June 2014 Volume 6, Issue 6
Local Support & Information for Individuals and Families
Living with Mental Illness and Brain Disorders
NAMI-Pierce County
National Alliance on Mental Illness
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
Free Connection Recovery Drop-In Groups
in Tacoma & Puyallup
Call 253-341-3463 for times and locations
June-July Calendar
Sun
Jun 1
1:30
Wed
Jun 18
6-8 PM
NAMI Monthly Gathering and
Pot Luck Supper
Sun
Jun 29
1:30
NAMI Board Meeting
Forza Coffee – Pearl St. , Tacoma
All Members Welcome
Mental Health Education
for your Family, Community Group or Health Fair
Call 677-6629 or go to our NEW Webpage
www.namipierce.org
at the TACID Center 6315 S.19th St., Tacoma
(Note Date change to avoid Holiday
Weekend)
Free Family & Friends-Support Group –
Wednesday nights in Tacoma - Call 677-6629
NAMI Board Meeting
Forza Coffee – Pearl St. , Tacoma
All Members Welcome
Wed
July
16
6-8
PM
NAMI-Grave Concerns
Joint Picnic
Lake Steilacoom Park
For Pierce County Mental Health Emergencies
Call: 1-800-576-7764
Mental Health WarmLine - Information & Support
Call: 1-877-780-5222 from 3 – 11 PM
Sun
Aug 3
1:30
NAMI Board Meeting
Forza Coffee – Pearl St. , Tacoma
All Members Welcome
enable NAMI-Pierce to grow our local mental health
services in new directions.
Saturday, May 17 in Kirkland
We Were There!!
On Saturday May 17
for the NAMI Walk along with hundreds and
hundreds of others from NAMI affiliates all across
the state.
Other NAMI-Pierce Teams were:
Team NAMI-Pierce Captain: LaDonna Barnwell
Babes for Brains Captain: Ginny Peterson
Stand Up for Mental Health Washington
Captain: Laurel Lemke
An Important Update to HIPPA
"Guidance" for Mental Health Clients
and their Families
New DHHS "guidance"
released on February 21, increases the information that
mental health care providers can share with friends and
family members of their clients. Under these new
regulations providers are permitted to share information
with family members unless the client specifically
requests that they not do so. If the client does not make
such a request, the freedom/ability to share is presumed. It
is not clear how far this new information has been distributed.
You may want to share it with your friends and mental health
care providers.
The Walk raised over $200,000 for NAMI, but it will be
a month or so before we understand how much of
that will fall into our pockets at NAMI-Pierce. Our
share is based on how much our walkers and teams
bring in. We use the funds raised at the Walk to fund
our free local mental health services and education in
Tacoma and the rest of Pierce County.
The money we raise is key to our ability
to serve the mental health community.
HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act) is a federal law that helps protect the privacy of an
individual's health information. For individuals living with
mental illness, this law helps protect confidential mental
health treatment records but has been the source of much
frustration to family members and others trying to give help in
an appropriate way.
On Feb. 21, 2014, the Federal Office of Civil Rights in the
Department of Health and Human Services released
clarifying guidance (supporting rules) on how and when
healthcare providers may share an individual’s mental health
treatment information with others. Open communication
between a mental health provider and family members or
friends of a person living with mental illness can help make
sure that the individual receives the best treatment and care
possible. The following Questions and Answers may help
clarify:
Q: Can healthcare providers share treatment
information to family members and friends of a person
living with mental illness?
A: Yes, healthcare providers may share information about
treatment with a person’s family or friends as long as the
person does not object.
Special thanks to Marching in Memory of Teddi
and Team Captain: Diane McAlister whose team
raised over $3600 for NAMI Programs. Gifts like this
Q: Are health care providers required to obtain a signed
informed consent release before sharing ?
A: No, citing the “integral role that family and friends
play in a patient’s health care,” OCR’s guidance says
providers may (may, not must - ed) ask for permission to
share relevant information, may tell the person that they
intend to discuss information and give him or her the chance
to object, or may infer from the circumstances, using
professional judgment, that the person does not object.
[emphasis added - ed.]For example, if a person receiving
treatment invites a family member or friend to be present in a
treatment situation, the provider may assume that they do not
object to disclosure.
Q: Can healthcare providers share protected mental
health information with law enforcement officials?
A: Yes, particularly if the person living with mental illness
poses a danger to self or others.
This information adapted from NAMI's on-line newsletter, April 2014
Q: What happens if the person living with mental illness
objects to information sharing?
A: If an adult person objects to the sharing, and the health
care provider believes him to be capable of making
healthcare decisions, then the healthcare provider may not
share information. If the provider determines that a client
does not have the capacity to make healthcare decisions,
then the provider may choose to share information based on
their belief that it is in the person’s best interest. No court
order is needed for that determination of capacity. Discretion
lies with the treatment provider, based on professional
judgment.
Q: How much information can the healthcare provider
share with a person’s family members or friends?
A: Healthcare providers should exercise professional
judgment and disclose only the information that is necessary
or directly related to the family member or friend’s
involvement in care. Psychotherapy notes are generally
excluded from this because they may contain especially
private or sensitive information. In most instances, a provider
must have a patient’s permission before sharing them.
Q: May family members or friends communicate with a
healthcare provider if they are worried about a person’s
health or wellbeing?
A: Yes, family members or friends may share information
that they believe might be relevant or helpful to a treatment
provider. Healthcare providers are not required to disclose
this communication to the individual receiving treatment.
Q: Can healthcare providers share information with
parents or guardians of children?
A: Generally speaking, yes, a healthcare provider may share
treatment information with a parent, guardian, or an individual
acting as a personal representative for a child.
New Books for Families
Recent trips to the bookstore and library unearthed two
very helpful new books for family members coping with the
recent discovery of a loved one's mental illness. The first is
The Family Guide to Mental Health Care by Dr. Lloyd
Sederer, formerly Medical Director of New York State's
mental health system. The book is both practical and
comprehensive (chapters range from : What Families can
Do to Recovery: Why Believe?) Though medical, social and
psychological aspects of mental illness are covered, the
book is straightforward and easy to read. I would
recommend it to families who may not be able to find their
way into a Family to Family class right away.
The second book is a handbook rather than a text; it is
equally well written. When Your Adult Child Breaks Your
Heart is by Dr. Joel Young and Christine Adamec. The
subtitle is Coping with Mental Illness, Substance Abuse and
the Problems that Tear Families Apart. That says it all. The
book has 3 parts that work in any order you read them.
They are Identifying the Problems, Types of Problem
Behavior and What the Family Can and Can't Do, and Taking
Care of Yourself. The book doesn't pull any punches. I
found it extremely thought provoking. You can borrow it
through the Tacoma Public Library System.
-- Ginny Peterson
Q: At what age is a child considered an adult for the
purposes of healthcare decisions?
A: Generally, age 18, but HIPPA defers to state law if a state
has a different standard.
Q: Are there any other restrictions on how and when a
healthcare provider may share information with parents
or guardians?
A: HIPPA establishes a minimum standard for the privacy of
health information. State laws that are more protective of
privacy supersede HIPPA. Since state laws vary, it is
important to become familiar your state law.
Some federal laws may have greater restrictions on sharing
information. For example, the confidentiality statute that applies to
federally-funded drug and alcohol treatment programs has stricter
standards than HIPPA.
Save the
Date NAMI
Picnic -
July 16
At Steilacoom Park with our friends
from Grave Concerns
June President's Corner
Bob Winslow
Haida Gwaii
STRATEGIC PLAN
What we do? - Who we do it for? - How do we excel?
NAMI Pierce County members work in Pierce
County, Washington
- We Are Headed
for an Exciting Journey in our Jade Canoe
* To raise awareness about mental illness,
* To provide free mental health education to the
Pierce County Community as well as to individuals
and families affected by mental illness,
* To offer free support groups for individuals living
with mental illness and for their caregivers, and
* To advocate with state and local governments for
improved mental health care.
Your NAMI Pierce Board approved our July 2014 –
June 2015 fiscal year plan and operating budget at the
June 1 Board meeting. NAMI Pierce members will be
asked to approve our plan and operating budget at the
June 18 Gathering.
As your President, I thought I would set the stage for
the plan and budget vote by sharing my views on
NAMI Pierce’s direction, plans, strengths, and
challenges.
We have created the following Vision Statement,
Mission Statement and Strategic Plan. This is simple,
one page document is like ones often used in business
organizations to communicate why NAMI Pierce
County is here and what we do. It also provides us a
map that guides our efforts.
VISION STATEMENT
What will occur if we succeed?
NAMI Pierce County will be a part of a coalition of
services that support our Pierce County friends and
neighbors living with mental illness, giving them the
help and hope they need.
Next year should be an exciting and challenging time
for us. There is significant demand for our programs
in Pierce County. We currently offer programs for
some of our neighbors living with mental illness and
for their families. However, we see program
expansion opportunities to serve additional segments
of our population. We have a core nucleus of
dedicated and active volunteers that is growing. We
have new members continually joining us. Currently,
we enjoy a stable financial situation. Your Board of
Directors spent much time planning for next year and
is proposing a plan that expands our activities.
We plan to build on this year’s good foundation and
increase our efforts to raise awareness about mental
illness.
How can Individual Members Help??
* Join us in manning the NAMI Pierce County booth at
the Washington State Fair. We will be there for four
days.
* Join us at local street fairs and farmer’s markets.
* Take part in our new Speaker’s Bureau to be able to
respond to mental health speaker requests.
MISSION STATEMENT
Why do we exist? Who are our customers?
What do we produce? Where do we operate?
Because mental illness devastates the lives of so
many people in our community, NAMI Pierce
County members work every day to build better
lives both for individuals living with mental illness
and for their families.
* Support our colleagues at the Jordan Binion Project
as they raise mental health understanding in area high
schools.
Specific Program Expansion Goals
*We will grow our free NAMI mental health education
programs.
* We hope to increase the number of times we offer
our successful Family-to-Family class each year
News … Notes … NAMI on the Move
notes, news and opinions by Ginny Peterson, Editor
* We now have trained Peer-to-Peer teachers and will
offer this class for the first time later this year.
* We want to find and train teachers for NAMI's
Basics class for families of youths living with mental
illness. NAMI Pierce hopes to be able to offer help
and support to these families.
* We will continue our free support groups for
individuals living with mental illness and for their
caregivers.
* We will continue to seek opportunities to expand our
Connections Support Group for adults in recovery into
different parts of the County.
* We will continue the Friends and Family Support
Group for caregivers of individuals living with mental
illness which meets twice monthly.
In Memory of Jake Stanton
The Family and Friends of Jake Stanton, a young man
from the Brown's Point are who took his own life
recently, have memorialized him by donating to
NAMI-Pierce. Like too many others in our community,
Jake and his family were unable to find effective and
consistent help for his mental health needs.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the Stanton family
and to all of Jake's many friends. We hope that
NAMI's efforts toward youth mental health, aided by
their generosity, will bear abundant fruit in the near
future. We urge all who loved Jake to join with NAMIPierce in our advocacy for better mental health care.
* We will continue our monthly Gathering which is a
combination support group, social, business meeting
and educational meeting.
An ever increasing number of our members are
involved in our grassroots advocacy for improved
mental health care programs and policies at the State
and County level. We seek to change public policy,
improve public services and increase funding for
programs that benefit individuals living with mental
illness and their families. We collaborate with other
organizations with similar aims and agenda.
I think these are exciting times for NAMI Pierce
County. We help from every member
1. First come to the June 18 gathering and vote to
approve our 2014 – 2015 fiscal year budget.
2. Then find one of our programs that fits your
interests and get actively involved. Excited, involved
members are our most important resource. With more
people, we could make everything on our list of goals a
reality.
Together we can make a difference and bring hope to
our Pierce County neighbors. Join me and the rest of
your Board of Directors on our journey.
New MHA guide
explores
alternative medicine
March 24, 2014, ALEXANDRIA, VA—Mental
Health America (MHA) has created a guide
to help people weigh possible benefits
and side effects of various
complementary and alternative medicines
for mental disorders. The new guide compiles evidence-based
information on substances such as fish oil, St. John’s Wort, kava and
inositol. At 263 pages it is too long for us to print in our newsletter but
you can use it as an on-line resource for checking out things that have
helped others,
The nonprofit said about 40 per cent of Americans treat themselves with
such remedies without professional supervision—often without informing
their psychiatrist and primary care provider.
www.mentalhealthamerica.net
Reprinted from bphope online newsletter for April 2014
Don't forget to Link Up
your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to
Earn Money for NAMI-Pierce
You can earn a Donation for NAMI Pierce County Just
by Shopping with your Fred Meyer Rewards Card
You are now able to link your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to NAMI
Pierce County's fund raising efforts. Whenever you use your
Freddy's Rewards Card, the amount of your purchase will be
credited to NAMI Pierce's Community Rewards account. Every
Quarter NAMI-Pierce will share in money set aside by Fred Meyer
for community charities. And this program doesn't take away from
the rebate you get now when you shop with your Fred's card.
National Convention September in Washington DC
State Conference - August in Vancouver
So how do you sign up? If you already have a Rewards Card, just
Google Fred Meyers Community Rewards. That will take you to
their sign-up page. Click on the Link to sign up and either enter
NAMI-Pierce's non-profit number [91667] or use their search
function by typing in NAMI, then choose NAMI Pierce County. It
takes about 2 minutes. If you don't have a Rewards Card yet, sign
up for one at the Customer Service Desk of any Fred Meyer store then link it!
The Booths of Summer
Farmers Markets, Community Festivals and even
the State Fair
Vancouver, Washington will host this summer's
NAMI-WA Conference, August 17-19, and
Washington DC will be the site of the NAMI National
Convention, scheduled for September 3-6. The
national event will be held at the Marriott Wardman
Park Hotel. This year's convention theme is "From
Dialogue to Action"
A highlight of the D.C.Convention will be NAMI Hill
Day when advocates, experts and leaders converge on
the Capital Buildings to educate lawmakers and ask for
action on federal legislation. For information on the
Program and Schedule (or to Register), go to NAMI's
national website www.nami.org
The NAMI-Pierce Community Information Booth will be getting a
serious workout this summer. In addition to July visits to the
SummerFest in Lakewood and Ethnic Fest in downtown Tacoma,
the booth will also be at 5 different Farmers Markets throughout the
County. Then - at the end of the warm weather - we will spend 4
days at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup.
ARE YOU A MEMBER YET???
WHY NOT??
The first booth events are in June, even before
our June meeting. And at that meeting we will be signing up
volunteers for the Lakewood SummerFest and the Tacoma Ethnic
Fest as well as August Farmers Markets. If you would like to take
part, either see Ginny Peterson at the meeting or give her a call at
253-568-1011. Volunteers for the State Fair booth in September
will get a special Bonus. When you staff the booth for a 4 hour
shift, you receive a free all-day ticket to the Fair plus free parking.
NAMI-Pierce is the local grassroots affiliate of the
premier mental service organization in the country.
We provide free support groups, education and
legislative advocacy for the mental health
community - both individuals with mental health
diagnoses and the families who love and support
them. Join us today by going to our website
www.namipierce.org