26. February 2012 by admin.

Hi,

The Florida Senate wants to eliminate more than $100 million in funding for our state’s mental health and substance abuse system, an unprecedented reduction.

Florida already ranks 50th in the nation for per capita spending in state supported behavioral health care. A reduction of this magnitude will destroy an already fragile system. Nearly 140,000 people who struggle with very serious mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders will lose their access to life-saving services.

This budget reduction will not only cause unnecessary suffering to individuals and their families, it will actually result in much higher costs for Florida taxpayers. Instead of having access to more economical community-based services, individuals in crisis will end up repeatedly in our hospital emergency rooms, criminal justice system, and homeless centers, at a much greater cost to all of us.

If you are a Florida resident, please sign our petition to let our state legislators know that we can’t afford this short-sighted and dangerous reduction to essential state services.

That’s why I signed a petition to The Florida State House, The Florida State Senate, and Governor Rick Scott, which says:

“Florida simply can’t afford to make reductions to community based mental health and substance abuse services. Please vote to maintain current funding levels for these cost-saving services.”

Will you sign this petition? Click here:

http://signon.org/sign/floridas-mental-health?source=s.em.cp&r_by=2739322

Thanks!

Posted in Charlotte Behavioral Health Care, Mental Health Activists, Florida Peer Network | Print | No Comments »

15. February 2012 by admin.

This event is going to be in March but you need to get on the RSVP list soon.

Why People Die by Suicide Web Event Dr. Thomas Joiner

Continuing Education Units Available!
Click here to Register Now!

Why People Die by Suicide (March 15th, 2012 10:00am - 12:00pm)
Instructor: Dr. Thomas Joiner

About Event

In his new theory of suicidal behavior, Thomas Joiner proposes three factors that mark those most at risk of death: the feeling of being a burden on loved ones; the sense of isolation; and, perhaps chillingly, the learned ability to hurt oneself. He tests the theory against diverse facts taken from clinical anecdotes, history, literature, popular culture, anthropology, epidemiology, genetics, and neurobiology–facts about suicide rates among men and women; white and African-American men; anorexics, athletes, prostitutes, and physicians; members of cults, sports fans, and citizens of nations in crisis.

Objectives

• Review basic facts about the epidemiology and risk factors for death by suicide.
• Learn about a new theory of suicidal behavior.
• Learn about anecdotal, clinical, and scientific evidence that evaluates this new theory.
• Learn about approaches to suicide risk assessment.
• Learn about developments in the treatment of suicidal behavior.
• Learn about developments in suicide prevention.
• Understand the experience of people who are bereaved by suicide.

THOMAS JOINER grew up in Georgia, went to college at Princeton, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. Dr. Joiner’s work is on the psychology, neurobiology, and treatment of suicidal behavior and related conditions. Author of over 450 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Joiner was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Residency Fellowship. He received the Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the Shakow Award for Early Career Achievement from the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, the Shneidman Award for excellence in suicide research from the American Association of Suicidology, and the Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association, as well as research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Defense (DoD), and various foundations. He is the Director of the DoD-funded Military Suicide Research Consortium, a $17 million project.

Dr. Joiner has authored or edited seventeen books, including Why People Die By Suicide, published in 2005 by Harvard University Press, and Myths About Suicide, published in 2010, also with Harvard University Press. The book Lonely at the Top was published by MacMillan in October, 2011, and the book The Perversion of Virtue: Understanding Murder-Suicide, by Harvard in 2013. Largely in connection with Why People Die By Suicide, he has made numerous radio, print, and television appearances, including write-ups in The Wall Street Journal and The Times of London, a radio interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and two appearances on the Dr. Phil Show. He runs a part-time clinical and consulting practice specializing in suicidal behavior, including legal consultation on suits involving death by suicide. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife and two sons.

Cost

The web event is free to take. CEUs are $25.

Web Events Computer Requirements

You need to click here to download software before the event. When prompted, Click on Accept, Install and Join. This should not take more than 3-4 minutes. Local admin rights required. “Internet Explorer 6 or higher required”. Must have a Windows PC to install software. Sorry not Apple/Mac compatible. To watch our short video demonstration click the link below or copy and paste this URL into your web browser:

http://centervideo.forest.usf.edu/lminstalldemo/lmdemo.html

Posted in Mental Health, Recovery | Print | No Comments »

12. February 2012 by admin.

NAMI would like to hear from you… Answer a survey.

here are the question they would like to know about:

Access to Medication 

Access to Medication
Exit this survey

1. Does your mental health plan enforce prescription limits to mental health medications? In other words are there monthly or a yearly number of mental health prescriptions that you can have filled?

2. If you have been incarcerated, were you released from jail without medications?

3. If you have been incarcerated, were you given medications while in jail?

4. Have you had to skip medications for lack of money to pay for your prescription(s)?

5. Have you ever received free medications from pharmaceutical companies?

6. Have you ever received free medications from pharmaceutical companies?

7. Have you ever used coupons or certificates to obtain medications?

8. Are you aware of programs that offer free medications? If yes, what programs do you know of?

9. If your health care insurance company (HMO, Medicaid/Medicare) changed formularies were you able to stay on your current medication or did it result in a medication change?

10. Has the use of a preffered drug list (formulary) had an impact on your medication access?

11. Has the process of preventing the prescribing of a new medication until a specific medication, an entire medication group, and generic medication has failed (”Fail-First” rule) impaired your ability to adhere to your treatment?

12. Have barriers to medications had an impact on your recovery?

13. Did the health insurance company (HMO, Medicaid/Medicare, etc.) provide your doctor with the PDL policy, the steps the physician is required to prescribe a non-formulary medication?

14. If your physician has prescribed multiple medication for the same diagnosis (polypharmacy) have you had challenges getting access to the medications?

15. If yes, please designate which HMO or insurance company denied access.

16. Patients often have to fail on one or more drugs first before being able to take the drug first before being able to take the drug their physician wanted to prescribe them in the first place. Have you ever had trouble getting access to the medication you needed because of “step therapy” or “fail first” requireements?

17. Sometimes formularies change, and consumers do not know about it. Has the medication you have needed ever not been included on the new formulary?

18. Were your difficulties with “step therapy” and continuity of care due to
Were your difficulties with “step therapy” and continuity of care due to   managed care, like a HMO or a PPO, Medicaid or Private insurance

Posted in Medicaid, NAMI, Meditation | Print | No Comments »