November-December
Calendar
November 2014 Volume 6, Issue 11
Local Support & Information for Individuals and Families
Living with Mental Illness and Brain Disorders
NAMI-Pierce County
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Sun
Nov 2
1:30
NAMI Board Meeting
Forza Coffee – Pearl St. , Tacoma
All Members Welcome
Wed
Nov 19
6-8 PM
NAMI Monthly Gathering, Pot
Luck Supper and
Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy
P.O. Box 111923
Tacoma, WA 98411-1923
Phone: 253-677-6629
Email: namipierce@gmail.com
NAMI’s Free Mental Health Support
Programs are Open to All
ANNUAL ELECTIONS!
TACID Center - 6315 S.19th St., Tacoma
Free Connection Recovery Drop-In Groups
in Tacoma & Puyallup
Call 253-341-3463 for times and locations
Dec 3-4
7 pm
Free Family & Friends Support Group –
for your Family, Community Group or Health Fair
Call 677-6629 or go to our NEW Webpage
www.namipierce.org
For Pierce County Mental Health Emergencies
Call: 1-800-576-7764
Imagine I’m Beautiful
Details below
in Tacoma - Call 677-6629
Mental Health Education
FILM
Sun
Dec 7
1:30
Wed
Dec 17
6-8 pm
NAMI Board Meeting
Forza Coffee – Pearl St. , Tacoma
All Members Welcome
NAMI Monthly Gathering and
Pot Luck Supper
TACID Center - 6315 S.19th St., Tacoma
Mental Health WarmLine - Information & Support
Call: 1-877-780-5222 from 3 – 11 PM
Check the inside pages for more local events
and classes touching on the mental health of
our community.
Wednesday, November 19th
NAMI-Pierce
Pacific Lutheran University Students Forming NAMI
on Campus Club
Annual Elections
and
Planning Session
It’s election season. Have you seen the NAMI election
yard signs in your neighborhood? The 2015 NAMI
Pierce Board of Directors election will be at our
November 19 Gathering. You must be present to
vote. Mail-in or absentee ballots are not allowed. See
you at the Gathering. The nominees for your 2015
Board of Directors are:
President – Bob Winslow
Vice President – Evelyn Bowen-Crawford
Secretary – Misty Winesberry
Treasurer – Mary Retallick
Consumer Board Member – Jim Williams
Family Board Member – Julie Groo
Nominations will also be accepted from the floor.
NAMI on Campus clubs are student-led clubs that
tackle mental health issues on campus by raising
mental health awareness, educating the campus
community, supporting students, promoting services
and supports and advocating. NAMI on Campus clubs
aim to address the mental health needs of all students
so they have positive, successful and fun college
experiences. Pacific Lutheran University students
recently contacted NAMI Pierce about forming a NAMI
on Campus club. NAMI Pierce is excited by this effort
to create another NAMI organization within Pierce
County and we support their efforts.
PLU, Western Washington University, and Washington
State University are in the process of creating NAMI
on Campus clubs. Seattle Pacific University already
has a club.
What Should NAMI Pierce County Do?
You are NAMI Pierce County! How can our
organization better serve you and our community?
We need your ideas and input on a handful of key
questions. We’ll be listening at the November 19
Gathering. Please be sure to attend. That way you can
participate in a brainstorming session to generate
ideas. Your voice will be heard only if you participate.
We will then try to implement the best ideas. See you
then.
Ask the Doctor: Teleconference Series
NAMI's Ask the Doctor teleconference is a monthly
series hosted by NAMI's Medical Director, Dr. Ken
Duckworth, a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
Typically, he is joined by another mental health
professional or advocate who in turn presents on a
topic in his or her area of expertise.
This month: Children’s Ask the Doctor Call, Friday,
November 21, 8:00 am to 9:00 am P.S.T.
A Window into One of Pierce County’s
Behavioral Health Care Systems
Topic: Changes to the DSM-5, with Dr. Gabrielle
Carlson.
Dr. Carlson will discuss the most important and
impactful changes in the new DSM-5.
To access the toll-free call, dial 1 (888) 858-6021 and
enter pass code 309918#.
Please note: there will be no adult ask the Doctor Call
this month.
Special Film Showing
One Day Only!
Imagine I’m Beautiful
“An unbiased, non-judgmental look at the struggle of an
individual living with a mental illness and its effects on
friends and family. The film showcases an honest,
thoughtful portrayal of the characteristics of borderline
personality disorder.”
--Darren Higgens, Vice President, Austin chapter of NAMI
Wednesday, December 3
7:00 pm
Grand Cinema
606 Fawcett Ave
Tacoma, WA 98402
To buy tickets: www.tugg.com/events/11224
Writer/Actor/Producer Naomi McDougall Jones will attend
the screening to meet with the audience in a Q&A session
afterwards.
Imagine I’m Beautiful will also be shown in Seattle on
Thursday, Dec. 4. For more information go to
www.tugg.com/events/11224
Four mental health care systems operate in Pierce Countya private pay system, Washington’s Apple Health and
emergent mental health care system, the Veterans
Administration’s American Lake hospital and Joint Base
Lewis McChord’s military behavioral health care system.
The first two get most of our focus. Madigan’s Lt. Col. Philip
Holcombe spoke at NAMI Pierce County’s October
Gathering and talked about JBLM’s integrated behavioral
health care system. This system provides care to active
duty military personnel, their family members, and some
military retirees.
Active duty military personnel receive most of the
behavioral health services. Individuals are treated for PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anger management
issues, and sleep disorders, among other behavioral issues.
Outpatient and inpatient treatment is available. The Army
and the Madigan Medical Center’s Behavioral Health
Services (BHS) organization have undergone significant
structural and program changes in an effort to better
respond to the increased demand for behavioral health care
services resulting from the impacts of war on soldiers and
airmen. Some of the more effective changes include
embedding behavioral health professionals in the Army
units and revising the PTSD treatment manual.
Family members of active duty military personnel also have
access to a wide variety of behavioral health services.
Program changes have been made to get behavioral health
care service delivery closer to the family member clients.
Behavioral health care providers are embedded in primary
care teams that provide health service to the JBLM
community. This mirrors changes that are just starting to
occur in the civilian health care community and is years
ahead of the Medicaid (Apple Health) integration.
Behavioral health teams work with local schools that have a
high percentage of military children enrolled to meet the
behavioral health needs of those military children.