Archive for January, 2009
WRAP Meeting
5:30 – 6:30 January 15th
1202 Richmond, on the corner of Richmond and Raleigh. Enter through the back door. See you there!
Add comment January 15, 2009
January Adult “Ask the Doctor” Call with Guest Dr. Maurizio Fava
Add comment January 11, 2009
Helping Oregon Community Mental Health Administrators Transform their Mental Health System
Recovery from Mental Illness and Becoming a Commissioner – Dr. Daniel B. Fisher, Executive Director of the National Empowerment Center is a person who has recovered from schizophrenia. He was hospitalized several times prior to becoming a psychiatrist. He is one of the few psychiatrists in the country who publicly discusses his recovery from mental illness. He is a role model for others who are struggling to recover, and his life dispels the myth that people do not recover from mental illness. His recovery and work in the field were recognized by his selection as a member of the White House Commission on Mental Health.
During the past five years since the New Freedom Commision was released, he has focused much of his attention on Oregon as a pilot for transformation because they have shown consistent interest in implementing a recovery approach.
This past summer he received an invitation to speak in Boardman, Oregon. It was the meeting place of the administrators from the 32 county mental health programs in Oregon. They have a good deal of influence over the course of policies in Oregon’s county-based mental health system. Kimberly Lindsay, the host mental health director (who understands the importance of peer support and recovery) introduced the Commissioner of the host county, Morrow County, Terry Tallman, who voiced his positive support for community mental health.
A panel of four local consumers led off with great energy and enthusiasm and told the essential elements of their recovery stories. One of the men pointed out that he has learned through working on a warmline that he does not have to solve peoples’ problems but merely create the conditions where they can solve their own. They also encouraged other county directors to follow Kimberly’s lead and establish warmlines in their counties. It was also pointed out to make training materials available to staff of their mental health centers and residences and follow the STEPS to recovery approach of involving consumers in peer support, training, evaluation, and policy development.
As a result, the directors came up with several important recommendations, which revealed that they clearly understood that consumers need to play a vital role in transformation — as a result a consumer-run conference was planned to be held, where consumers can communicate with the staff and legislators on what works. The County Directors were so impressed by this idea that they agreed to start by contributing $1000 from each county, which equal $32,000. Follow-up collaboration in conducting a consumer-run conference is in the works to make it happen.
This outreach by the Oregon Administrators is an important step in building trust between them and the consumer/survivors of the state. The plan of collarboration is able to happen because the Oregon consumer/survivors have come together in a statewide organization.
Add comment January 11, 2009
