Congressman Ben Chandler - Member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus

Hello Everyone,

I'm sad Valerie has provided this wonderful tool for us, and we are not using it. I know everyone has been very busy and we have had much illness as well. Hopefully, everyone will be returning to health and we will be able to have a more reasonable schedule of activities (after MAY DAY!! and Mental Healoth Month, of course).

Joy Henderson forwarded this email letter from Congressman Chandler. I have to admit I didn’t even know Ben Chandler was a member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus. Joy has already responded to his E-Newsletter and I hope many others will respond as well.

Peace,

Phill

April 25, 2007
Dear Friends,
It has been a little over a week since the shooting at Virginia Tech, in which 32 individuals were killed and another 28 were wounded.
While Congress is still grieving with the Virginia Tech community, we are also looking at steps we could take to help prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the future. While we may never fully understand what ultimately drives someone to commit such a senseless act, the Virginia Tech tragedy has certainly reminded us of the seriousness of mental disorders and the importance of early detection and treatment.
It is my hope that Congress will be encouraged to place an added emphasis on mental health in the wake of this tragedy. Please take a moment to read my monthly column on this subject and learn more about what I am working on in Congress to help address this problem.
Combating Mental Illness
As the students of Virginia Tech head back to class struggling to cope with the unspeakable violence that overwhelmed their school, we as a nation are sharing in both their sorrow and their questions of how such a horrific tragedy could occur on one of our college campuses. Unfortunately, school shootings have become all too common in our society. Kentuckians will never forget the 1997 shooting at Heath High School in Paducah. And eight years ago, nearly to the day of the Virginia Tech massacre, our country was confronted by the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
While we may never fully understand what ultimately drives someone to commit such a senseless act, there seems to be a common thread among these school shootings. Sadly, the Virginia Tech tragedy has reminded us of the seriousness of mental disorders and the importance of early detection and treatment. I have always been a strong advocate for mental health and hope Congress will be encouraged to place added importance on this pressing matter in the coming year.
It is important to remember that the overwhelming majority of people who suffer from mental health issues do not physically hurt anybody. Indeed, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. We must also remember that the gunman's mental state in no way excuses him of his actions, but his history of mental problems certainly causes us to reflect on the seriousness of mental illness.
First Lady Rosalynn Carter began advocating for mental health awareness in 1971. When she began her work, mental illnesses were shrouded in shame and largely ignored. While the medical community has progressed dramatically over the last decade in understanding how to treat mental disease, I believe the public stigma that remains comes at a price our society cannot afford.
It is critical that we continue to raise awareness of mental health issues. Since being in Congress, I have been a member of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus to hopefully do just that. Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for persons aged 15-44. And aside from the enormous personal costs associated with mental health problems, the National Mental Health Association estimates that the American economy loses about $105 billion each year through lost productivity due to untreated mental illness.
It is long overdue for mental illnesses to be treated just as physical illnesses are treated. A 1999 Surgeon General's report showed that mental health illnesses are largely biologically-based and can be effectively treated in a clinical setting. For this and other reasons, I have cosponsored H.R. 1367, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007, which would require insurance companies to treat mental health services as they do other health services. In order to effectively face the problem of mental illness, we must ensure that individuals have the insurance coverage they need to afford treatment.
Looking forward, it is critical that the federal government invest in more training to detect mental health problems, more research to prevent and treat mental disorders, and more treatment options for those suffering from mental illness. We must do all we can to destigmatize mental disorders and provide equity in health care to ensure that the nearly 60 million people in America who suffer from mental illnesses can live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. While we are all still mourning the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I hope soon enough Congress will turn that mourning into a means for improving the mental health of this country.
Sincerely,
Ben ChandlerMember of Congress

SAMSHA Public Anti-Stigma Website

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the Mental Health National Anti Stigma Campaign. This site is AWESOME! I would suggest checking it out if you are new to mental illness or just want to find out more.

www.whatadifference.org

Kelly, Faye and I are off to the Evidence Based Practice retreat at Natural Bridge State Park starting Sunday, March 25th. We will be back on Tuesday, March 28th in the late afternoon.

Kelly was told by the Herald Leader that her letter to the editor about Eastern State Hospital would probably be published on March 26th, so watch your papers!

Tubby Smith is gone! I am sad about it, but I wish him the best of luck in Minnesota. Tubby, you will be missed!

Feelings, Who Can Trust Them???

Emotions are a gift--but sometimes they can run away with us. From my own experiences in life, I have found that depression can cast a very dark shadow on all my thoughts. Knowing more about mental illness and brain disorders has given me more liberty to be who I am called to be. I can now check out my feelings in the light. I can begin to incorporate better coping skills today than I ever did in the past. I am better equipped to communicate my feelings (using the first person) not placing blame on anyone else or pointing fingers at them--because 3 point back at me.

I am learning to respect others feelings and some I even choose to love from a distance. I know that I can only change myself and my reaction. It is a healthier place for me to be in today. Recovery is a daily journey. Some days are more difficult than others. I am blessed to have the loving support of my family and my NAMI, KY CAN, REACH KY and Leadership Academy family members as well.

Reach out and know that others are there for you and you are not alone!

Blessings,

Yondi

Stigma Must Go!

Spring offers the promise of a new day on the horizon. A distress call for many people in 50 communities served by an old facility...Eastern State Hospital. Where is the promise made to us regarding the ground breaking in early 2007? It is now March, 2007 and no mention of this from the powers that be.

A distress call is going out. We need a state of the art facility to ensure quality care for those suffering with a severe brain disorder. The families and consumers need their voices to be heard! Stigma must go! Knowing more enables and empowers us to do more!!!

Won't you join us in the fight? Let's contact our state government officials and see what has happened to the promises. Advocate for the cause!! Join us at the May Day Alert on May 3, 2007 as we come together for change!

Respectfully submitted,
Yolonda Kelsor

RESTLESS

Hi all,
I have been so RESTLESS since our last Board Meeting a few days ago. I am stuck between disbelief and a smoldering anger that the "new" Eastern State Hospital, which I thought was simply a done deal is not quite such a done deal at all. Now, I might be an attorney by trade, but I admit to being somewhat naive when it comes to the politics of life and/or the life of politics.

However, sometimes a lot of dissatisfaction can morph into even greater inspiration. This is the transformation I hope to make. So, please wish me success and I will be hoping for a similar result for all of you reading this blog. Let's not permit this historic opportunity to pass us by. Let's pull together and create a push for what is right in the adequate treatment for the severely mentally ill like never before. So, join me in writing our government representives and asking them to not just tout "holding their heads up high" after scandal in t.v. commercials, but to actually have a reason to "hold their heads up high" by leaving a legacy like no other. We must replace Eastern State! The fact that we haven't yet is the true scandal and a blight on our state and community. If you never try to affect a change, you are assured only failure. So I say let's keep a tryin'!

Sincerely inspired,
Brandie

Hey NAMI Family ....sorry to be a "blogger slogger"... but the excuse is the same for alot of folks..."Where does the time go????"

Kudos to Val for keeping me straight and on task! Her new name is "The Taskmaster"!!! instead of the "Webmaster" HEEEEEEE HEEEE HEEE.....

Mental Health Month is in May: Our Theme is "Mental Health... MAY DAY!!! MAY DAY!!!
(is anybody out there?)...Our plan is to try to launch our new public awareness campaign, (hopefully), via a live news conference at (hopefully), Phoenix Park...with speakers, hot dogs, balloon release, information, etc, etc.....we are shooting for Thursday May 3rd @6:30 in the evening....we'll keep you posted!

I've included my "rant-n- rave" on the hospital issue!

$$$$$ 1 Billion in HOSPITAL PROJECTS in KY !!!!
$$$$ 600 Million Planned or Underway in LEXINGTON !!!!
“Holy Hospitals !!! Batman!!!! Where’s OURS !?!?@#?????”. . .

By: Kelly Gunning, Executive Director
NAMI Lexington

A-h-h-h-h-h, the Sunday morning paper; usually one of my favorite, relaxing times. Not so this past Sunday, March 4, 2007. The gleaming audacity of the headline proclaimed, “Hospital Construction Everywhere”. What? Could this be true? Everywhere? Really? ... I read on, fully expecting to see reference to the hospital project that our organization has been tirelessly pursuing since 2004 in cooperation with Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, Inc.; the replacement campus for Eastern State Hospital. I scanned, eager to read the long awaited proclamation, my eyes feasting on all the statistics and declarations that, “We are going through a hospital BOOM!” and the recognition that some folks have been enduring “their aging buildings” since 1962 !!!! 1962??? Well, have I got a news bulletin for the folks that just can’t fathom treating patients in such dilapidated, out-moded, inadequate facilities - why don’t they feast their eyes on this little tidbit…We take our loved ones to and we are treated in a hospital that was being constructed in…are you ready for this…1822!!! Yes, this is not a misprint, 1822. The Kentucky General Assembly passed an “Act to Establish a Lunatic Asylum” on December 7 of 1822 and the ten acres of original land and the unfinished Fayette Hospital were purchased. May 1, 1824 the first patient was admitted; 183 years ago.

I read on, the visions of:
· “much grander, much larger” lobbies,
· semi-private rooms where family members can sleep (sans, vinyl chairs) and connect to the internet (!),
· healing art, gift shops, healing art, coffee shops, healing art, boutiques and day
spas (!),
· new technologies; citing, of course, “everyone wants the latest equipment” and ”those things factor into size” and “you have to have the physical plant to house the services”.

I love those visions. I support building state-of –the art facilities. I want everyone in our Commonwealth to have the best care in the best environments we can offer. I want everyone to realize that those things have not occurred for the mentally ill in our Community or the 50 other counties that Eastern State serves, for 185 years. We want things like HVAC systems that actually work, we want treatment areas that in and of themselves aren’t so depressing that you hesitate to leave your loved one there or enter yourself. We want a clean slate, defunct of all the horrors and misguided treatment approaches that have been inhumanely utilized throughout history. We want people who suffer with serious mental illness to have ‘the best”; just like people that want “the best” heart care, “the best” cancer care, “the best” prenatal and pediatric care, “the best” diabetic care. Where are the 185 year old hospitals that treat those serious illnesses? That’s right. There are no 185 year old hospitals for those populations; because they deserve and demand “the best”. It would be unthinkable and unimaginable to not offer every nuance that would promote wellness and a return to health.

The fact that we do not have the appropriate setting for treating the mentally ill is based on stigma, lack of education and discrimination. What other illness population sees its patients taken to treatment in handcuffs in the back of a police car? Mind you, because they are ill, not because they are criminals. Yes, people with serious mental illness, can be, because of their brain disease, disoriented and difficult…would we tolerate that same treatment for an elderly person who had Alzheimer’s disease? A cancer patient with a brain tumor? Serious mental illnesses are life threatening brain diseases. Repeat after me. Serious mental illnesses are life threatening brain diseases. People with mental illnesses and their families deserve “the best”. We deserve state-of-the-art. We deserve the support from the medical Community and the Community-at-large to speak out with us and demand that this hospital become a priority. It has been “on the drawing board” for two years now; developed in collaboration with Bluegrass MH-MR Board, with input from providers, family members and persons with serious mental illness. We are ready and we are damn tired of waiting for it while the rest of the population receives ‘the best”.

Peace Out for NOW!!!!! - Kelly G

Webmaster Updates

Hi all! Long time, no Blog! I just wanted you all to know that I have been updating our website about twice a week.

• Be sure to check out the calendar to see where we are on a given day and time.
  
• I have added a link under Resources that lists most all of the current medications available and general information about them. There is also a link on that same page to descriptions of most of the major mental illnesses that NAMI focuses their time on. All this information is written in easy to understand language.
  
• I have compressed the NAMIWALKS information from past walks. For our NAMIWALK 2007, there is a direct link to our NAMI National website where you can register, form a team, donate, and lots of other things pertaining to this years Walk on October 13, 2007.
  
• There is a link under KY Advance Mental Health Directive. This is information about filling out this document & its history. The actual fill-in-the-blanks form is also included. I would HIGHLY recommend completing and printing out this document in you or your family member's time of wellness to be prepared when/if a crisis arises. Keep it in a safe place.
  
• My psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Rieser, has started a radio call-in show called Inside Your Head. It airs every Saturday from 1pm-2pm on 96.1 FM. He does a great job of increasing awareness and stamping out the stigma associated with mental illness. So call-in with your questions or comments. He'd love to have more than his "10 faithful listeners."
  

If you have anything you would like added to the website or if you have any suggestions on how to improve it, please email me at blind.justice@insightbb.com or leave me a comment on this blog.

UK battles Villanova this weekend in the NCAA Tournament. GO CATS!

Have a Good Weekend Everybody!