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The Official Newsletter of NAMI Westchester, Inc. January 2017

SUCCESSFUL ART EXPRESSIONS EVENT

NAMI Westchester's annual "Art Expressions from the Hands & Hearts of Persons in Recovery" event showcasing fabulous works of art including spoken word, musical performances, paint and photography was held on December 14, 2016 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Harrison, NY. Close to 100 guests were treated to the talents of musicians, painters, singers, poets and photographers. So many people look forward to this annual event and we want to thank all these individuals for sharing their creativity and talent with us.

YOU ARE INVITED TO THE FIFTH ANNUAL

NAMIWALKS WESTCHESTER Date: Saturday, May 20, 2017

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Place: Rye Town Park, Rye, NY

Interested in helping make it our best walk yet? Join our planning committee! Below is contact info.

Ready to register walk? Form a team? Simply go to www.namiwalks.org/westchester.

Have a prior commitment? Register as a “virtual walker” via the above link and you can raise community

awareness and raise funds from your home.

Help us reach new communities and people who need NAMI’s help through sponsorships. Several levels and

benefits are available. Info at http://namiwestchester.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/137/2016/07/NAMIWalks

-Westchester-2017-Sponsorship-Brochure.pdf.

Team Captains will be invited to a special event on the evening of March 15, 2017 – stay tuned for details.

Please contact Marie Considine, Director of Development, with questions or for more information:

914-592-5458 or namiwalks@namiwestchester.org.

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MENTAL HEALTH REFORM SIGNED INTO LAW

On December 13, 2016, President Obama signed The 21st Century Cures Act into law, which includes many

mental health reforms. Following are some highlights of the bill. For a full list, please visit our website at

namiwestchester.org/advocacy-2/.

Clarifies that the federal Medicaid statute permits same-day billing for the provision of mental health

and primary care services.

Directs the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide guidance to states on

opportunities for designing innovative service delivery systems to improve care for individuals with

serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbance.

Specifies that, effective January 1, 2019, children receiving Medicaid-covered inpatient psychiatric

hospital services are eligible for the full range of early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment

(EPSDT) services.

Requires the Government Accountability Office (independent federal watchdog agency) to conduct a

study on enforcement of the federal parity law, including compliance with non-quantifiable treatment

limits, and recommendations improving enforcement.

Requires the development of new resources on how parity applies to eating disorders as well as educating

health professionals about eating disorders and effective treatment.

Establish a new grant program to maintain, or expand ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) programs

for adults with serious mental illness.

Increases and extends existing authorization for AOT (Assisted Outpatient Treatment) grant programs.

Authorizes funding for the development of model training and educational programs to educate health

providers, regulatory compliance staff, individuals and families regarding the permitted use and

disclosure of health information under HIPAA.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to clarify the circumstances when a health care

provider or covered entity may use or disclose protected health information related to the treatment

of an adult with a mental health or substance use disorder.

We hope you will attend our Advocacy Event on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 to hear more about the issues

that NAMI NYS and NAMI Westchester will be bringing to our State representatives at the Assembly and

Senate. See page 3 of this newsletter for more details on this event.

NAMI Westchester would like to announce a new Families & Friends support group. This new group for family members and friends of individuals with a mental health condition will take place on the third Thursday of each month starting on January 19, 2017. For location and specific information on our support groups, please call our office at 914-592-5458.

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For more information on any of the following events, please call our office at 914-592-5458

or visit our website at www.namiwestchester.org.

NAMI WESTCHESTER UPCOMING EVENTS

FILM SCREENING “People Say I’m Crazy”

Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

The Picture House, 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, NY 10803

“People Say I'm Crazy” is a documentary about schizophrenia made by someone with schizophrenia. This film tells the story of a young man, John Cadigan, who develops schizophrenia at age 21 while attending college. Initially devastated by his diagnosis, John eventually finds appropriate treatment and works his way into recovery, with the help of family and friends. The spotlight is also turned on John's family as they struggle to understand John's disease. With courage and love, the family learns how to support John in his efforts to resume living an independent and fulfilling life. To view the trailer go to: http://www.peoplesayimcrazy.org/

Panel Discussion to follow screening with leading professionals in the field of schizophrenia and individuals living in recovery.

Tickets are $15/person. To purchase tickets go to:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nami-westchester-presents-people-say-im-crazy-tickets-29225534360

Tickets must be purchased in advance.

NAMI WESTCHESTER 2017 ADVOCACY EVENT Wednesday, January 25, 2017 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. St. Vincent’s Hospital, 275 North Street, Harrison NY 10528

Keynote Speaker: Matthew Shapiro, Associate Director, Public Affairs for NAMI NYS

Presentation will focus on the issues that will be part of NAMI NYS Legislature Day in February.

Presentation will focus on the following issues that will be part of NAMI NYS Legislature Day in Albany on Feb. 14, 2017: The Incorporating Families in Mental Health Care Bill Establishing Kendra’s Law permanently—click here to learn more about Kendra’s Law Increased Supported Housing Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) Expansion Raise the Age - click here to learn more about Raise the Age Solitary Reform - click here to learn more about Solitary Reform

To register:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nami-westchester-2017-advocacy-event-tickets-29825375501

For more information and other advocacy issues: www.namiwestchester.org/advocacy.

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“Like” us on Facebook:

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For information about our programs and events, please visit our website at:

http://www.namiwestchester.org/.

To become a member, please go to

https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Join

Quote of the Month

“If you feel like your child - or friend or spouse - is showing signs of (mental) illness; if you

can get them in touch with somebody else they can talk to and share their experience with,

and not just feel like they’re being told they’re ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ or ‘stupid,’ then they can

relate somehow.” - Carrie Fisher

Chris Gaur and Eva Hale Leighton presented Ending the Silence (ETS) to the Interact Club at Ossining High School on December 14. The club made a generous donation to NAMI Westchester to help us continue this powerful program.

NAMI Ending the Silence is a no-cost presentation given to middle and/or high school students, normally in their

health classes. Presentations have also been made to youth groups as well. The program is designed to give students an opportunity to learn about mental health and suicide prevention through an engaging presentation by a trained

presenter who uses an informative power point and short videos. The presentation features a young adult who lives

with a mental illness and shares his/her personal journey to recovery.

NAMI Westchester started presenting ETS in February of 2015. By the end of 2016, we made 241 presentations and

reached 5,764 young people throughout our county. For more information, please call 914-592-5458.

Two In Our Own Voice (IOOV) presenters spoke at our Family To Family classes in December. IOOV is a powerful presentation given by two individuals who are recovery. They share their stories of difficult times and their recovery. Presentations are approximately 45-50 minutes in length and can be made to college stu-dents/staff, church groups, community organizations and businesses as a way of educating the community on mental health. To find out more and schedule a presentation, please call our office at 914-592-5458.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH