fits,

and tips for advocating for yourself and loved ones. Additionally, since the mental health system is dynamic and always in need of strengthening and improvement, we’ll also discuss Mental Health as system feedback.

Please join us for discussion and light refreshments.

Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Time: 7PM – 8:30 PM

Location: 100 West Main Street, Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446

This event is free and open to the public. An RSVP is appreciated by 1/11/17. Please call 215-361-7784.

montco memo Montgomery County, PA January 2017 Volume XXXVI Issue 5

Lansdale Business Association Tree Display

This year the Lansdale Business Association (LBA) invited NAMI PA Montgomery County to participate in their Annual Holiday Tree Dis-play. LBA asks each business participating to create a holiday tree to reflect the spirit of inclusion and participation of businesses/

organizations in our commu-nity. Our affiliate carefully crafted a tree to represent the spirit of our mission, focus-ing on “Mental Health He-roes.” The tree represented those with lived mental health experience who are our “Heroes.” Heroes includ-ed on the tree were celebrities who have shared about their own mental health challeng-es, as well as our own family members. Thanks LBA for including us! It was a fun way to get involved in our community & spread NAMI cheer!

Calendar 2

Message from our President 3

Message from our Executive Director

3

Pets Help People Manage the Pain of Serious Mental Illness

4

Pictures from the Holiday Party NAMI Connection Training

5 5

Message from Our Governance Chair

6

Call for Board Nominations And Bylaws Changes Spring Class Information

6 6

5th Annual Benefit for the Brain

7

Tributes and Donations

7

Also in This Issue

January 2017 Page 2

montco memo Volume XXXVI Issue 5

the montco memo is published monthly by

NAMI of PENNSYLVANIA

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Board of Directors

President Neen Davis First Vice-President Dawn Hogan Second Vice President Dave Davis Secretary Beth Milton Treasurer Stephen Nelson

Victoria Bright Lauren Centola Armand DiYenno Rhea Fernandes Tricia Malott Donna McNelis Jerry Rudakevich Mike Solomon

Executive Director- Abby Grasso Editor Beulah Saideman Co-Editor Mary Schuck Editor Emeritus Maryella D. Hitt Bookkeeper Kelly DiBetta Walk Manager Danielle Blanchard

Support Group Facilitators Coordinator Carol Caruso

Abington Presbyterian Church Joan Kozlowski Corinne Smith Miriam McCauley

Lansdale Rich Kelble Anne Magowan

Lower Providence Presbyterian Church Neen Davis Sue Soriano

Pottstown TBD

NAMI of PA Montgomery County

100 W. Main Street Suite 204

Lansdale, PA 19446 Phone: 215-361-7784 FAX: 215-361-7786

Email: nami-montcopa@verizon.net Web page: www.namimontcopa.org

Letters to the Editor and other articles and contributions are welcome. Send them

to the NAMI Office or by Email to brsaideman@comcast.net

by the 15th of the preceding month

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is an approved Donor Choice Agency of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and

Southern New Jersey

United Way Agency Code # 5076

Calendar

Jan. 3 Feb. 7

Lansdale Family Support Group at St. John’s United Church of Christ, 500 W. Main Street (at Richardson Avenue), Lansdale. First Tuesday, 7:00 PM.

Jan. 2 Feb. 6

NAMI Connection is a peer-run support group for individuals living with mental illness, which meets the first Monday of every month, except holidays, at 6:15 PM. William Jeanes Memorial Library, 4051 Joshua Rd, Lafayette Hill, PA

Jan.-TBA Feb. TBA

Pottstown Family Support Group, 1st Monday at Creative Health Services, Consumers Library, 11 Robinson Court, 7-8:30PM. We are currently looking for a new facilitator.

Jan. 9 Feb. 6

Lower Providence Family Support Group, Lower Providence Presbyterian Church, 3050 Ridge Pike, Eagleville, Room 205. 7 PM. First Monday except on holidays.

Jan. 11 Feb. 9

Monthly Information Meeting, NAMI Office, 100 W. Main St., Suite 204, Lansdale, PA, 2nd Wednesday, 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

Jan. 12 Feb. 9

Glenside Family Support Group, Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington — 2nd Thursday, 7:30 PM.

Jan. 19 Feb. 16

Montgomery County CSP (Community Support Program). 3rd Thursday, 12-2:30 PM, Montgomery County Library, 1001 Powell St., Norristown

Jan. 19 Feb. 16

Board of Director’s Meeting, 3rd Thursday, Lansdale Office, 6:30 PM. No meeting in December.

A Note About Our Meetings

Although some of our meetings are held at religious institutions, they are non-denominational and open to people of all beliefs.

Inclement Weather Protocol

Please be aware that in the event of inclement weather, safety is our first priority. If support groups or educational programming are cancelled due to inclement weather, an announcement will be placed on our office voice mail (215-361-7784). If a monthly support group is cancelled, it will resume the next month. Our Family to Family or NAMI Basics Class will resume the next week. If you have questions or need further clarification, please call our office at 215-361-7784.

January 2017 Page 3

montco memo Volume XXXVI Issue 5

Message from Our President Dear Friends-

Happy New Year! I’m excited to welcome in 2017…I just wish I could welcome it in with a little warmer weather. As I write this, it’s 18 degrees outside. I am NOT a fan of cold weather. Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanza have passed. I hope you had an enjoyable holiday. For many, the holidays are a difficult time. I know they are for me. As we look to the new year, let’s be encouraged by the possibilities that lie ahead of us.

Our monthly meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at our Lansdale office. January 11th is our next meeting at 7:00-8:30pm. A representative from the Montgom-ery County Office of Behavioral Health will join us to answer your questions and help us navigate our county’s system.

Support groups meet on a regular monthly basis, at various locations throughout the county. Please refer to the front of the newsletter for dates, times and locations.

Our Holiday Party was held on December 14th and well attended by many board members and members. Lansdale Mayor Andy Szekely joined us along with several other commu-nity supporters. Everyone enjoyed the delicious refreshments, festive decorations and interesting conversation. We continued our holiday tradition of giving to those less fortunate and donat-ed gifts for the men and women who reside at the local homeless shelter in Norristown.

Your Board of Directors has been busy working on a strate-

gic plan for the affiliate. As I have mentioned in an earlier newsletter, this plan will help shape the direction our affiliate will move. This is an exciting time for our affiliate.

I’m hoping many of you have had the opportunity to meet our new Executive Director, Abby Grasso. She has been very busy, and very productive. But…no matter how busy she gets, she always has a smile and friendly greeting for you!

If you are not yet a member of NAMI of PA Montgomery County, I ask you to please consider joining. Our strength is in numbers. You can join by going to our website or calling our office. www.namimontcopa.org, 215-361-7784

All of our services are provided to all at no cost.

We at NAMI of PA Montgomery County wish you and your loved ones a very Happy New Year filled with good health and peace.

As always, please contact me with any questions or com-ments.

Sincerely,

Neen Davis President, NAMI of PA Montgomery County

Message from Our Executive Director It is with great excitement that I begin 2017 as your new Executive Director at NAMI of PA Montgomery County! As I have transitioned in to this role, I am beyond thankful for the warm welcome and guidance I have received from Carol Caru-so, our Board of Directors, volunteers, members, and friends. My biggest & best congratulations to Carol as she begins retire-ment! Already, I am proud to be your Executive Director and look forward to growing the affiliate by promoting our mission.

A new year, for many, marks celebration & new beginnings. In 2017, we will celebrate the Affiliate’s 40th Anniversary. WOW! In that time, hundreds, if not thousands of families, individuals, volunteers, and community members have joined together in our mission to increase education, advocacy, and support to those living with mental illness and their families. We know that together we are stronger to fight the stigma sur-rounding mental illness and support those affected. We have come a long way in forty years, but there is still great work to be done!

When I interviewed for this position, I shared the impact that connections with people have had on my life and how our con-nections with others guide us. Relationships allow us to connect and grow. I hope you will make the time to become involved and share in the goodness of NAMI. Each of us has a special gift that impacts people and organizations – if we let it. NAMI needs your gift.

Please consider liking our Facebook page and sharing your

email with us. We want to keep you up to date on all the great events happening and share ways for YOU to get involved with us. I hope you will enjoy the updates and articles shared in the newsletter. If you have feedback or ideas, please share them with me. I love ideas!

In closing, Happy New Year! I am excited for a new year filled with opportunities to improve those lives that are impacted by mental illness and building a stronger community with you! I also look forward to getting to know each of our members and friends in the months ahead.

My very best to you!

Abby Grasso

Executive Director

January 2017 Page 4

montco memo Volume XXXVI Issue 5

By Erin Ross, NPR.org, December 9, 2016

Any pet owner will tell you that their animal companions comfort and sustain them when life gets rough. This may be es-pecially true for people with serious mental illness, a study finds. When people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were asked who or what helped them manage the condition, many said it was pets that helped the most.

"When I'm feeling really low they are wonderful because they won't leave my side for two days," one study participant with two dogs and two cats, "They just stay with me until I am ready to come out of it."

Another person said of their pet birds: "If I didn't have my pets I think I would be on my own. You know what I mean, so it's — it's nice to come home and, you know, listen to the birds singing and that, you know."

Many people with serious mental illness live at home and have limited contact with the health care system, says Helen Brooks, a mental health researcher at University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and the lead author on the study, which was published in the journal BMC Psychiatry. So they're doing a lot of the work of managing their conditions.

Brooks says, "Many felt deep emotional connections with their pet that weren't available from friends and family." Brooks and her colleagues interviewed 54 people with serious long-term mental illnesses. Twenty-five of them considered their pets to be a part of their social network. The scientists asked who they went to when they needed help or advice, where they gained emotional support and encouragement and how they spent their days.

The participants were then given a diagram with three con-secutive circles radiating out from a square representing the par-ticipant. They were asked to write the people, places and things that gave them support into the circles, with the circles closest to the center being the most important.

Sixty percent of the people who considered pets to be a part of their social networks placed them in the central, most im-portant circle — the same place many people put close family and social workers. 20 percent placed pets in the second circle.

This study participant had a limited social network, so he placed his birds in the closest social circle in his life, along with his social worker and gardening group.

The interviews with participants are poignant, and reveal the struggle and isolation that can come with mental illness.

"I think it's really hard when you haven't had a mental illness to know what the actual experience is [like]," said one partici-pant. "There's like a chasm, deep chasm between us ... [Other people are] on one side of it, and we're on the other side of it. We're sending smoke signals to each other to try and understand each other but we don't always — we don't always understand."

People with mental illnesses often see their social groups shrink and find themselves alienated from their friends. For many of these people, says Brooks, animals can break through the isolation. They give affection without needing to understand the disorder.

"[Pets] don't look at the scars on your arms," one participant said. "They don't question where you've been." The pets provided more than just emotional support and compan-

ionship, participants said. The animals also could distract them from their illness, even from severe psychosis.

One study participant placed birds in his closest social circle. When he was hearing voices, he said that they "help me in the sense, you know, I'm not thinking about the voices, I'm just thinking of when I hear the birds singing."

Another participant said that merely seeing a hamster climb-ing the bars on the cage and acting cute helped with some diffi-cult situations. And having to take care of pets keeps people from withdrawing from the world. "They force me, the cats force me to sort of still be involved," said one participant.

"The routine these pets provide is really important for peo-ple," says Brooks. "Getting up in the morning to feed them and groom them and walk them, giving them structure and a sense of purpose that they won't otherwise have."

Many of the study participants are unemployed because of their illness, she notes. Having a pet that was well taken care of was a source of pride for them.

Mark Longsjo, the program director of adult services at McLean Southeast, an inpatient mental facility in Middlebor-ough, Mass., says that the interviews in the study reflect his pro-fessional experiences. "We have so many patients come through, and we always ask them about their support system. Sometimes its family members, sometimes its friends, but it's very common to hear about pets."

When he does patient intake surveys, Longsjo says that he includes pets in their risk assessments. Patients with pets often say the animals help keep them from following through on sui-cidal thinking, because they know their pets depend on them.

The social workers at McLean also incorporate pets into their aftercare planning, encouraging patients to make walking and grooming their pets a part of their routine. "I think there's signifi-cant value in considering the common everyday pet to be as im-portant as the relationships one has with one's family in the course of their treatment," says Longsjo. He feels this study is important because, although there's a lot of work looking at the benefits of trained therapy animals, they can be expensive and out of the reach of many patients.

Brooks hopes that more health workers will consider incorpo-rating pets into care plans for people with mental illness. Many of her participants said that sometimes it felt like their pets could sense when they needed help the most, and were able to provide it — just like the owners took care of them.

As one person in the study said, "When he comes up and sits beside you on a night, it's different, you know. It's just, like, he needs me as much as I need him." http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/12/09/504971146/

pets-help-people-manage-life-with-serious-mental-illness?

utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=

npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2038

Pets Help People Manage the Pain of Serious Mental Illness

January 2017 Page 5

montco memo Volume XXXVI Issue 5

NAMI Celebrates the Holidays

On December 14th over 40 members & friends of NAMI Montgomery County joined together to celebrate the holidays at our Lansdale office. Guests not only enjoyed the delicious refreshments and great conversation, but gave generously of themselves in bringing a gift for the residents of CHOC in Norristown. It was a wonderful night, enjoyed by all! Take a look at some of the photos snapped that evening!

Members & friends enjoying some holiday cheer! Our new Executive Director and some of the board members celebrating the holidays!

NAMI Connection Training NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental illness. Participants gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others, and the groups are led by NAMI-trained facilitators who've been there. NAMI will be holding a training of Connection Support group facilitators in Philadelphia in February. If you are interested in becoming a facilitator of this support group for people living with a mental illness a, please schedule an Interview with Abby Grasso, Executive Director, by calling 215-361-7784. To be considered for this training, you must be a person living in recovery from a mental illness and you must have tak-en the Peer to Peer class. All potential facilitators must go through an interview and screening process to determine whether the opportunity is a good fit for the individual and or-ganization. NAMI Connection facilitators attend a intensive peer led training and are certified upon completion of the train-ing, certified facilitators commit to a minimum of one year of service in which they co-facilitate a group. All facilitators must be NAMI Members.

Think about giving the best of you while giving back!

SAVE THE DATE! Celebrate 10 years!

NAMIWalks Greater Philadelphia Montgomery County Community College

May 6, 2017

Research News You Can Use

January 2017 Page 6

montco memo Volume XXXVI Issue 5

We are on Facebook and Twitter! Please like our Face-

book pages and follow us on Twitter

so that you are informed of the latest news and events from NAMI PA Montgomery County

and NAMIWalks Greater Philadelphia

https://www.facebook.com/NAMIMontCoPA

https://www.facebook.com/namiwalksgreaterphiladelphia/

Call for Board Nominations & Bylaw Amendments

January begins the call for candidates to our Board of Directors, as well as for amendments to our bylaws. We currently have three (3) seats available on our Board, with three (3) incumbents finishing up their first terms and running for re-election. Criteria for eligibility are:

1. Be a member in good standing of our affiliate 2. Be willing to attend and participate in monthly board

meetings (the board meets on the third Thursday of the month, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM in our Lansdale office; we do not meet in August or December) and all committee assignments

3. Be willing to promote the NAMI mission.

If you are interested in submitting your name or some-one else’s as a candidate, please put your nomination in

writing (email or hard copy) and provide the individual’s name, address, why you are nominating that person and what you feel they would bring to our Montgomery County Board. Nominations may be submitted to namimontcopa@verizon.net or mailed to NAMI, 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446. If you would like a copy of our Bylaws please call 215-361-7784 or visit our website.

The deadline for both candidate nominations and bylaws amendments is February 24th, 2016. If you have any ques-tions please contact Abby Grasso, Executive Director, at 215-361-7784.

Message from our Governance Chair

It’s January and time again to consider candidates for our affiliate’s board of directors. This is the most important responsibility of being a member of an organization. By choosing candidates, you are shaping the future direction of the organization. So a lot of thought should go into your selection process.

For example, seek to learn what areas of expertise are needed on the board and nominate a candidate with that expertise. Consider the position on the board as a job. A volunteer job, but the position has specific responsibilities like a paying job. Responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to fundraising, working on committees and attending board functions and meetings.

It is important that the candidates understand they will have a fiduciary responsibility if elected to the board. They are charged with the review of financial documents and monitoring revenues and expenditures. The candidate, if elected, will play an important part in the development and execution of the affiliate’s strategic plan. All board mem-bers are responsible for the strategic plan. So, you can see there are some important considerations to include in your board candidate selection process.

Dawn Hogan

Spring Class Schedule We will hold one, possibly two, Family to Family classes this spring. Family to Family is an evi-denced based practice. It is a free, 12 session course for family members and caretakers of indi-viduals (adults) living with mental illness. The classes will take place one evening per week for 2.5 hours each. The curriculum covers topics such as diagnosis, medications, communication, brain function, and advocacy. Our first class is scheduled to begin on February 21, 2017 and will take place on Tuesday nights. The location is TBD. For more information or to register, please call our office at 215-361-7784.

January 2017 Page 7

montco memo Volume XXXVI Issue 5

Tributes and Other Contributions

The Tribute Fund is a good way to mark anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions, and to express sympathy for the loss of a loved one. We will send a note of appreciation to anyone you designate. Send your check to NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County, 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446. When designating NAMI in an obituary notice, please specify NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County.

In Tribute: In Honor of Carol Caruso’s Retirement by Marie Swier Patricia Taraborrelli In Memory of Tara Hansen by Hanan & Haya Itescu Marie Swier

Individual Donations

Theresa & Jeffrey Haverson Sharon Liebhaber & Rabbi Alan Iser Laura Raab Debora & Myron Sloane

5th Annual Benefit for the Brain

NAMI Montgomery County hosted the 5th Annual Ben-efit for the Brain, an event to promote research on mental illness, on November 16, 2016 at the Philadelphia Marriott West in Conshohocken. The event began with a reception and networking, followed by a three course dinner and the awards presentation. A taped greeting from NAMI’s Exec-utive Director, Mary Giliberti, was a highlight.

The 2016 Scientific Research Award was presented to Charles P. O’Brien, M.D., Ph.D. for his work in Substance Use Disorders. Sandra L. Bloom, M.D. was presented with the Impact Award for her research outside medicine to pro-mote recovery of persons with mental illness; specifically Trauma-informed care and the development of The Sanctu-ary Model. Over 100 guests attended the event and cele-

brated the achievements of the award winners.

We, at NAMI Montgomery County, are thankful to the many sponsors and donors who supported this noteworthy event. In 2017, we look forward to the 6th Annual Benefit for the Brain and continuing to promote the distinguished research being done to sustain recovery, resiliency, and hope in mental illness.

Community Health Workers Can Play Role in Health Care Reform

According to Crain’s, a new report has concluded that com-munity health workers, who are integral to health care in parts of the developing world, can also play a vital role in U.S. health care reform—if the programs receive institutional support and sustainable financing.

The potential for community health workers—public health employees who do outreach and education in the communities they come from—to improve health outcomes is gaining new attention under health care reform efforts including DSRIP and the rise of patient-centered medical homes.

A new community health worker program being developed in Newark, N.J. out of a partnership between Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and an apprenticeship program run by the state in collaboration with Rutgers University. The cost of hiring the workers during the pilot will be shared between the hospital, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

According to Crain’s, “Horizon will help Newark Beth Israel

identify patients who have not been to a primary-care provider in a long time and who have a complex set of conditions that fre-quently land them in the hospital. The community health workers will then strive to reconnect those patients to primary care while addressing other social issues they face. One team member will focus on reaching out to people with serious mental health is-sues.”

See more at http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20161206/PULSE/161209925/community-health-worker-programs-need-institutional-support-and#utm_medium=email&utm_source=cnyb-pulse&utm_campaign=cnyb-pulse-20161206

PENNSYLVANIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Dues are for one year and are Tax Deductible. Donations are welcome and are also Tax Deductible.

(Please print clearly)

NAME__________________________________________________________________________________

STREET ________________________________________________________________________________

CITY_______________________________________STATE_____ZIP______________________________

PHONE (H)__________________________________(C)_________________________________________

E-mail __________________________________________________________________________________

_____Annual Dues $35.00 _____Open Door $3.00 - 30.00 (Amount $_____) _____Donation $______

What is the best way for us to contact you? Phone ______ Email ______ Snail Mail ______

Make check payable and return to: NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204 Lansdale, PA 19446 Or join or renew on our website: http://www.namimontcopa.org/join/

Double or triple the impact of your donation at no additional cost! Please check with your employer’s Human Resources Department to

see if your donation can be matched through a company matching gift program. NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is also an approved United Way Donor Choice Agency - Code #5076.

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is open to all individuals subscribing to its purpose. All members receive NAMI newsletters and are automatically affiliated with NAMI PA and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)3 and all dues and donations are tax-deductible. Official registration and financial information of NAMI PA Montgomery County may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free within PA 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. The official registration and financial information of NAMI PA Montgomery County can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania:

1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

PENNSYLVANIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204 Lansdale, PA 19446