Across the Affiliate Network

Georgia: Mental Health America of Georgia, in partnership with the National Business Group on Health, recently launched the Atlanta Business Leaders Initiative. This pilot program is designed to help employers identify the corporate affects of depression and increase the awareness of mental illnesses as a "bottom-line issue" for CEOs. The goal of this program is to make Atlanta a model community, with corporate CEOs voluntarily improving the quality of care for depression and other metal health issues.

Indiana: Mental Health America of Allen County has been teaching recruiting classes for the Ft. Wayne Police Department Training Center for 35 years. The affiliate’s executive director, Ruth Anne Sprunger, most recently taught officers of the 57th recruiting class how to identify people with mental health disorders, how they should be treated and what services are available to them.

Iowa: The MHA of Siouxland, along with Iowa Advocates for Mental Health Recovery as a principal partner, has been awarded the Iowa Anti-Stigma grant by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one of 12 such $25,000 grants awarded in the United States.

Hawai’i: Mental Health America of Hawai’i is a member of the “No Shame Project,” a new group that has been established to reduce the stigma and shame felt by children and young people with emotional and behavioral challenges. The group’s multipronged efforts include advocating for a mental illness curriculum in the public schools, initiating a public education campaign and expanding the federal anti-stigma media program, with particular efforts focused on combating negative cultural messages and images unique to the state’s ethnic subgroups.

Maryland/Vermont: Affiliate representatives from Maryland and Vermont participated in the 2007 Invitational SAMHSA/CMS Conference on Medicaid and Mental Health Services/Substance Abuse Treatment. The agenda included such workshops as "Improving Collaboration between Medicaid" and "Mental Health and Supported Employment: Braided Funding Strategies to Support Evidence-Based Practices." Please contact the Healthcare Reform team at shcrinfo@mentalhealthamerica.net for copies of the presentations.

North Carolina: The MHA in Forsyth County has received the prestigious David W. Hardee Award for best staffed affiliate in the state. This high honor was awarded to the Forsythe County affiliate for its programs and services, such as its client and family support groups and representative payee services. It was also cited for new initiatives, including the creation of a support group for adults who have a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse. The affiliate was also one of several chapters to receive a Silver Bell Award, which recognizes local mental health association chapters in North Carolina for excellence in nonprofit management, programming, board and staff development, fundraising, public awareness, and for providing quality programs and services.

North Dakota: The North Dakota Department of Health, Mental Health America of North Dakota, and the North Dakota Department of Human Services partnered with local organizations and tribal agencies during Suicide Prevention Week (Sept. 9-15) to address suicide prevention through the North Dakota Suicide Prevention Coalition. According to the North Dakota Department of Health, suicide is the second leading cause of death among North Dakotans age 15 to 24 and the ninth leading cause of death overall.

Michigan: Mental Health Association in Michigan President and CEO Mark Reinstein recently received the Phyllis Levine Legislative Advocacy Award from the Michigan Chapter of the International Association for Psycho- Social Rehabilitation Services. Dr. Reinstein was recognized for his leadership in statewide public policy work relating to mental health issues. He is the first non-legislator ever to receive this annual award.

New Jersey: The Mental Health Association in New Jersey held its third Annual Excellence in Employment Awards luncheon Oct. 18. The event attracted more than 150 leaders in the public and private sector, government officials, participants in employment programs and their families. The luncheon honors private employers, employment programs and mental health consumers who are creating employment opportunities for people who have mental illnesses.

New York: The MHA of New York City was selected as the National Institute of Mental Health Outreach Partner for the New York City region, and will collaborate with the Division of Mental Health Services and Policy Research at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute as part of the Outreach Partnership Program. For more information about the Outreach Partnership Program, visit http://www. nimh.nih.gov/health/outreach/partnership- program/how-to-join/nimhexpands- its-outreach.shtml.

New York: SAMHSA has extended the grant for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to Link2Health Solutions, a subsidiary of the MHA of New York City, for another five years. The Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) responds to an average of 35,000 calls each month, including calls made to 1-800-SUICIDE, a crisis hotline that was integrated into the Lifeline network earlier this year. The Lifeline is now also the official hotline number for veterans who need referrals to mental health services, especially those returning home from the war in Iraq. The Veterans’ Health Administration is developing a dedicated mental health hotline for veterans through 1-800-273-TALK.

New York: The Mental Health Association in Dutchess County has received a grant from the Foundation for Community Health in Sharon, Conn. to bring the MHA’s Kids on the Block program to Northeast Dutchess County in 2008. The grant will allow the formation of a youth puppet troupe and existing puppeteers to perform exclusively in schools and agencies in northeast Dutchess County. The topics of the scripts are conflict resolution, alcohol/tobacco/drug abuse prevention, and children’s mental health, including anti-bullying/ school safety. The MHA’s Kids on the Block program is part of a worldwide network of puppet troupes that was formed in 1977 to educate children about disabilities/abilities and other differences.

New York: The Mental Health Association in Orange County, in partnership with the Orange County Department of Mental Health and the Orange Regional Medical Center's Behavioral Health Unit, recently held a sold-out Jeanne E. Jonas Symposium and Masterson Luncheon to rave reviews. The symposium covered "Mental Health and the Aging Population: Needs and Strategies" and "A Discussion about Morbidity and Mortality in People with Serious Mental Illness."

Ohio: Nancy Minson, executive director of the MHA of Southwest Ohio, represented Mental Health America at a federal Health and Human Services event in Cincinnati where Secretary Michael O. Leavitt and others discussed emerging efforts to introduce provider incentives to switch to electronic health records.

Pennsylvania: The National Mental Health Consumers' Self- Help Clearinghouse, a federally funded national consumer technical assistance center operated under the auspices of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, was recently awarded a three-year grant by SAMHSA to continue providing services to consumers of mental health services around the country.