lane county...Jan 05, 2015 · Diehl, were named Volunteers of the Year. by Diane and Jeff Magoto...

CONTENTS

Holiday Dinner, p. 1

Executive Director’s Report, p. 2

Summary of Bates’ Keynote, p. 3

Film Review, p. 4

Announcements, p. 5, 7

Calendar, p. 6

Support Groups, p.7

CONTACT US

NAMI Lane County 2411 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Eugene, OR 97401

Office HoursMon-Thurs 10-2

Voice541-343-7688

[email protected]

Internet www.namilane.org

Facebookwww.facebook.com/NAMI.LaneCounty

Volume 34, No. 05 May 2011…your local voice on mental illness

Volume 35, No. 1 January 2012

lane county

…your local voice on mental illness

Holiday Dinner a Big Success

continued on p. 3

The Lane Events Center was filled to capacity for NAMI’s annual holiday party on December 6. Besides NAMI members, there were representatives and family members from the broader Lane County mental health support community, including a contin-gent of officers from the Eugene Police Department, led by Chief Pete Kerns.

The evening had many purposes: a chance for fellowship, a formal program which included honoring the family of slain Eugene Police Officer Chris Kilcullen with NAMI’s Bill Uhlhorn award for community service, and a chance to hear featured speaker, Doug Bates. NAMI President Bob Trimble and Ex-ecutive Director, Jose E. Santos III presided over the two and half hour program, offering wit and insight throughout.

Many had come to hear Doug Bates tell the story behind his 2005 exposé in the Oregonian detailing the abominal conditions at the Oregon state hospital. Here’s a brief summary of Bates’ speech. DOUG BATES KEYNOTE SPEECH

Bates and his colleague Rick Attig had read a story that reported abuse allegations by patients and patients rights advocates for the Oregon State Hospital in Salem. Bates and Attig wanted to know what was really happening there, so they went on a tour with Longtime NAMI board members, Sally and Scott

Diehl, were named Volunteers of the Year.

by Diane and Jeff Magoto

Mid-January NAMI Lane County’s office will be moving a couple of blocks west. Our new address will be:

76 Centennial Loop Suite A, Eugene OR 97401

2

PARENTS AND TEACHERS AS ALLIES

Well winter is here! The holidays have come and gone. With this New Year comes much transition, learning, growth, and we can’t forget resolutions. I wish you well with your resolutions.

Now that winter break is over and the children are returning to school, we can start to put away the decorations, recycle the tree and get a joyful start to 2012.

However not everyone at school this year may be feeling joyful. There are many children living with mental illness in our community. There are also just as many children living with parents who struggle with mental illness. Too often stigma gets in the way of proper diagnosis and treat-ment. Children are often labeled as bul-lies, trouble makers, or slackers when they themselves are in pain.

On January 3, 2001, the Surgeon Gen-eral of the United States released a report

stating that 12% of American children under the age of 18 have a diagnosable mental illness. Parents and teachers must work together, strengthening the alliance between home and school, in order to help these children and families in crisis.

In the New Year NAMI Lane County offers an approach to address this issue. In collaboration with parents, teachers, and community members, we will be offering a program called Parents and Teachers as Allies. This two hour in-service training will assist school faculty in recognizing early-onset mental illness in children and adolescents in schools across Lane County.

Call NAMI Lane County to volunteer or to find out more information about this program.GETTING BACK TO BASICS

NAMI Basics begins on January 10 at the Brattain House, 1030 G St. Springfield.

See the NAMI Oregon website for more information (namior.org).

From the Executive Director

byJose E. Soto, III

Bruce AbelLinda AlfordJim AndersonVernon ArneThomas and Patti BarkinJohn and Carol BrunjeSusie CaldwellJeri CarsonCraig and Dulcie ChatwoodGary CorneliusRachel and Larry CummingsJohn and Diane DemarcoScott and Sally DiehlAndy and Sheri DingerDiane DrostTroy and Julie Emmett

Erik FisherJune FryeBarbara GentryGloria GriffinKen and Nancy HarveySharon HopperstadDave and Diane HowardPhillip and Loralee JensenFrank and Beverly KistnerDon and Marion LeslieHelen LiquoriBrenda LunneyJeff and Diane MagotoDebbie McDaniel-LindseyJoyce MetcalfGeneva Miller

Paulette MontplaisirGlen and Gloria MorganEldon and Bernice OlinAlice ParmanNeil and Linda PetersonMarta PowersDavid and Cheri ReinhardKathleen RexAllen SellersSheila and Kurt SundahlGeorge and Elaine ToperCharles and Leslie WrightGordon Wright and Anne MoffettLucy Zasmmarelli

In Memory of Robert BennettSusan Bennett Olson

In honor of Dodie WeyheRick and Jane Steel

December Donors and Holiday Appeal Contributors—Thank You!

3

continued from p. 1

Peter Courtney (Oregon State Senator), who was able to make sure they saw the entire facility.

The first thing they came upon, during a very rainy day, was staff getting large buckets to pick up water from the leaking roofs. The building was in horrible condition, as it was constructed in the late 1800’s. The windows were barred and there were barb wired fences outside. The three men wondered why children had to be there. Female abuse victims were sleeping in the hallways. There were five men in rooms designed for two men. The final straw was the crematorium, where the deceased’s ashes had been forgotten by family and friends, and the names had fallen off many of the cylinders.

Bates and Attig decided to do an expose on the hospital as well as on Oregon’s mental health system in general. They wrote 15

articles, published throughout the year dur-ing the legislative session. They travelled to Kansas and Washington to see state-of-the -art mental institutions.

What they noticed in Kansas was there was no barbed wire, no water in the build-ing from leaking roofs, and that the build-ing seemed designed to be more humane. In Washington state the building wasn’t overcrowded and there was enough room where people could sit quietly on their own if they wanted to.

The two reporters interviewed a man named Randy Ravel, who led a successful

campaign for mental health parity in Washington State. He said that he had some gastrointestinal problems and that he happened to be bipolar. His insurance paid for his prescription for the gastrointestinal difficulties, but not for his bipolar medications. He quipped, “My health policy values my a** more than my brain.” Bates and At-tig used the quote in one of the articles in the series.

Because of their efforts, the Legislature, under pres-sure, passed a bond for a new hospital. Bates would rather have seen additional small 16-patient facilities be funded.

Mental health parity became a right many Orego-nians would eventually have. Bates sees mental health discrimination as the new frontier in Civil Rights.

Keynote speaker, journalist and author Doug Bates.

Guests included representatives of major mental health support and advocacy groups in Lane County, including the Eugene Police Department.

Former board president Sheila Sundahl greets volun-teers. Special thanks to Bev, Sally, and Serena.

4

Video Review

by Pete Ruby

The Brain Fitness ShowPBS Home Video, 2008By Eli Brown

F2F COURSES BEGIN JANUARY 10 Start the New Year by gaining knowl-

edge, understanding and empathy for your friends or loved ones living with mental illness. Family to Family is a 12-week course covering illness behaviors, medica-tions, brain functions, crisis, recovery, and self-care. There are 3 group workshops focused on problem solving, improving communication skills and empathy. This is

a safe, comforting class environment with people who understand and support each other. It is truly life changing.

There are two locations for Family to Family this Winter—in Eugene at LCBHS, and in Cottage Grove at CG Hospital. Classes at both locations meet on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-9:00 p.m. beginning January 10. Call the office today at 541-343-7688 to pre-register. Space is limited.

continued from p. 2

The NAMI library is well stocked with mental health videos such as this highly regarded series from PBS

Home Video called The PBS Brain Fitness Show. I have only reviewed books in the past, but I’m trying to broaden our members’ awareness of the many resources in the NAMI library.

The video provides an optimistic look at the potential for slowing the deterioration in our brains due to aging, head injury and disease. New research suggests that the phys-ical and mental functions of our brains have the ability to repair themselves, a discovery that was not noticed as strongly in previous research.

The video carefully examines the research around a term called neuroplasticity. This is not yet an accepted scientific term but it is used to describe how the brain can adjust and adapt to damage. Physical and mental activities increase the plasticity or malleabil-ity of the brain; this activity can limit some of the brain deterioration in elderly people. Cognitive impairment and dementia are inevitable but their impact can be less severe.

The video is highly scientific with lots of comments from neurological researchers and doctors. A person with some background in physiological and neurological pro-cesses would profit the most from this research.

The basis of the research is centered around the neurons in our brain whose nerve cells have the potential of compensating for some brain damage. The brain can reorga-nize itself and create new connections between damaged and intact neurons.

A segment follows the progress in brain function of a man who has suffered from a stroke. A rigorous schedule of physical and mental therapy, based around some of this new research, allows this persistent patient to recover quite a bit of his physical func-tioning.

Be prepared to give your complete focus to this challenging scientific research. Pre-tend that you are a neurologist watching a presentation at a conference.

News Briefs

NAMI Lane County

Board of Directors

President: Bob TrimbleOutgoing President: Nancy Nameth

Vice President: Sue Sammis Secretary: Lesley Rex

Finance Director: Scott Diehl Treasurer: Sara Wyant

Program Chair: Bev Hickey Education Chair: Sally Diehl

Consumer Liaison: Sue SammisNominations: Susie Caldwell

At large: Serena Slape, Collin Alspach

Staff Executive Director, Jose E. Soto, IIIOffice Manager: Sherry Bierwirth

---------------Volunteers

Book Reviews: Pete RubyWebmaster: Larry Cummings

Newsletter: Jeff and Diane MagotoFoundation Chair: Dave Howard

Dignity Project: Richard and Eloyce Enloe …and many others

The mission of NAMI Lane County is to improve the quality of life of persons

with mental disorders and of their families through support,

education and advocacy.

5

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER: COLLIN ALSPACH

Let me introduce myself. My name is Collin Alspach. I was born and raised in Tillamook, Oregon, hence my lifelong af-fection for recreational fishing. I came to Eugene in 1965 on a work-college scholarship through US Bank and received my BS degree from the University of Oregon.

I started out working for US Bank, also West One Bank and Centennial Bank, all in the Eugene market. When Umpqua Bank bought Centennial Bank, several others and I raised capital and started up Century Bank in 2003. I worked as Chief Lending Officer there until my retirement in July 2011.

My wife Diane and I were married in 1969. We have a son Blake who lives in Seattle and a daughter Jaime in Tigard. She and her husband Ethan have two small children, Tate age 4 and Lexi age 2. Grandkids are fun and I am finding retirement fits well so far. —Collin

MARION LESLIE: LIBRARIAN EXTRAORDINNAIRE

Marion Leslie long time NAMI Lane County volunteer and employee worked in Illinois and Eugene as a librarian. She worked in the NAMI office, facilitated family and friends sup-port groups, and cataloged the library books to establish the library as it is known today.

Marion considers the library to be an integral part of the education and support functions of NAMI Lane County. The library was begun for family members and friends so that they would not be frightened or ashamed by their experience or situation. Currently the library is available to anyone who de-sires to learn and be informed about mental illness.

Marion believes family members and others should be introduced to the library whenever they come in for the first time or following support meetings. People often have detailed questions that can not be answered by facilitators or office volunteers, but the library can answer their questions. Often information gleaned from the library is useful in facilitating discussions support groups or elsewhere.

We are extremely thankful to have had Marion’s expertise for those many years. —Pat and Dave Shackleton

NAMI LIBRARIAN NEEDED We are looking for someone to volun-

teer as a librarian at Lane County NAMI. Our books and videos serve the entire county. For details on the position, contact the office. Several people help out in the library, but it would be great to have some-one take this on as a service project.

6

January Calendar

Reminder: What is said in support groups must be kept confidential.

See the next page for a listing of education and support groups.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayJan 2 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Eugene.

3 Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC. --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 6-7, Florence. --------- NAMI Peer Connections Group, 6:30,-7:30, Cottage Grove.

4 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Springfield.

5 Consumer Only Friendship Group, 10:00, Cottage Grove--------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC. --------- NAMI Family-to-Family Support Group (for graduates of F2F Class), 7:00-8:30, LCBHS.

6 • Office Closed --------- NAMI Connections, 12-1, SLMH, Cottage Grove.

9 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Eugene. -------- DBSA, 7:00-8:30, First United Methodist, Eugene.

10 Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC. --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 6-7, Florence. --------- NAMI Peer Connections Group, 6:30,-7:30, Cottage Grove.


12 Consumer Only Friendship Group, 10:00, Cottage Grove. --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC.--------NAMI Friends and Family Support Group, 7:00-8:30, LCBHS.


16 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Eugene.

17 Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2:00-3:00, LHC --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 6-7, Florence. --------- NAMI Peer Connections Group, 6:30,-7:30, Cottage Grove.


19 Consumer Only Friendship Group, 10:00, Cottage Grove. --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC.--------NAMI Friends and Family Support Group, 7:00-8:30, LCBHS.


23 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Eugene. -------- DBSA, 7:00-8:30, First United Methodist, Eugene.



26 Consumer Only Friendship Group, 10:00, Cottage Grove. --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC.---------NAMI Family-to-Family Support Group, 6:30-8:00, Florence. --------NAMI Friends and Family Support Group, 7:00-8:30, LCBHS.


30 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Eugene.


Feb 1 NAMI Connection, 3:30-5:00, Springfield.

2 Consumer Only Friendship Group, 10:00, Cottage Grove --------- Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, 2-3, LHC. --------NAMI Family-to-Family Support Group (for graduates of F2F Class), 7:00-8:30, LCBHS.


Office re-opens.

We invite our readers to submit their own articles, photos, stories or anecdotes: What happened? What issues did you and your loved ones face? Did you get

the help you needed? How are things working out now? Please send submissions to the NAMI office or by email: [email protected].

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

LaneCare/Lipa Consumer Advocacy Committee This committee will be advocating for consumers and families utilizing OHP & LaneCare Services. These two entities will be merging in the next nine months to create a Coordinated Care Organization (CCO). There will be a lot of changes taking place as mental health and physical health systems are merged. Input from consumers and families are crucial! Call the office for more information.

NAMI Groups Eugene-

Springfield

NAMI Friends and Family Support Group 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Thurs-day at Lane County Behavioral Services (LCBHS), 7:00.

NAMI Family To Fam-ily Support Group (for graduates of F2F Class) at LCBHS, 1st Thursday, 7:00.

NAMI Connection Mondays in Eugene, 938 Jefferson St.; Wednes-

days, in Springfield, 532 C Street, 3:30-5:00.

Cottage GroveNAMI Friends and Fam-ily Support Group Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church at 19th & Harvey. 4th Thursday, 7:00.

Consumer Only Friend-ship Group Fleur de Lis Patisserie, 616 Main St, Thursday mornings, 10:00.

NAMI Peer Facilitated Connections Support Groups Tuesdays, Heal-ing Matrix, 632 Main

St, 6:30; Fridays, South Lane Mental Health, 1325 Birch Ave, 12:00.

FlorenceF2F Support Group Laurelwood Community Center, 1137 Maple St., 4th Thursday, 6:30-8:00.

Community GroupsDBSA (Depression/ Bipolar Support Alliance Group) First United Methodist Church (FUMC), 1376 Olive Street. 2nd and 4th Mondays, 7-8:30. Call Lola Mitchell at 541-344-4341 for details.

Eugene Dual Diagnosis Anonymous (Mental illness and drug addiction) Laurel Hill Center (LHC), Tues. & Thurs. 2-3, 2145 Centen-nial Plaza. Call Stacey Paulsen at 541-485-6340.

Florence Dual Diagnosis Group Apostolic Pentecos-tal Church, 1525 12th Street, Suite 28. Tues-days 6-7. Call David Holopoff at 541-997-9289 for information.

Oregon Family Support NetworkFor families with chil-dren with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs. Call 541-342-2876 or 800-323-8521.

Suicide Bereavement Group For those who have lost a loved one. Meets once a month on Wednes-days. Call Darlene at 541-747-2084 or check website: www.jennifer-bakerfund.org.

NAMI COTTAGE GROVE

HAPPENINGS

Wonderful things are getting off the ground in Cottage Grove. The Friendship Coffee Group held at Fleur de Lis Patisserie, 616 Main St. Cottage Grove, on Thursday mornings at 10 am has been growing!

We are a great group of people who get together and socialize, have fun, laugh and plenty of hugs to go around. Nice atmosphere, family oriented.

Anyone who comes to the Friendship group during January will receive a free raffle ticket. One each week. At the end of the month we will raffle off a dinner to El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant! Participants have also been getting involved in other community activities such as Tai Chi, movie nights and walking.

For more information, call the NAMI office at 541-343-7688.

—Sue, Charles, Marina, Moy and Romney.

IN MEMORY OF JOY GIRVAN

Joy M. Girvan passed away this past December. She leaves behind three children: Mary, Richard William, and Robert Carter. Her first husband, Bob Abel, died in 1973. Her second husband, Tom Girvan, died in 2008.

Joy was raised in Louisiana. She and Bob moved to Oregon (where he was from) in 1951. When their second child, Rich-ard was born, they moved to California, and soon Robert was born. Finally, in 1963, the family moved back to Oregon. Joy went on to receive her Masters in Education from the Universi-ty of Oregon. She then worked as an elementary school educa-tor from 1976 to 1994, when she retired.

In 1978 she was talking with another parent whose son was hospitalized for mental illness. From that meeting emerged a lifetime of advocacy for people with mental illness. Together they formed Save a Mind (SAM), which locally was a precursor to the Alliance for the Mentall Ill and NAMI.

For those of you who remember Joy Girvan and her in-volvement with SAM/NAMI, please let the Office know.

http://www.jenniferbakerfund.org/

http://www.jenniferbakerfund.org/

NAMI Membership/Donation Information

Annual membership benefits include: • Local, informative monthly newsletter • State and national membership magazine • A voice on vital advocacy issues • Representation on state and local boards • Tax deductions

❏ Voting Membership, $35.00/year❏ Newsletter subscription only, $15/year

(Available only for members of NAMI Affiliates outside of Lane County)❏ Sponsor: $100/year, Company/Association❏ Low Income Membership, $3.00/year❏ General Donation, $________❏ Donation in memory of _______________________________ ❏ Anonymous gift, $________

(Please make checks payable to: NAMI Lane County • 2411 MLK Jr. BLVD • Eugene, OR 97401)

Name: ___________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________

Address: _______________________________ Email: ______________________________________________

City: ____________________ State _________ Zip _______

❏ Contact me about volunteering, donating money, products, or services.

Do you prefer to receive your newsletter in printed form (via USPS) or electronic form (via email)?

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2411 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.Eugene, OR 97401

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Eugene, ORPermit NO 562

UPCOMING EVENTSJanuary 10th. NAMI Basics course begins

(see p.2)January 10th. Family to Family classes in

Eugene and Cottage Grove begin (see p. 4).Mid-January. Our office will be moving a

few blocks west: 76 Centennial Loop, Suite A.

lane county...Jan 05, 2015 · Diehl, were named Volunteers of the Year. by Diane and Jeff Magoto...

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