Affiliate Updates MHA of South Central Kansas Partners with MHA of the Heartland on SAMHSA Disaster Relief Grant Mental Health America of the Heartland and Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas are subrecipients of a Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant awarded to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. The grant award of $4 million is a collaborative effort with additional partners of Drexel University and MD Logix. The Kansas Behavioral Health Integration into Schools (BHIS) program is focused on improving mental health of children and adolescents affected by tornados and flooding in 2019. These weather events created damages in 70 of the 105 counties, most of which exist in rural or frontier areas. The project aims to increase access to school-based behavioral health services through this catchment area, evaluating existing programming through implementation of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support framework (MTSS). The grant, which began October 1, 2020 will run for a year and will prioritize providing mental health education and resources to school staff (including teachers), students and parents/ caregivers. To accomplish this, the program models a successful Pennsylvania school-based screening program which combines staff training in evidence-based practices and interventions, access to standardized screening and referral technology, and ongoing technical assistance and implementation support. The MHAs have worked to develop and implement a variety of age-appropriate curricula including several evidence-based practices, including but not limited to Mental Health First Aid, Attachment Based Family Therapy, and Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR). MHANJ Receives Grant for COVID-19 Support for Families of Color Mental Health Association in New Jersey (MHANJ) is playing a strong leadership role in New Jersey’s FEMA COVID-19 Crisis Counseling program—NJ Hope and Healing. Since mid-March, MHANJ’s statewide call and text capacity expanded to become the established gateway to crisis counseling and emotional support. MHANJ also created a network of virtual targeted support, outreach, and educational webinars. As a result of MHANJ’s history working with disaster response and their unique position responding to COVID-19, the NJ Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF) requested that MHANJ create a project that would address unmet emotional needs. “It was clear, through all the community and staff feedback, the impact of COVID on families of color was among the highest identified populations,” stated Carolyn Beauchamp, President and CEO. The need was demonstrated on many levels, including by their own MHANJ family, with COVID impacting multigenerational families of the MHANJ staff dealing with higher chronic health conditions, job loss, social isolation, school closings, and lack of technology—the COVID-19 emergency reflected so many of the social determinants with underlying racism at the core. MHANJ constructed a multi-level project built on MHANJ ‘s strengths; their PEWS (Promoting Emotional Wellness and Spirituality) program that works primarily with Black urban churches, crisis counseling and peer case management experience, virtual support capacity, community outreach and training. COVID-19 Support for Families of Color will provide direct family crisis counseling and case management, a menu of virtual support and education programs for a cross-section of families of color, support — via mini-grants to churches engaged with the project, and identification of community leaders to focus on systems change focusing on access to care issues and racism in the behavioral health system. The $525K grant is for one year. Monmouth County's Virtual Youth Town Hall on Racial Justice The Wrap Around and P.A.S.S. Program at the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County took on a main coordinating role in Monmouth County’s first Virtual Youth Town Hall on Racial Justice, held on January 28, 2021. The Wrap Around/P.A.S.S. Coordinator Hannah Haimann facilitated the recruitment and preparation of youth for this event. This included meeting with youth individually and in group settings to pick out topics to be discussed, deciding on event format, going over youth leadership roles and responsibilities, assisting youth panelists in preparing speeches, preparing the youth moderator to handle main facilitation of the event, organizing adult volunteers, and assisting the technical team in understanding and implementing tech needs for the event. This event was made possible by collaborative efforts of numerous agencies throughout Monmouth County (see below). More importantly, the leadership, passion, and vision of the 15 youth leaders and the approximate 100 participants contributed to the event’s success. A youth moderator guided the event from start to finish, introducing the youth panelists, ushering youth into breakout rooms, and facilitating educational “Knowledge Checks” to ensure youth had a correct understanding of Racial Justice terms. The three outstanding youth panelists spoke passionately about the three subcategories for the event: Racial Injustice in your Communities, Racial Injustice in Sports, and Action Steps needed to address Racial Injustice. Participants joined in youth-led small breakout room conversations discussing the subtopics in greater depth. Youth shared ideas, beliefs, and feelings. Youth supported each other, thanked each other for speaking their truths, and celebrated the opportunity to partake in this event. To close, a youth writer, poet and activist - who has given a TEDx talk and has won a silver and gold Scholastic Art and Writing Award for poetry - delivered a compellingly powerful speech that inspired and encouraged all. Adult volunteers were present but silent throughout the event to support the youth leaders. They were also available to enter the ‘Calm Room’ should a participant experience heightened emotion and need individualized attention. No participant needed the ‘Calm Room.’ Youth were provided with additional educational resources as well as a post-event survey to gauge interest in the next steps and potential future events. Additional collaborating agencies include Keansburg School Based Youth Services Program, Brookdale Community College, Monmouth County C.I.A.A.C., Monmouth ACTS, Youth Time 2 Shine, K.Y.D.S., Prevention Coalition of Monmouth County, Family Based Services Association of N.J., and Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. MHA of Wisconsin Opens the Nation’s First Peer-Run Respite for Veterans On January 28, 2021, Mental Health America of Wisconsin (MHA of Wisconsin) opened the nation’s first Peer-Run Respite with the exclusive mission of serving former members of the United States Armed Forces. Named the R&R House, the respite provides short-term overnight stays for individual veterans living with substance use or mental health challenges to engage with other veterans who have been trained as certified peer specialists. Applying their own personal experience and knowledge of military culture, peer support specialists at the R&R House are able to overcome barriers of communication and stigma, which are pervasive among veterans and often prevent them from seeking help during their recovery journey. “The R&R House offers a unique space for veterans to connect with other veterans in an environment that supports their recovery,” said Brian Michel, director of prevention services at MHA of Wisconsin. “The R&R House encourages veterans to become active in their recovery, develop stronger coping skills, and to cultivate the confidence to re-engage with the community they swore an oath to protect.” “We are proud to provide culturally-competent recovery services to communities, which have higher rates of trauma, addiction, and other behavioral health issues,” said Martina Gollin-Graves, president and CEO of MHA of Wisconsin. “We hope the R&R House can be a model for other states looking to increase peer services for veterans.” The R&R House is open to all Wisconsin veterans, regardless of discharge status, VA eligibility, or length/era of service. All services at the R&R House are free of charge. Please email rrhouse@mhawisconsin.org for more information. Call for Presentations – MHA Oklahoma’s 27th Zarrow Mental Health Symposium The 2021 Zarrow Mental Health Symposium: Cultivating Community Connections will be held virtually again this year, September 29 - October 1, 2021. In its 27th year, the Symposium historically draws 800+ participants from across the country. The Symposium brings together local, regional and national partners from the fields of mental and public health, addiction, education, crisis response, government, law enforcement, criminal justice reform, technology and more to explore new approaches and collaborations to bring mental health to the forefront to better serve individuals and communities. Mental Health Association Oklahoma is seeking various clinical and programmatic presentation proposals addressing strategies, practices, and interventions that aid in the healing process and foster personal and community resilience. Proposal topics include emerging knowledge and best practices in mental health-related to community and policy initiatives, treatment and prevention, recovery supports, and cross-sector continuum of care. Presentations relevant to the influence of the pandemic, social unrest, creative collaborations, supportive inclusion and resilience, as well as a focus across the lifespan and on at-risk and marginalized populations, will be given special consideration. Visit the Call for Presentations here. Submissions are due by Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Contact JoBeth Hamon at jhamon@mhat.org with any questions. |
