NAMI NH ENews | March 12, 2024 | |
International Women's Day | | |
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For International Women's Day, on March 8th, NAMI National celebrated some of the remarkable women who've left lasting imprints on the mental health landscape. | |
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NAMI believes that people with mental illness deserve help, not handcuffs. We oppose the continued criminalization of mental illness and work to ensure that every person is met with a response that preserves their health, well-being, and dignity.
Our work is driven by the stories we hear every day throughout the NAMI Alliance — stories from people with mental illness and family members about their experiences with the criminal justice system. People are met with handcuffs instead of help and treatment. Family members don’t know if their loved ones are receiving needed mental health care while incarcerated. People reenter the community without the tools and support to thrive and be well. These are only a small snapshot of the shared experiences that connect people’s individual stories.
While mental health advocates know this reality, far too many people in the U.S. do not. But people and their stories cannot — and should not — be overlooked anymore.
You have the power to change how our communities understand and address the intersection of mental illness and the criminal justice system. There are four ways you can get involved today:
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Sign the Petition: Add your name to urge federal, state, and local policymakers to decriminalize mental health in our communities.
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Write Your Members of Congress: Contact your federal representatives to urge them to support legislation that would help people with mental illness get the care they need after criminal justice system involvement.
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Share Your Story: Do you have personal experience with the criminal justice system and mental health? Share your story to power our advocacy and help raise awareness.
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Spread the Word on Social Media: Help us lift up Overlooked stories and resources with your networks using these resources. Also consider recording and posting a short video on your social media accounts to discuss the issue or share your story.
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NAMI NH is Nonpartisan
Like mental illness and suicide, NAMI New Hampshire is nonpartisan. We support policies that help people with mental health conditions and their families, and collaborate with diverse stakeholders on shared goals to improve the lives of individuals affected by mental illness and suicide.
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Yesterday, 14 children and 21 adults were boarding in emergency departments waiting for inpatient psychiatric beds. Another 3 adults waited in correctional facilities for inpatient psychiatric care.
Click here for ED Boarding Resources.
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Join us on Wednesday, May 15th for This Is My Brave – The Show, benefiting NAMI New Hampshire. Our amazing cast of brave performers will share their personal stories of overcoming mental illness, suicide, and substance use disorder. This Is My Brave – The Show aims to raise awareness of mental illness, suicide, and substance use disorders; dispel the stigma and discrimination surrounding these conditions; and raise funds to help NAMI New Hampshire continue to provide free support, education, and advocacy to over 40,000 individuals and families statewide.
This Is My Brave is the leading platform for community members to share their stories of hope, recovery, and success while living with a mental health condition or substance use disorder. Our goal is to support individuals to share their stories— stories of hope, empowerment, and honesty— to end the stigma surrounding these conditions and encourage those still living in silence to seek support. We are so excited to bring this event back to NH, and invite you to join us for an inspiring and hopeful evening!
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2024 NAMI NH Annual Conference — March 26th & 27th | |
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Keynote Presentation - I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help: How to Help Someone Accept Treatment
Join us on Tuesday, March 26 at 6pm for our keynote presentation I Am Not Sick, I Don't Need Help: How to Help Someone Accept Treatment featuring Dr. Xavier Amador, Founder, The LEAP Institute. Dr. Amador is an internationally renowned clinical psychologist and leader in his field. His books, published clinical research, worldwide speaking tours and extensive work in schizophrenia, bipolar and other disorders have been translated into 30 languages. He is also the CEO of the Henry Amador Center on Anosognosia and a family caregiver of two close relatives with serious mental illness.
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Welcome Session
and Opening Remarks
Join us Wednesday, March 27 at 9am as NAMI NH's Executive Director Susan Stearns officially opens the conference for the day. She will provide NAMI NH updates and introduce Lori Weaver, Commissioner, NH Department of Health and Human Services. Commissioner Weaver will discuss the state of NH's mental health system.
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
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An Everyday Hero's Journey
from Struggling Student
to Successful Professor
Join us Wednesday, March 27 at 10:15am for this hopeful presentation by Professor Julio Del Sesto. He will share his story of his mental health challenges since the age of 12 and will discuss his journey from barely graduating high school to becoming a successful college professor. Today, Julio works to break down the stigma of mental health in his community and among his students. In 2022, he was awarded the Keene State Distinguished Teacher Award which recognizes excellence in teaching, encouragement of independent thinking, rapport with students, and student advising.
Sponsored by AmeriHealth Caritas
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Stigma Doesn't Stand a Chance:
NAMIWalks New Hampshire
& This Is My Brave
Join us Wednesday, March 27 at 11:30 as NAMIWalks NH Walk Manager, Brittany Porter, and Director of Development, Kristen Welch CFRE discuss two upcoming stigma-busting events. Hear important updates, inspiring stories, and more on how you can get involved.
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Afternoon Keynote Presentation Featuring Dr. Christine Crawford
Join us Wednesday, March 27 at 1:00pm for our afternoon keynote session, A Conversation about Youth Mental Health, featuring Dr. Christine Crawford, Associate Medical Director, NAMI National and author of NAMI’s forthcoming book; You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Your Child’s Mental Health with Advice from Experts and Wisdom from Real Families due for release in September 2024. Dr. Crawford is an adult, child and adolescent psychiatrist who sees patients at Boston Medical Center. She is a staff member of the Wellness and Recovery After Psychosis Program (WRAP) where she provides psychiatric care for adolescents experiencing symptoms of psychosis.
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Crisis Supports and Suicide Prevention for Autistic People
Join us Wednesday, March 27 at 2:30pm as Lisa Morgan, Lisa Morgan Consulting, discusses the warning signs, unique risk factors, statistics of suicide, and how to be culturally aware in working with autistic people. Autistic people think, communicate, and experience the world differently than non-autistic people and research has shown that suicide is the leading cause of death for autistic people. The presentation will describe five autism-specific resources to use in supporting autistic people around suicide prevention and crisis support.
Sponsored by WellSense Health Plan.
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The Highs & Lows Tour: A Community Cycling Event for Better Mental Health
Join us Wednesday, March 27 at 4:00pm to for this fun, engaging short session with Tom Dearborn and Eric Skinner as they talk about the The Highs & Lows Tour which is a cycling event organized by a group of people who have been directly or indirectly impacted by mental illness and suicide. Their mission is to promote better mental health in New Hampshire through 1) raising awareness of mental illness and suicide prevention 2) destigmatizing mental illness and 3) raising funds for NAMI New Hampshire (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
Sponsored by New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association.
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We are grateful for our Annual Conference Sponsors and Donors, who make it possible to offer this event at no charge to attendees. We have more sponsorship opportunities available.
For more sponsorship info, click here.
To reserve your sponsorship, contact Kristen Welch, CFRE, Director of Development, at kwelch@NAMINH.org or 603.225.5359 x350.
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NAMI Family-to-Family
Monday evening classes start April 8, 2024 from 6pm to 8:30pm, on Zoom.
NAMI Family-to-Family is a free, 9-session education program for family, friends, loved ones, and significant others of adults with mental health conditions. NAMI Family-to-Family provides information about anxiety, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. Other topics covered include communication, problem solving, treatment, and recovery.
The course is designed to increase understanding and advocacy skills while helping participants maintain their own well-being. The program is taught by trained family members who have a loved one with a mental health condition.
Registration is required, please contact:
Pam Burns, 603-345-5304 Nashuanaminh@gmail.com
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Join Our Team!
NAMI NH is hiring Family Peer Support Specialists – provide 1:1 support and education to families/primary caregivers of children and adolescents with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED).
Learn more & apply online:
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Do you have an adult loved one with a mental health challenge?
NAMI Family-to-Family (F2F) is a FREE, 9-session education program that provides information about anxiety, depressive disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. This evidence-based course is designed to increase understanding and advocacy skills while helping participants maintain their own well-being. The program is taught by trained volunteers who have a loved one with a mental health condition.
To be notified as soon as a class is scheduled, please fill out our interest form.
For more information or questions about F2F, contact Martha Dorey.
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Thank you to the volunteer role-players who helped NAMI NH deliver another 40-hr Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Mental Health Awareness & De-escalation Training last week – this time for NH Law Enforcement Recruits!
Learn more: https://www.naminh.org/cit-program/
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Congratulations to the newest Connect Postvention trainers with United Indian Health Services in Arcata, California! Hope starts with you!
Learn about training opportunities with NAMI NH's Connect Suicide Prevention Program: TheConnectProgram.org
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Suicide Prevention Resources | | |
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Mission Zero and Care Traffic Control:
A Collaborative Effort to Eliminate ED Boarding
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Mission Zero, a NH Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) initiative, is a collaborative effort to eliminate emergency department boarding for adults waiting for an involuntary emergency admission. While Emergency Department (ED) boarding reduction is already a top focus for NH and DHHS, as outlined in NH’s 10-Year Mental Health Plan, Mission Zero brings new attention, resources, and urgency to this complex challenge, built upon close collaboration with community stakeholders.
Click here to learn more about Mission Zero.
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Please join us for a live webinar about the intersection between criminal justice and mental illness as we recognize National Criminal Justice Month throughout March.
This webinar will cover topics including:
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The history of mental health care and the intersection of the criminal justice system
- How policy choices have led to parallel health care systems – and negative outcomes for justice-involved individuals
- Best practices to promote behavioral health care and corrections
- Solutions that improve access to quality mental health care for people who are incarcerated
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You Are #NotAlone – Connect with Support
Life is hard for so many folks right now – but you are not alone. NAMI NH offers several free options for support and connection – click the links below to learn more. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, 24/7 help is available.
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AVAILABLE 24/7 – NH Rapid Response Access Point
The NH Rapid Response Access Point is available if you or someone you care about is having a mental health or substance use crisis.
To connect, call/text 833-710-6477 or visit NH988.com.
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Our stories – the good, the challenging, the heartbreaking – unite us. They help us know we are not alone. They give us hope in our darkest days. They show us there is light to be found. They empower us, enabling us to persuade policy makers and sway public opinion, ultimately transforming systems and changing lives for the better.
So often these stories are told when people are connected at NAMI New Hampshire’s free support groups and education programs; as they prepare to testify and share their own experience or that of their loved one with policy makers; or when we are gathered together to raise awareness and crush stigma at NAMIWalks New Hampshire. Together, our stories open the door and invite honest conversations about mental health, suicide, and substance use. Together, we are dispelling stigma. Together, we are letting folks know they are not alone.
Your steadfast and generous support of our mission amplifies the collective voice of the NAMI New Hampshire Family. You are indeed the conduit to hope and help. Thank you for giving the priceless gift of help, healing, and hope.
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The continued generosity of our supporters is simply astounding! In February, 8 generous folks created Facebook Fundraisers and raised $575 for NAMI New Hampshire. Because of you, and the kindness of the 20 donors who gave in your honor, Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide will continue to receive help and hope.
Whether it’s a birthday fundraiser to celebrate a cause near and dear to your heart, a NAMIWalks NH fundraiser to raise awareness and crush stigma, or a fundraiser just because you care and want to have an impact on Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide, Facebook fundraisers are a quick and easy way to raise additional funds. You can simply click here to create your fundraiser!
Need help or have questions? Contact us at development@NAMINH.org.
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Have you ever considered a monthly gift to NAMI New Hampshire? Giving monthly has several benefits for you, including:
Set it and forget it
Monthly donations are automatic. That means once you sign up, you won’t have to worry about remembering to support NAMI New Hampshire. Simply indicate on the donation form you want your gift to be monthly, enter your credit card information once, and you’re all set — we’ll keep you posted on the good work we’re doing with your gift!
Join an exclusive community
Monthly donors are our biggest fans, and we appreciate you! We’ll keep you posted throughout the year with donor impact updates, personal outreach, and maybe a special surprise or two to express our gratitude.
As a monthly donor, you are part of one of the most important communities in our organization – the Heroes of Hope Society. Your gift helps us sustain programs and services for Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide throughout the year.
Make a little go a long way
No matter the amount, monthly donations make a difference. Making a smaller donation that occurs throughout the year is generally more manageable for many donors, and has a powerful, lasting impact.
Spreading out your donation may even allow you to contribute more than you originally thought. For example, spending $400 all at once might be too much for your monthly budget, but if donating $40 every month is doable, you’ll actually donate $480 by the end of the year! With NAMI NH celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2022, this is the perfect time to make that gift!
Please contact Kristen Welch, CFRE, Director of Development, at kwelch@NAMINH.org or 603-225-5359 x350 with any questions.
Thank you for your steadfast and generous support of Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide. Hope starts with you.
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Give a gift of stock to NAMI New Hampshire
Looking for a tax-smart way to support NAMI New Hampshire’s mission? As a gift for yourself and a gift for NAMI NH, consider donating your appreciated stock to save on taxes, while supporting Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide. Give the gift of stock today!
Support NAMI New Hampshire through your IRA
Are you looking to expand your impact for all individuals and families affected by mental illness and suicide without dipping into your cash reserve? If you or someone you know is 70.5 or over, giving from your IRA is a powerful way to support advocacy, education, support and public awareness while reducing your future tax burden. Make your IRA gift today!
Join the NAMI New Hampshire Legacy Circle
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Thank you to Johnson & Johnson for demonstrating their steadfast support of Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide by renewing their corporate sponsorship for 2024. | | |
NAMI NH Corporate Sponsor Partners
NAMI New Hampshire is grateful to our Corporate Sponsors and Members for their steadfast commitment to improving the lives of Granite Staters affected by mental illness and suicide. #hopestartswithyou
For information on Corporate Sponsorship, or to discuss additional partnership opportunities, contact Kristen Welch, CFRE, Director of Development, at kwelch@NAMINH.org or 603.235.5359 x350.
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NAMI New Hampshire is pleased to partner with Comcast to provide their team members with four (4) In Our Own Voice presentations in 2022. Through sponsoring these sessions, Comcast hopes to open the door to conversations about mental health and wellness, decrease stigma and discrimination, and provide their team with information and resources. We applaud Comcast for their steadfast commitment to employee mental health.
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on connectivity, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer relationships across the United States and Europe. We deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading entertainment, sports, and news; and provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in the United States and Asia. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
Open to all employees, Comcast's Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are voluntary, employee-led organizations dedicated to developing the careers of our employees, contributing to community service and building an inclusive and collaborative workplace. For example, The MyAbilities Network empowers People with Disabilities and their allies via leadership, mentoring and development opportunities, while championing a safe and welcoming disability-sensitive work environment. MyAbilities is committed to cultivating a workplace that is reflective of and responsive to all the communities and customers we serve, enabling individual and company success.
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