Mental Health Conference

Last weekend I drove to Salem Oregon to attend NAMI’s yearly conference. I had met some wonderful people and learned a lot about services that NAMI and affiliates provide. Some of the services that affiliates reported from the past year included but not limited to ending the silence, family and friends, CIT trainings, support groups, stigma event, basics trainings, health fair, family to family classes, table events, outreach to schools, mental health first aid, suicide prevention, launching a website with resources, sib-shops for kids siblings with mental who have mental health issues. Two counties are currently working on opening a Clubhouse for mental health support including Clatsop county and Mid Valley. It was nice to see all the collaboration and the impact that NAMI affiliates all together created in their communities. It might not seem a lot when we look at one community but adding all of them together there are a lot of services and programs that are provided. Volunteers are always needed for more support. From all of the US NAMI Oregon is #7 in providing program delivery and #11 on the number of people served.

It was great to meet the new Behavioral health director from OHA Steve Allen, and hear his vision for the future of mental health in Oregon State. He discussed multiple legislation’s. Aid and Assist admissions doubled since 2012. IMPACTS SB973 Improving People’s Access to community based treatment. He discussed improvements needed in children’s behavioral health including assessments, in home treatment(Medicaid), Crisis and treatment services (CATS), youth suicide prevention efforts. Additionally, he discussed school mental health investments, the student success act. He talked about HB 2257 as it relates to Substance abuse disorder and chronic illness. He talked about the new CCO 2.o integrated care with behavioral health benefit. Steve Allen emphasized that adequate provider network is needed to assure timely access to mental health care. It is not acceptable not to have enough providers, he added. He discussed challenges and complexities in rural areas. He felt that sometimes the least experienced people are the ones working with the most complex mental health patients. His vision is to provide wrap around services where the individual is in the middle and they are surrounded with a system and a team that provides simple, responsive and meaningful service delivery. He feels it is essential is to identify what is the most important thing to the individual in their life and start there. He would like to see decreasing barriers and simplifying work flow. Go upstream. I was very inspired by his talk.

There was a session on Clubhouses and Chadwick Clubhouse from Roseburg,OR did a very nice presentation on their new clubhouse. There was a member testimony. He described how the clubhouse helped him after he had a breakdown. Now he works for the clubhouse as staff. It is always nice to hear when people are supported. Roseburg’s clubhouse now been open about one year and just also received their own 5013c. They will become an independent organization. They are looking to hire a new director as well. Medford,OR clubhouse (Compass House) director Elizabeth Hazelwood was also present and provided data that showed the need for mental health support in the United States and the effectiveness of the clubhouse model. Elizabeth has been working with Chadwick Clubhouse, providing support for them. Clubhouses are a wonderful way to provide non clinical mental health support for those in need. They create a work ordered day, a community where people can feel safe, useful and appreciated. It was wonderful to see all the accomplishments from both clubhouses. I am very excited that a clubhouse will open soon in Clatsop County as well.