Across the Affiliate Network

Affiliates Making a Difference

Colorado: The MHA of Colorado had a record turn-out for its Legislative Education Day held Feb. 8. More than 250 advocates and legislators filled the Temple Events Center in Denver to learn about new legislation, the proposed Community Crisis Intervention Centers and current mental health care reform. First Lady of Colorado Jeannie Ritter made a special presentation during the lunch program. MHAC also presented Legislator of the Year awards to state lawmakers, and the Advocate of the Year award for inspired leadership and advocacy in 2007.

Delaware: Many congratulations to the MHA of Delaware, which is celebrating 75 years of public service that has made a real and lasting difference in the health of its community.

Florida: Visit www.mhagreatertampabay. org to check out the MHA of Greater Tampa Bay’s first blog, or VLOG (Voter Web Log), devoted to issues around election-year activities. This is part of the MHA’s ongoing effort to provide leadership around mental health and substance abuse reform.

Georgia: Congratulations also go out to the MHA of Georgia, which just added two new local affiliates in its state: MHA of North Georgia Mountains (Mark Baker, president) and MHA of Etowah Valley (Cynthia Wainscott, president and past chair of Mental Health America’s board of directors).

And more congratulations to Cynthia Wainscott on her recent appointment to SAMHSA’s National Advisory Council. The 12-member panel of experts advises the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA’s administrator on a range of public health matters related to prevention, treatment and recovery support services.

Maryland: The MHA of Montgomery County has won the Verizon Foundation’s "Check Into Literacy" program. The Verizon Foundation awarded $341,000 to 58 nonprofit organizations in Maryland that support literacy and learning activities for children, adolescents and adults. To qualify for funding, applicants had to be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides basic reading skills, and computer and Web-based literacy programs to Marylanders in underserved communities.

Nevada: A big welcome to the MHA of Southern Nevada, a new affiliate that brings our network representation in Nevada. This new affiliate graduated from the Class of 2007, and already has programs and outreach in place. Watch for big things from the MHA of Southern Nevada.

New Jersey: The MHA of New Jersey attracted 150 attendees to its first annual “PEWS” conference Dec. 4 on the Newark Campus at Rutgers University under the theme, “Spirituality and Wellness.” The PEWS Program (Promoting Emotional Wellness and Spirituality) was designed in 2005 to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness within the African American community by educating pastors, lay clergy and congregants about mental health, and the connection between spirituality and mental wellness. The program also educates mental health providers about the needs and concerns of the African American community. To learn more, please contact Laverne Williams at lwilliams@mhanj.org or 973-571-4100, ext. 130.

The MHA in Southwestern New Jersey has been awarded a contract from the New Jersey Division of Mental Health Services to support mental health consumers who want to earn college degrees. The program will target consumers who are in high school and considering applying to college; consumers in college who need assistance; and consumers who were unable to finish their courses for a degree and would like to complete their studies now. The new program is in keeping with the MHA’s philosophy that employment and education are vital to an individual’s recovery plan.

New York: The MHA of Rochester/ Monroe County recently partnered with Wegmans and the Pieters Family Life Center on an educational event that brought nearly 100 members of the community together. “Eat Well. Live Well. Get More GO,” featured a Wegmans’ corporate nutritionist, who walked attendees through daily steps that help boost energy, and improve physical and mental well-being. Members of the Wegmans’ culinary team were on hand with samples of healthful foods. Proceeds from the event benefited the MHA.

New York: The MHA in Orange County is a proud recipient of an $80,000 grant from state Senator Thomas Morahan’s office to support the MHA’s innovative “Home to Stay” Residential Program. For more than six years, the program has offered a comprehensive range of services to individuals with serious and persistent mental illness, and serves as a “final stop” for people who have not had success in a variety of traditional residential settings. The grant will allow “Home to Stay” to continue providing a high level care at reduced costs for the state and reducing episodes of hospitalizations.

The MHA also had its Invisible Children’s Project (ICP) 2008 housing services funding renewed by HUD under the Shelter Plus Care grant for $84,960. In addition, the MHA won 27 new supported housing beds from the Office of Mental Health, three of which were given to expand the MHA’s existing Supported Housing Program.

Oregon: The MHA of Oregon and Mental Health America cohosted a policy strategy meeting that offered a rare opportunity for local law enforcement, public defense attorneys, mental health consumers, advocates, national justice/policy experts and local district attorneys to discuss the successes of Oregon’s Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB) and to address the challenges it presents. The meeting, “Balancing Recovery and Public Safety: A Look at Oregon’s PSRB,” attracted more than 60 attendees from Portland and participating satellite sites in Salem, Corvallis, Eugene and Ontario.

Pennsylvania: The MHA of York and Adams Counties opened the York/ Adams HELPLine several months ago. The call-line service handles crisis intervention calls and a support line to the two-county area.

Texas: The MHA of Greater Dallas, its programs and its executive director, Tim Simmons, were recently highlighted in an article in the Sunday Dallas Morning News about the MHA’s outstanding work in the community.

Multistate efforts: Mental Health America is proud to announce its collaboration with 10 state affiliates to host State Advocacy Networks that will measure and build the size and strength of our grassroots community, and assist with local coalition and issue campaigns. In 2008, these affiliate sites will be deployed on a quarterly basis: New Jersey, Texas, Oklahoma, Virginia, Arizona, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico. In 2007, Mental Health America launched four State Advocacy Networks in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Montana.

In addition, following a multistate meeting on transitional-age youth, MHA attendees from Hawaii, Oregon, and San Francisco won local grants to help young people. Grantees will use the funding to develop partnerships with community organizations and coalition members, and focus on specific policies and activities that support transitionalage youth services.