March & April 2013

Changing Changing Changing MindsMindsMinds

CONTACT US:

NAMI Northern Illinois

P.O. Box 6971

Rockford, IL 61125 815-963-2470

Email us: naminorthernillinois@gmail.com

Visit us on the web: www.nami.org/northern-illinois

“Like” us on Facebook: NAMI Northern Illinois

In this issue... Page

Upcoming Presentations 1

Recovery Resource

Center News

2

Membership 2

CIT (continued) 3

Welcome, Stars of Light! 4

Get to Know NAMI 5

Support Group Info 6

6

President’s Letter 7

NAMI Northern Illinois

Meeting Schedule

8

Each year, the Rockford Police Department sends Officers to a 40 hour Critical Incident Team (CIT) Training through the Rosecrance Ware Center. It is important for the City of Rockford Police Officers to be trained in Critical Incidents (CIT) so they can effectively and efficiently de-escalate crisis situations involving people who live with mental illness-es. Officers who are CIT certified are better able to defuse crisis situations and ensure the safety of those individuals involved, exemplifying a more professional, humanely trained City of Rockford Police Officer. On April 9, 2013 Sgt. Michael Dalke and Officer Michelle Krebs will be at the 6:00PM meeting at to make a special presentation on how an Officer gets certified to be CIT trained, how these skills are utilized on the streets and why they are important. Please join us!

More Information about CIT from NAMI National What is CIT? Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) are a pre-booking jail diversion program designed to im-prove the outcomes of police interactions with people with mental illnesses. The first CIT was established in Memphis in 1988 after the tragic shooting by a police officer of a man with a serious mental illness. This tragedy stimulated a collaboration between the

(Continued on page 3)

April 9 • Stepping Stones • 6:30 p.m.

“Crisis Intervention Teams” in the Rockford Police Department

You are invited to the 4th ANNUAL GET TO KNOW NAMI EVENT!

March 12, 2013 Klehm Arboretum

2715 South Main Road, Rockford, Illinois 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Awards presentation 6:00 p.m.

“Get to Know NAMI” is designed to promote NAMI as a resource for consumers, families, mental health providers and the general public.

At 6:00p.m., “NAMI STARS” will be recognized for their work or activities that embody the principles of NAMI, a special “FRIEND of NAMI” award

recipient will be recognized, and a media award will be presented.

There will be ongoing testimonials from graduates of Family -to-Family and NAMI Basics and comments from members of support groups.

Please come and support NAMI by bringing a friend!

Get to Know NAMI

Page 2

Name (s):

Address:

City:

State/Zip:

Phone:

Email:

Support NAMI By Becoming a Member!

Membership Level : __________________________________ Additional Donation: ___________ Total enclosed:___________

Please mail this form with your check to: NAMI Northern Illinois • P.O. Box 6971 • Rockford, Illinois 61125

Please list your name (s) as you wish it to appear in our membership roll: YOUR ADDITIONAL DONATIONS ARE

ALWAYS WELCOME!

Become a NAMI member today and add your name to the list of thousands raising their voices to demand services,

support and respect for the millions affected by mental illness. NAMI membership demonstrates your support for the

important work being done at NAMI and helps us make our voice heard in your community and the nation's capital.

Members receive NAMI's national news magazine, the Advocate, in addition to local and state newsletters. Members

also enjoy reduced costs at conventions, the NAMI Store, and other events, as well as voting privileges to shape the

future of America's largest grassroots organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions affected by mental

illness. “Your membership counts!"

Group Hope meets every Wednesday in

the RRC, 3:30-4:30.

A basic computer class will be offered

March 5th & 12th. The March 14th

movie will be “Stories of Hope & Recov-

ery” by SAMHSA.

During April there will be roundtable dis-

cussions on diabetes, stress aware-

ness, and physical wellness.

In May there will be roundtable discus-

sions on hepatitis awareness, allergies,

learn how to meditate.

If interested in any events just call RRC

815 720-5090 ask Bonnie for more de-

tails of times and dates.

the Recovery Resource Center The Recovery

Resource Center Rosecrance Ware

Center—3rd Floor

526 W. State St. Rockford

Open to current clients only.

(Continued from page 1) police, the Memphis chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the University of Tennessee Medical School and the University of Memphis to improve police training and procedures in response to mental illness. The Memphis CIT program has achieved remarkable success, in large part because it has remained a true community partnership. Today, the so-called “Memphis Model” has been adopted by more than 2000 communities in more than 40 states, and is be-ing implemented statewide in several states, including Maine, Connecticut, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, Utah, and Kentucky. To locate a CIT program near you, visit the University of Memphis website at: http://www.cit.memphis.edu/USA.htm.

The Memphis Model of CIT has several key components: A community collaboration between mental health providers, law enforcement, and family and consumer advo-

cates. This group examines local systems to determine the community’s needs, agrees on strategies for meeting those needs, and organizes police training. This coalition also determines the best way to transfer people with mental illness from police custody to the mental health system, and ensures that there are adequate facilities for mental health triage.

A 40 hour training program for law enforcement officers that includes basic information about mental illnesses and how to recognize them; information about the local mental health system and local laws; learning first-hand from consumers and family members about their experiences; verbal de-escalation training, and role-plays.

Consumer and family involvement in decision-making, planning training sessions, and leading training sessions. CIT Works — for law enforcement, for consumers, and for the community. CIT helps keep people with mental illnesses out of jail, and gets them into treatment. Studies show that police-based diversions, and CIT especially, significantly reduce arrests of people with serious

mental illnesses. Pre-booking diversion, including CIT, also reduced the number of re-arrests by 58%. In a one-year study of pre-booking jail diversion, including CIT, participants in jail diversion programs spent on aver-

age two more months in the community than non-diverted individuals. Individuals diverted through CIT and other programs receive more counseling, medication and other forms of treatment than individuals who are not divert-ed.

CIT training reduces officer stigma and prejudice toward people with mental illness. CIT officers do a good job of identifying individuals who need psychiatric care and are 25% more likely to transport

an individual to a psychiatric treatment facility than other officers. CIT reduces officer injuries, SWAT team emergencies, and the amount of time officers spend on the disposition of mental disturbance calls.

After the introduction of CIT In Memphis, officer injuries sustained during responses to “mental disturbance” calls

dropped 80%. After the introduction of CIT in Albuquerque, the number of crisis intervention calls requiring SWAT team involve-

ment declined by 58%. In Albuquerque, police shootings in the community declined after the introduction of CIT. Officers trained in CIT rate their program as more effective at meeting the needs of people with mental illness, min-

imizing the amount of time they spend on “mental disturbance” calls, and maintaining community safety, than officers who rely on a mobile crisis unit or in-house social worker for assistance with “mental disturbance” calls.

For complete article and citations, visit the NAMI national website/CIT Toolkit/CIT Facts.

Page 3

Page 4

February 18, 2013

Stars of Light theater troupe continues mission with home base at NAMI Northern Illinois

Group has educated community on mental illness for nearly 20 years

ROCKFORD – The Stars of Light, a Rockford theatrical troupe whose mission is to educate the public about mental health issues, has a new home base with NAMI Northern Illinois, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as of Feb. 15, 2013. The troupe, founded almost 20 years ago at the Janet Wattles Center, has been affiliated with Rosecrance since the agencies merged in 2011. Transfer of the theater troupe from Rosecrance to NAMI Northern Illinois will give NAMI a new way to reach out to the community to educate on mental health. Stars’ founding director Steven Vrtol III, a well-known local actor, will continue as director of the Stars of Light. Rosecrance will be a supporting sponsor for group. “We are looking at this as an exciting opportunity to expand and grow the reach of our local affiliate,” said Jean Morrow, president of NAMI Northern Illinois. “This is the first step in a new direction in community outreach for us and we are thrilled.” Since its inception, Stars of Light has offered individuals living with mental illness, their family members and friends an opportunity to participate in the arts as a way of fighting stigma and furthering understanding about mental health issues. Through the years, members of the group have presented 232 performances to more than 8,000 people, mostly at schools in the region and to community groups. Stars of Light members have participated in crisis intervention training with area law enforcement officers who take the course to learn how to respond in crisis situations that involve someone with mental illness. “We are delighted to continue to help sponsor the Stars of Light as they begin this new chapter with NAMI Northern Illinois, which already does so much to educate about mental illness,” said Rosecrance President/CEO Philip W. Eaton. “Through the creative arts, the Stars have been able to bring these issues out into the open and enlighten the community about the help and hope that is available.” Through the years, the group has produced numerous radio shows for Northern Public Radio, WNIJ, on mental health topics, along with several videos on such topics as recovery, employment, depression screening and suicide prevention. The group has received national recognition for its work. The American Association of Behavioral Healthcare (AABH) gave Stars an award in 1998 for efforts to education that reduces stigma about mental illness. The group also has received the JC Penney Golden Rule Award. Two years ago, the Stars were invited to perform at the national conference of NAMI in Chicago. Stars of Light will operate out of the offices of Stepping Stones on North Main Street, which is where NAMI Northern Illinois has its office.

CONTACT: Judy Emerson Jean Morrow Director of Communications President Rosecrance Health Network NAMI Northern Illinois 815.387.5605 (office); 815.262.4685 (cell) 815.963.2470

Email: jemerson@rosecrance.org Email: jmmorrow2@frontier.com

Press Release

People with Mental Illness Enrich Our Lives Page 5

NAMI y La Voz Latina ofrecen el Programa “De familia a familia” dirigido a aquellas personas que tienen un ser querido (esposo,

padre, hermano o hijo) que padece de una enfermedad mental. El programa le proporcionará herramientas para comprender mejor la enfermedad mental de su

familiar y cómo manejar mejor las situaciones a las que se enfrentan.

El programa iniciará el 1º de Abril de 5:30 a 8:30 en las instalaciones de La Voz Latina (412 Market St. Rockford, IL 61107) y tendrá una duración de 12 semanas. Se provee

transportación y cuidado de niños.

El programa es totalmente gratuito.

Para registrarse, contacte a Margarita Miramontes Tel: 815-965-5784 margaritamz@lavozlatina-rkfd.org

De Familia A Familia

Abraham Lincoln. The revered sixteenth President of the United States suffered from severe and incapacitating depressions that occasionally led to thoughts of suicide, as documented in numerous biographies by Carl Sandburg. Virginia Woolf. The British Novelist who wrote To the Lighthouse and Orlando experienced the mood swings of bipolar disorder characterized by feverish periods of writing and weeks immersed in gloom. Her story is discussed in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr. Lionel Aldridge. A defensive end for Vince Lombardi’s legendary Green Bay Packers of the 1960’s, Aldridge played in two Super Bowls. In the 1970’s, he suffered from schizophrenia and was homeless from two and a half years. Until his death in 1988, he gave inspirational talks on his battle against paranoid schizophrenia. His story is the story of numerous newspaper articles. Eugene O’Neill. The famous playwright, author of A Long Day’s Journey and Ah! Wilderness! , suffered from clinical depression, as documented in Eugene O’Neill by Olivia Coolidge. Ludwig van Beethoven. The brilliant composer experienced bipolar disorder, as documented in The Key to Genius: Manic Depression and the Creative Life by D. Jablow Hershman and Julian Lieb. Gaetano Donizetti. The famous opera singer suffered from bipolar disorder, as documented in Donizetti and the World Opera in Italy, Paris, and Vienna in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century by Herbert Weinstock. Leo Tolstoy. Author of War and Peace, Tolstoy revealed the extent of his own mental illness in the memoir Confession. His experiences is also discussed in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr, and The Inner World of Mental Illness: A Series of First Accounts of What It Was Like by Bert Kaplan. Vaslov Nijinsky. The dancers battle with schizophrenia is documented in his autobiography, The Diary of Vaslov Nijinsky. John Keats. The renowned poet’s mental illness is documented in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr and The Broken Brain: The Biological Revolution in Psychiatry by Nancy Andreasen, M.D.

Tennessee Williams. The playwright gave a personal account of his struggle with clinical depression in his own Memoirs. His experience is also documented in Five O’clock Angel: Letters of Tennessee Williams to Maria St. Just, 1948-1982; The Kindness of Strangers: The Life of Tennessee Williams by Donald Spoto, and Tennessee: Cry of the Heart by Dotson. Vincent Van Gogh. The celebrated artist’s bipolar disorder is discussed in The Key to Genius: Manic Depression and the Creative Life by D. Jablow Hershman and Julian Lieb and Dear Theo, The Autobiography of Van Gogh. Isaac Newton. The scientist’s mental illness is discussed in The Dynamics of Creation by Anthony Storr and the Key to Genius: Manic Depression and the Creative Life by D. Jablow Hershman and Julian Lieb. Ernest Hemmingway. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist’s suicidal depression is examined in the True Gen: An Intimate Portrait of Ernest Hemmingway by Those Who Know Him by Dennis Brian. Sylvia Plath. The poet and novelist ended her lifelong struggle with clinical depression by taking her own life, as reported in A Closer Look at Ariel: A Memory of Sylvia Plath by Nancy Hunter-Steiner. Michelangelo. The mental illness off of one of the world’s greatest artistic geniuses is discussed in The Dynamics of Creation, by Anthony Storr. Winston Churchill. “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation. In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgment might well have concluded that we were finished, “ wrote Anthony Storr about Churchill’s bipolar disorder in Churchill’s Black Dog, Kafka’s Mice, and Other Phenomena of the Human Mind. Vivien Leigh. The Gone with the Wind star suffered from mental illness, as documented in Vivien Leigh: A Biography by Ann Edwards Patty Duke. The Academy Award-winning actress told of her bipolar disorder in her autobiography and made-for-TV movie Call me Anna and A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic-Depressive Illness, co-authored by Gloria Hochman. Charles Dickens. One of the greatest authors in the

Page 6

Belvidere Family Support Group Third Monday, 8:00 AM

Grandma’s Restaurant, 329 Chrysler Drive, Belvidere. Contact Jean, 815-332-4744.

Rockford Our Savior’s Lutheran Family Support Group

Third Tuesday, 7:00 PM Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, at 3300 Rural St.,

Rockford. Contact Mary Ann, 779-423-0010.

SwedishAmerican Hospital Family Support Group

Third Thursday from 7—8:30 PM SwedishAmerican Hospital, 1401 E. State St.

Contact Nancy, 815-399-4476.

RMH Parent Support Group for parents of children and adolescents ≤18 yrs.

(most) Mondays, 6:30—8 PM Rockford Memorial Hospital, 2400 Rockton Ave.

Contact Erik, 815-742-0736.

NAMI Family Member Support Groups

Group Hope Support for Depression or Bipolar Disorder—Group Hope welcomes those who need a place to feel safe while

discussing their feelings of hopelessness, grief, sadness, and emptiness with others who suffer from the same

problems and therefore truly understand. Come and find the support you need. For current information about

meetings, go to the Group Hope website, www.grouphope.org or contact Charles Smith at 815-398-9628.

ANNUAL COOKIE DOUGH SALE IS HERE! Sellers and Buyers wanted!

Cakes, cookies and popcorn, too!

Please support NAMI’s 2013 cookie dough sale. Buyers and Sellers - contact Vicky at 815 979-7208 for more info or to place individual orders. All forms and money must be turned in to Vicky by April 14th. Items - ready to bake cookie dough, gourmet popcorn, and individual lava-licous cakes. Purchase 1 for $12.00 or 3 for $33.00. Gourmet bunt cakes - $22.00/each Cookies will be available to pick up on May 7th @ 4883 Brookview Rd. Rockford. Pick-up time will be advised asap. Proceeds help NAMI Northern Illinois to fund: Education courses - Family-to-Family & NAMI

Basics Advocacy efforts Community education events And much more

Thanks for your continuing support!

President’s Letter Page 7

This month I would like to touch upon three areas.

Get to Know NAMI’s open house is being held on March 12 at Klehm Arboretum from 3:00 – 7:00PM. Please plan to stop in and bring family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and anyone else you feel might benefit learning more about the various programs our NAMI affiliate offers. During the event, at 30 minute intervals, there will be presentations made by NAMI members who have participated in these programs. At 6:00PM six Star awards, a Friend of NAMI and a Media award will be presented. Through out the open house refreshments will be available. SEE YOU THERE.

Stars of Light Theatre Troupe has been performing since 1995 doing 232 tour shows for over

8,000 people. They are composed of persons with mental illness, a director and community vol-unteers. NAMI Northern Illinois is proud to welcome this theatre troupe under our umbrella for we share the same mission – improving quality of life through education, support and advocacy. Ste-ve F. Vrtol III will continue as the director with Mary Gubbe Lee offering production support. This is all being done with collaboration from Stepping Stones, who is providing storage and rehearsal space. We look forward to an exciting and beneficial partnership in this endeavor.

Endowment Fund research has begun. It is necessary to plan for the future as our organization

grows, management needs to grow and a predictable income will be needed. Recently I and two other members held a conversation with the Community Foundation on the possibility of starting an endowment fund. Working with this professional and trustworthy organization will instill confi-dence in future donors who want to support the mission of NAMI Northern Illinois. We will keep you inform as we explore this option.

In closing I want to ask you if you have taken time to think how you can make a difference in 2013. Did you sign up with a committee? Did you join the email legislation alerts? Others need to make a commitment and become a dues paying member of NAMI Northern Illinois. Look elsewhere in this newsletter for the membership form and mail it today. See you at the open house on March 12. Jean Morrow

GET ON THE LIST! Waiting lists are already forming for the spring 2013 courses of Family-to-Family and NAMI Basics. Class sizes are limited! If you have a loved one living with bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, OR a child

living with ADHD, bipolar, anxiety or other mental health diagnoses, these courses are for you! Call the NAMI office and leave a message. Someone will get back to you with all the information you need to begin the free, life -changing experience of a NAMI education course for family members.

Help. Hope. Support.

Schedule of Events—2013 Page 8

March 12, 3—7 p.m. Klehm Arboretum

2715 S. Main St., Rockford, IL 61102

NAMI Family Support Group Meetings: March 18, 19, 21 RMH Parent Support March 7, 14, 21, 28

Help. Hope. Understanding.

Various locations and times. See page 6.

En Español!

1º de Abril de 5:30 a 8:30

p. 5

La Voz Latina

412 Market St.

Rockford, IL 61107

P.

April 9 • 6:30 p.m.

“Crisis Intervention Teams” in the Rockford Police Department

Stepping Stones

706 N. Main, Rockford Enter from the parking lot on

Court St. and go downstairs

NAMI Family Support Group Meetings: April 15, 16, 18 RMH Parent Support April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Help. Hope. Understanding.

Various locations and times. See page 6.

SAVE THE DATE! April 29 Piecing It All Together Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL

PO Box 6971 Rockford, IL 61125

Return Service Requested

*Planning to move?* Please let us know your new address, so

Changing Minds may follow you to your new home! Call 815-963-2470 or email Beverly at joebevrox@comcast.net.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Rockford, IL

Permit NO. 757

Get to Know NAMI

De Familia A Familia