Kaiser Permanente clinicians to launch nation's largest ever mental health workers' strike

Kaiser Permanente clinicians to launch nation's largest ever mental health workers' strike

Why Are We Using Prisons to Treat the Mentally Ill?

http://m.thenation.com/blog/181920-why-are-we-using-prisons-treat-mentally-ill

A Story about Santa

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not 
produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the 
Christmas pressure.

Then, Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which 
stressed Santa even more.
 
He went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were 
about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, 
Heaven knows where. 

When he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the 
toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.
Frustrated,Santa went in the house for a glass of cider and a shot of rum.
 
In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it 
broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor.

 

He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw 
off the end of the broom.
Just then, the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched to the 
door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big 
Christmas tree.

 

The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a 
lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me 
to stick it?'
 
And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the 
Christmas tree.

 

Mental Health Hook Up Corporate Consultation Services: Video

San Diego Group Encourages Young Adults With Mental Illness To Have Fun

The National Institute of Mental Health says about one in five young adults has a diagnosable mental illness.
It’s not uncommon for young people with mental health issues to withdraw from others, and to isolate themselves. That can make their situation worse.
A group in San Diego has made it their mission to encourage young adults with mental illness to get out of their shell, make friends, and have a good time.
The group is operated by young people.

 

About Impact Young Adults:
The mission of Impact Young Adults is to enrich the lives of young adults with mental illness, ages 18 – 35, with experiences of acceptance, personal growth, and accomplishment. They use a peer-run model to create a supportive community with social activities, mentoring, and leadership opportunities.

Impact Young Adults was initially based in Hillcrest, San Diego, and now has an office in Vista, CA. We have activities in many places throughout SD County. We encourage anyone in the larger San Diego area to get involved! Please check out our calendar for upcoming events.

http://www.impactyoungadults.org/

ACA Helps Mend Differences Between Obama Admin., Insurers - California Healthline

ACA Helps Mend Differences Between Obama Admin., Insurers - California Healthline

The Obama administration and health insurers have formed a "mutually beneficial partnership" since the Affordable Care Act's passage in 2012. Although insurers initially distrusted the federal government, they now help insulate the Obama administration against challenges to the law, which presents opportunities for insurer growth. New York Times et al.

FREE ... Thanksgiving Meal

Please feel free to forward to other agencies or people! #thanksgiving #thanksgivingmeal#holidays 

THANKS

Traffic Signal at West Way and Olive View Drive

Here is an example of collaboration between mentalhealthhookup & the transit coalition to provide access to people needing to get to the urgent care center on the bus line.  Currently riders can only disembark from the main campus and walk a substantial distance, no matter the heat & potential photosensitivity to sunlight.  

 The signal design plan was submitted by LA County's consultant, Linscott, Law &
Greenspan, to LADOT's B permit division and is currently under review.

-Barbara Wilson

Election Day: Emily's List

Emily's List pro-choice Democratic women in your state need your vote:

Mental Health Hookup Book Recommendation: Maya Schenwar's "Locked Down, Locked Out" - Get It Now

Prisons affect people with mental illness as well.   Might we be going backward?

Barbara Wilson

Maya Schenwar's "Locked Down, Locked Out":
For years, in addition to her tireless work running Truthout, Maya Schenwar has written on the impact of prisons in the United States - the devastating effects this system of incarceration has on individuals, families, communities and the country as a whole.

As more and more people recognize the US prison system as a pressing issue, her work has appeared not just at Truthout but also The Guardian and The New York Times. Now we are very proud to announce the release of Maya Schenwar’s debut book, Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better.

Locked Down, Locked Out is a deeply personal and unflinchingly honest book, drawing directly on the experience of Schenwar’s own family, as well as extensive research and interviews with those who are incarcerated and those who are working to find better alternatives to incarceration. Through the stories of prisoners and their loved ones, Truthout’s editor-in-chief looks at how prison breaks apart families and communities, creating a rippling effect that touches every corner of our society. With an eye always on the practical, she explores how we can provide healing and resolution to victims while building public safety in communities - and ultimately, how we can create a safer, more just world.

Locked Down, Locked Out has already been acclaimed by everyone from Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, to former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and from Bill Ayers to Angela Davis, who says it contains “brilliant juxtaposition of abolitionist imaginaries and radical political practices.”

Published by Berrett-Koehler, Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better will be in stores on November 10. But you can get Maya Schenwar’s book ahead of time, shipped directly from Truthout, by making a minimum donation of $25 today!

News Article: Prison for Fun and Profit

At the beginning of the 1980s there were no privately-operated adult correctional facilities in the United States. As of 2009, more than 129,300 state and federal prisoners were housed in for-profit lock-ups. Prison privatization has become an acceptable practice and the private prison industry is now a multi-billion dollar business. How did this drastic expansion of incarceration-for-profit occur, and more importantly how has it rearranged the criminal justice landscape?

Read Full Article: Prison for Fun and Profit

News: Mental Health Issues Put 34,500 on New York’s No-Guns List

A newly created database of New Yorkers deemed too mentally unstable to carry firearms has grown to roughly 34,500 names, a previously undisclosed figure that has raised concerns among some mental health advocates that too many people have been categorized as dangerous.

Read full article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/nyregion/mental-reports-put-34500-on-new-yorks-no-guns-list.html?emc=eta1&_r=0

Job Posting: Safe House

Safe House www.safehouse-fri.org has an opening for a Housing Specialist. If you are interested in this position-please send your resume to mportnoff@friendsresearch.org

UCLA Study Shows Why One of the Biggest Obamacare Fears May Not Come To Pass - California Healthline

UCLA Study Shows Why One of the Biggest Obamacare Fears May Not Come To Pass - California Healthline

NAMI: Mental Illness and the Right to Vote

Many people with mental illness mistakenly think that they have lost their right to vote.  Unless they have had their rights revoked due to criminal convictions or through conservatorship, they have a right to vote.   Voting can now be done on-line and there are free computers in most public libraries.

If the right to vote has been lost there are procedures to reclaim the right to vote. 

http://www.nami.org/election

Attend L.A. County Supervisor Debate - 3rd District

Live from NAMI Walk Los Angeles October 11th

A few friends and I at the NAMI Walk this morning in Los Angeles. Mark Gale, NAMI criminal justice committee is a speaker today.

Live from NAMI Walks Los Angeles: Barbara B. Wilson

Mental Health Hookup is at the 11th annual NAMI walk in Los Angeles county today. Lots of excitement, NAMI groups from all over L A County from Antelope valley to Long Beach east to inland empire. 

In the photos:

Dist Attny Jackie Lacey ; dr Marvin southard, director of Los Angeles county dept of mental health

The Network: NAMIWalks LA County

October 5th through the 11th is Mental Health Awareness Week

Upcoming Mental Health First Aid Event at College of the Canyons University - Santa Clarita, CA

Upcoming NAMI Walks in California

Learn more about the NAMI walks at http://www.namiwalks.org/

Jordana Steinberg- A Powerful Mental Health Success Story

Front page extensive story in Sunday's Sacramento Bee tells the painful and powerful ultimately successful story of the mental health challenges that Darrell Steinberg and his family endured and overcame with his 20 year old daughter Jordana, which included hospitalizations and residential placement,

Now she is doing better and wants to become an advocate for others. While I knew about this generally for about the last six years, I had no idea now severe it was both for her and the family.   Nearly all of it was kept private until Jordana was ready to speak publicly about it.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/sinclair/jordana/index.html

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - Conference

Topic
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds its annual national convention, with the theme "Advocates for Change: From Dialogue to Action," September 3-6. 

Date and Time
09/04/2014, 8:00 a.m. EDT 

Location
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, D.C.

Contact
Bob Carolla, 703-516-7963 or 571-422-7378, bobc@nami.org; or Katie Morgan, 202-470-5362 or 601-319-4047, KatieMorgan@rational360.com; http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?
Section=Program&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=169913

Debate 2014 Video: Which candidate did you find the most representative?

Making a decision between two Republicans will not be easy for many Democrats in the 36th and 38th Assembly Districts in November 2014. I will be pushing to encourage all voters to watch this video. 

Robin Williams dead at 63: Actor’s battle with severe depression spotlights celebrities’ mental illnesses

Hopefully his passing will provide a spotlight on treatment and resources for those suffering from mental illness. It is such a huge issue that is not publicized enough in my opinion.


From the NYDAILY NEWS:
Robin Williams talked about his battle with depression, as well as years of drug and alcohol addiction, in interviews years before his death. The actor was found dead in his California home Monday.

The actor’s battle with depression puts a spotlight on his famous friends, including Christopher Reeve and Jonathan Winters, and other celebrities who had experiences with extreme depression.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/robin-williams-battle-depression-spotlights-celebrities-mental-illnesses-article-1.1900493

One in three mental health workers attacked reports a Victoria study

Interesting Mental Health Topic that is Trending: 

More than one in three Victorian mental health workers have been physically assaulted in the past 12 months, with staff stabbed, strangled and punched on the job.

A joint study between the Health and Community Services Union and the University of Melbourne paints a grim picture of the state's mental health services, where staff experience high levels of psychological stress and violence

Melbourne's state secretary Lloyd Williams, states mental health workers were three times more likely to be physically attacked than police officers.

Growing demand for mental health services, cuts to services, inadequate staffing levels, poor training and a growing number of ice-affected patients had created unsafe conditions, he said.

Mr Williams said mentally ill patients with behavioral disturbances needed to be helped with one-on-one support and “de-escalation techniques”.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/one-in-three-mental-health-workers-attacked-report-20140807-101lg6.html#ixzz39ot9myLE

June 4th Election in Antelope Valley

June 4:

Sadly,  due to the 10% or so of  Evan Thomas's candidacy  from the Antelope Valley,   Dr Lee Rogers came in 3rd and will not advance to the November general election.    If one adds the total that Dr Rogers did get to Mr Thomas' total, the numbers would have placed Dr Rogers in first place.

 

It is with a heavy heart that I go forth knowing that as a congressional district we can only look forward to "Buck McKeon light policies"   which has vowed to repeal "ObamaCare".   As people who care deeply about mental health public policy and access to quality mental health care,  it will continue to be incumbent upon us to re-double our efforts to advocate for those who may be unable to advocate for themselves.

 

Yours in service

Barbara B Wilson

Www.mentalhealthhookup.com

Adult Protective Services Conference in San Bernardino County

Adult Protective Services Conference in San Bernardino County

5/19 - The 27th Annual Adult Protective Services Multi-Disciplinary Team Conferenceincluded a day filled with speakers, breakout workshops, and local vendors and organizations. Lora Connolly from the California Department of Aging kicked off the event with an interactive quiz where attendees tested their knowledge of "Health and Safety Matters", which served as the overall theme for the event.    The conference featured workshops on relevant items such as Medicare fraud, elder abuse, and services for homeless veterans. One of those workshops focused on the CCI and its implementation in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, and drew IHSS, MSSP and HICAP workers.  http://www.calduals.org/ai1ec_event/adult-protective-services-multi-disciplinary-team-conference/?instance_id=126

NAMI 2014 NAMI National Convention

NAMI returns to the nation’s capital for its 2014 national convention!

September 3-6 ~ Washington, DC. Registration is now open

NAMI | 2014 NAMI National Convention

Recent statement from Lou Vince at DAA regarding mental health

Recent statement from Lou Vince at DAA regarding mental health:

Another major problem in the County jails is the mental deterioration of prisoners with mental illnesses who are receiving little to no services while incarcerated. This problem is directly linked to violence in the jails.
The Los Angeles County jail system has been described by many experts and commentators as the largest psychiatric hospital in the country. The popular social movement of “De-institutionalization” of some years ago has turned into what some mental health experts now term “trans-institutionalization” because our society has transferred the population that once resided in psychiatric hospitals and mental institutions to our jails and prisons. 64% of jail inmates suffer from a significant mental health problem.
According to the opinions of Dr. Terry A. Kupers in a 2008 ACLU report, few inmates in the L.A. County jails were receiving mental health treatment and about 350 per 2,000 inmates were receiving only medications while being subjected to severe overcrowding or isolation but no mental health programming.
Additionally, in tours of Men’s Central Jail, Twin Towers, and the Inmate Reception Center Kupers encountered a significant number of inmates who were either never diagnosed or were discharged from the caseload and transferred from mental health housing, administrative segregation, or disciplinary housing into the general population.
The connection between jail violence and mental illness should be obviously clear. Add jail overcrowding and you have a recipe for increased rates of violence, psychiatric breakdown, suicide, a loss of impulse control, temper flares, and increased noncompliance with rules and regulations.
Also of great concern was the fact that it was found that these mentally-ill inmates were rarely seen by psychiatrists and were being managed by Deputy Sheriffs who had no training in handling psychiatric patients. Deputies react to behaviors exhibited by the mentally ill. They become gruff, which is interpreted by the inmates as being “disrespected” and they, in turn, become angry. Their anger can and does result in being punished and so the anger escalates. Deputies react and so the cycle continues. As your next Sheriff, I would end this cycle!
As Sheriff, I would lobby the County Supervisors to mandate the Department of Mental Health to evaluate the need for substance abuse and mental health services among pre-trial and sentenced offenders, in both the incarcerated and community-supervised population, and develop a plan to fund and provide such treatment and services both in the correctional facilities and the community.

"Mental Health Crisis" series: Mental Illness Takes Toll

Antelope Valley

"Mental Health Crisis" series

"Mental Illness Takes Toll" by Andrew Clark

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

"Mental Health Crisis" series: System Overwhelmed

Antelope Valley

"Mental Health Crisis" series

"AV Mental Health Officials Seek Funds" by Andrew Clark

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

"Mental Health Crisis" series: Antelope Valley Lack Mental Health Care

Antelope Valley Press

"Mental Health Crisis" series

"Region's Numbers at Bottom of County" by Andrew Clark

 Click photos to enlarge

 Click photos to enlarge

Minds & Matters Spring 2014 Edition from Los Angeles County Department Mental Health

View the Spring 2014 edition of the LACDMH

LA Times Article--Diversion:Mental Illness Behind Bars

Mental Health and Spirituality Event - May 21, 2014 in Los Angeles County

Shine A Light On Suicide Prevention - April 29 & 30

Where does the U.S. mental-health spending go?

Interested in the Mental Health First Aid Training?

Interested in the Mental Health First Aid Training?
You are in luck.. Here is an upcoming valuable and FREE class.
May 3, 2014

President of NAMI Westside, Sylvia Thompson speaks

House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tim Murphy's HR3717, featuring our very own Sylvia Thompson, President of NAMI Westside.

Mental health overhaul draws heated discussion

Proponents favor flexibility; foes say privacy is sacrificed

April 3, 2014 11:17 PM

By Tracie Mauriello / Post-Gazette Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Mental health advocates were at odds Thursday during a congressional hearing on a sweeping overhaul that would increase accessibility of care while expanding the use of involuntary treatment and allowing family members and caregivers to intervene in cases involving the severely mentally ill.
Sponsored by Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, the bill has drawn mixed reactions from lawmakers, providers, mental health researchers and patients, including some who testified Thursday at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The hearing came a day after a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, and two days after police said a McCandless woman killed one son and critically injured another by submerging them in the bathtub after hearing voices.
In an interview, Mr. Murphy, a child psychologist, said his bill might have prevented those incidents by increasing opportunities for the perpetrators to receive treatment.
The bill would allow providers more flexibility to communicate with family members and caregivers in certain cases, for example, those involving patients who can't make medical decisions for themselves and/or don't acknowledge they are mentally ill.
Some witnesses at the hearing testified that patient privacy laws kept them from intervening to help relatives tormented by delusions, depression, paranoia, raging anger and suicidal thoughts.
"I believe in self-determination for those who are capable, but we must recognize that there is a small group of people, like my mother, who are too ill to self-direct their own care," testified Sylvia Thompson, who now is president of the National Alliance of Mental Illness Westside Los Angeles.
Ms. Thompson also spoke in favor of provisions of Mr. Murphy's bill that would allow courts to order involuntary outpatient treatment and would allow providers more discretion to involuntarily commit to inpatient facilities.
Currently patients can be treated against their will only if they show they are an imminent danger to themselves or others. The Murphy bill would allow providers to weigh a variety of factors including whether patients are able to provide for their basic needs, whether they are able to keep themselves safe and whether their condition is likely to substantially deteriorate without treatment.
The current system doesn't help people who aren't well enough to volunteer for treatment, and police can't help until they have become dangerous, Ms. Thompson said.
"I understand patient rights. I wholeheartedly believe in them. I help fight for them. But when someone lacks the capacity we need to take care of them, and that did not happen with my mother. She fell through the cracks over and over and over again," Ms. Thompson testified.
Witness Nancy Jensen disagreed. She is the author of "The Girl Who Cried Wolf," a memoir about her abuse in a Kansas group home for people with mental illness.
"This takes away the rights of individuals, including the right to choose their treatment," Ms. Jensen testified.
"I am also concerned that this bill would decrease the privacy protections of individuals with mental illnesses ... in order to provide families more access to information when it is not needed," she said. "Families already have access to a lot of information about their loved ones."
The advocacy group Mental Health America also has concerns about the Murphy bill.
"We strongly believe that some aspects of the legislation, while well intended, will ultimately result in damage to the system," testified David L. Shern, the group's president and a research psychologist.
Mr. Murphy said his aim is to help some of the 3.6 million seriously mentally ill people who are not receiving treatment.
He said his bill would break down barriers preventing providers from talking with parents and caregivers about loved ones who are in a mental health crisis, expand access to care, ensure only evidence-based programs receive funding, and increase opportunities for early intervention.
"For far too long, those who need help have been getting it the least. And where there is no help, there is no hope," he said. "We can, must, and will take mental illness out of the shadows of ignorance, despair and neglect and into that bright light of hope."

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2014/04/04/Mental-health-overhaul-draws-heated-discussion/stories/201404040085