Saturday, November 30, 2013

Send a Christmas Card to the Governor


hopeworkscommunity posted: "The plan as it currently stands is to totally and completely eliminate funding for peer support centers in Tennessee. 45 centers will close and the over 3000 people served a month will be left out in the cold. The post below talks more about the situati"
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Send a Christmas card to Governor Haslam

by hopeworkscommunity

The plan as it currently stands is to totally and completely eliminate funding for peer support centers in Tennessee. 45 centers will close and the over 3000 people served a month will be left out in the cold. The post below talks more about the situation.

What I am asking is two things.

1. Send a christmas card to Gov Haslam. Share your knowledge and experience with peer support with him. Let him know Tennessee deserves and needs what peer support centers add to the mental health system in Tennessee. His address is:

The office of Governor Bill Haslam
1st Floor, State Capitol
Nashville,  TN   37243

His email address is bill.haslam@tn.gov.

2. Share this with at least 3 other people. Ask them to share it with at least 3 other people and so on.

This is the time to act. Let Governor Haslam know what you think. Make your card a Christmas gift to Tennessee.

The death of peer support in Tennessee.

There are 45 peer support centers in Tennessee. Next year if things go as planned there may be none.

The initial recommendation of the commissioner of mental health to the governors request for a 5% decrease in budget was to recommend that 4.5 million dollars be taken from the budget for peer support centers. That would leave 0 for next year.

It makes you just want to shake your head. When I heard I emailed a bunch of people. I thought I had misheard. I knew no one could seriously make such a suggestion. I was wrong.

Peer support centers do two primary things. They save money and they save lives. A lot.

For a few dollars a day per person served peer support centers give a chance at success for people who have never had success. People who have never made it in the community make it. The last figures I saw indicated a 90% decrease in psychiatric hospitalization. The savings from that alone should almost pay for the program. In a time when the jails are filling with the mentally ill how in the world can we shut down one of the most successful community based services we have?? This program defines the notion of “bang for your buck.” How is this in any way a savings?? We lecture our children about thinking before they act and considering the long term consequences of their actions. Shouldnt we expect the same out of ourselves and particularly our political leaders?

But it is more than an economic issue. It is more than a political issue. It is profoundly a moral issue and it is wrong!!!

If it actually sees the light of day it will be the planned abandonment of one of the most vulnerable populations in this state who basically have no where else to turn for this kind of help for a short term financial gain that in the end will cost far more than it saves. In plain terms it will be an act of large cruelty.

I urge you to stand loud and express your opinions. This is an old battle we thought done last year when support for peer support become recurring dollars. Once again we are a political football. Now is the time to end the game.

hopeworkscommunity | November 27, 2013

Friday, November 22, 2013

I ask for your prayers, well-wishes

I got news Sunday that my friend Marian, 94 years old, in Oklahoma may leave us any day. Our close and loving friendship spans nearly 40 years. And for the last 11 years, I traveled to visit her each year. I did not visit her this past summer because of my health problems and overloaded schedule. At this moment I am in a hotel outside of Oklahoma City preparing to see her at the hospital. The next few hours can be tough

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

DBSA Tennessee: Your Support Helped DBSA Impact Two Million Lives

                                                DBSA TENNESSEE
                                                   731-215-7200


State officers and local chapter leaders:

Forwarded email below: Together let's feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in being a part of a vital organization that touches so many lives. Personally, I thank each of you for making a difference in thousands of lives in Tennessee. In 2014, I believe we will touch an even greater number of lives here at home and across our country!

Respectfully,
Steve Brannon, B.A., M.Ed., D.Div.
DBSA Tennessee



Sent from my iPad

Begin forwarded message:

From: Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance <webmaster@dbsalliance.org>
Date: November 11, 2013 at 10:00:13 AM CST
To: sbrannon@dbsatennessee.org
Subject: Your Support Helped DBSA Impact Two Million Lives
Reply-To: Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance <webmaster@dbsalliance.org>

DBSA
Tennessee,
I'm pleased to share the many ways your gift to DBSA has positively impacted more than two million people as we:
DBSA Annual Report 2012DBSA 2012 Annual Impact Report
2012 was a pivotal year for DBSA. Not only did we build organizational strength, we improved and expanded our core programming and developed new offerings centered on our three strategic initiatives for 2012:
  • Therapeutic Alliance—Highlighted by Concordance 2012, a dynamic discussion between clinicians and peers about changing the nature of collaborative care to reflect joint partnership
  • Community Engagement—Demonstrated by the inaugural launch of the DBSA +6 Campaign, six months of positive actions to connect to your health and community
  • Innovation—Represented by the launch of WeSearchTogether.org, an online portal that bridges the gap between people living with depression or bipolar disorder and the researchers whose discoveries can improve their lives and futures
With your support, DBSA shared information, gave personal support, and provided life-saving tools and hope to more than two million people in 2012. Thank you! Read report and/or learn more about 2012 programs.
DBSA Annual Report 2012DBSA 2013 Programs and Partnerships
On October 16, DBSA announced exciting news: as of January 2014, The Balanced Mind Foundation (TBMF's) parent-, teen-, and family-focused programming will become part of DBSA's menu of programs and services. This new partnership mirrors the theme of the DBSA 2013 National Conference and much of DBSA's 2013 programming—that we are truly "Stronger Together" both as peers and as organizations with common goals. This focus on collaboration is further highlighted by our:
  • Partnering with Families for Depression Awareness (FFDA) to launch CareForYourMind.org, an online forum for peers and family members to learn from, and share their opinions and experiences with, experts influencing mental health legislation, policy, and regulations
  • Joining forces with the National Council for Behavioral Health (National Council) to bring the peer perspective to Washington D.C. during Hill Day 2013
  • Collaborating with the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) on a groundbreaking full day of interactive joint programming during the DBSA 2013 National Conference and the 2013 International Conference on Bipolar Disorders
  • Working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to train more than 540 Veteran peer specialists in 2013
  • Teaming up with the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF) on Say It Forward 2013, an anti-stigma campaign focused on breaking the chains of stigma through education and awareness.
With your support, we've opened new doors for peers and families to be heard and supported by government, the mental health system, clinicians, and each other. Thank You! View the DBSA and TBMF announcement video and/or read press release.
DBSA Annual Report 2012DBSA in 2014 and Beyond
One quiet, but significant, project of the DBSA Board and staff was the development of the DBSA 2013-2017 Strategic Plan, which reflects our new vision of wellness for people living with mood disorders. The plan also reflects a new set of values and establishes tactics to support three strategic directions for DBSA moving forward:
  • Peer Focus
  • Advocacy
  • Organizational Effectiveness
Personally, and on behalf of DBSA, I thank you for your support of our past accomplishments, our present success, and our future vision to help individuals living with mood disorders to thrive! I look forward to sharing more about 2014: The Year of Thriving soon!
With sincere appreciation,
Allen Doederlein
President
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
730 N. Franklin Street, Suite 501 Toll-free: (800) 826-3632
Chicago, Illinois 60654-7225 Fax: (312) 642-7243
DBSA Facebook Page DBSA YouTube Channel Contact Us

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