2012 February 11 |

Archive for » February 11th, 2012«

11 Feb 2012

Mental illness patients persevere; Redding photo exhibit displays trials – Record

Hanging in Grace Place Tea House Gift Boutique in downtown Redding is a black-and-white portrait of Steve Keyser staring serenely at the camera, his hands together as though he’s praying.

The photo, called “Namaste,” shows a jarring difference between Keyser today and the man he said he was two years ago.

“I was in big trouble. I was a mess I was waking up at 4 in the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep,” said Keyser, 59.

That was before Keyser was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 57 and started seeking treatment for his illness.

Such transformations are the focus of Brave Faces, which opens today at 6 p.m. and features portraits of people with mental illnesses “being strong and proud and viable, so to speak,” Keyser said.

“I think a lot of people assume you get a scary diagnosis, and they think that’s someone who’s not going to be a contributor to society for the rest of their life But all these guys figured out what they needed to do to get better, and they did,” said Marc Dadigan, a community education specialist with the Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency.

Along with the portraits, the gallery will feature multimedia presentations of participants’ stories.

Before getting help with the Shasta Community Health Center’s HOPE van, Keyser said his illness left him isolated and unable to lead a normal life.

“This roller coaster life bipolar leads you onto, it’s difficult to hold jobs, to have focus, to maintain friendships, relationships,” Keyser said. “All of those things that are pretty important to a life, you know? So you tend to be somewhat of a loner.”

Iris Sanders, a Palo Cedro resident with depression who’s featured in the gallery, said she hopes the portraits ease some of the stigma surrounding mental illness, which often is found even among people who have their own mental health issues.

“It’s being understood that people with mental illnesses are people, and that their mental illness is just part of what they have to deal with somebody else might be dealing with cancer or diabetes,” said Sanders, 66. “We’re people. I have a mental illness, and I also have a life.”

Kara Stewart, one of the photographers for the gallery, said she, too, hoped to destigmatize mental illnesses by shooting portraits for the project.

“I wouldn’t look at these people and think ‘unhealthy,’ ” she said. “And I think a lot of times we do that in social circumstances, or if we’ve already heard a label, it’s really easy to think that people are beyond recovery.”

Keyser said he hopes the gallery also will lead people with mental illnesses to get help, and inspire others to help them, too.

“Everybody has a dark day. Everybody’s had at least one, I’m sure,” he said. “We all know somebody that struggles. We all do, and if we can just reach out because you’re not going to get sick, you’re not going to get hurt, and you know what? You might feel really good that you helped this person.”

The gallery is sponsored by the Health and Human Services Agency and funded through the Mental Health Services Act.

The gallery will be open during the Grace Place’s regular hours until the end of the month.

For more information, call Dadigan at 225-5970, or go to www.co.shasta.ca.us/index/hhsa_index/mental_wellness/crisis_mh/suicide_prevention.aspx.

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11 Feb 2012

Freeze on Skis Fundraiser Ends; Lack of Interest and Donations Blamed – Twin Falls Times

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TWIN FALLS • For more than 20 years, freezing temperatures
didn’t stop brave waterskiers from bracing an icy river for one day
each year. Unfortunately, freezing funds did.

Twin Falls’ annual Freeze on Skis event, which started with the
Magic Valley Jaycees and ended with a few individuals keeping it
afloat, officially disbanded Thursday.

Coupled with dwindling membership and support, the recent slow
economy didn’t help matters.

“We’ve had less and less in skiers and donations,” said Sandy
Doig, an organizer from the beginning. “People just don’t have the
money to donate.”

Asking for donations has never been the group’s favorite part of
the event. But it always came together, with thousands of dollars
provided to various community groups like Camp Rainbow Gold, St.
Jude’s, Wishing Star and the guardian ad litem program.

One person in particular stood out when it came to collecting
funds. The group fondly remembers John Pohlman as being vital to
the event’s success.

Pohlman died in 2005. Organizer Henk Heeling said his passing
was devastating to the organization.

“Because of the friends he had, we were able to keep it going
awhile longer,” Heeling said. “But slowly membership and donations
started going down.”

Doig estimates Pohlman raised 75 percent of the donations. One
of the organization’s hallmark years was when Pohlman raised
$18,000 — that year really set the standard, Heeling said.

Mixed feelings were evident as the group laughed and reminisced
Thursday.

With only eight organizers left — many around 40-50 years old
—the group is getting a little burned out, Heeling said.

“Younger skiers didn’t want to go after donations and trying to
get them involved in the organization was tough. We’ve all got our
lives to lead,” he said. “When it takes more and more out of you
every year because others are leaving… you know, it’s just a sign
of the times.”

Times have certainly changed. With the Internet, text messaging,
social media and other forms of communication, people can meet and
help out with a click of a button.

“In the old days … we didn’t have all the distractions and
different ways of communication,” Heeling said. “Clubs and
organizations were one way to go out and meet people.”

While Freeze on Skis hasn’t been held for two years, the group
had one last donation to give — passing its remaining fund balance
to one of its most faithful supporters, Twin Falls County Search
and Rescue.

“Thankfully, we’ve never had to use them for more than helping
get skiers out of there,” Heeling said of the team. “But they’ve
always been there no matter what and have helped out with
everything.”

Sheriff’s Lit. Daron Brown accepted the donation of $3,378.46.
He said the money will help purchase high-tech diving masks with
communications technology.

“This group has given a lot of funds to the community and
different foundations. It’s very disheartening,” Brown said of
Freeze on Skis’ demise.

There’s still hope that Thursday wasn’t the end.

Heeling said that if members were approached about picking the
event back up or promoting it, they would be glad to do it.

“It’s the sign of the times, is primarily one of the reasons
we’re giving it up,” Heeling said again. “Time really just ran us
out. And it’s no one’s fault. It just happens.”

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11 Feb 2012

Test for Komen charity looms at next Race for the Cure

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By Corrie MacLaggan

AUSTIN, Texas |
Sat Feb 11, 2012 1:57pm EST

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Rebecca Reza has participated in fundraising races held by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer charity, for the past five years. She planned to sign up for the next Race for the Cure in El Paso, Texas, with her cousin.

But Reza is now hesitating to don Komen’s signature pink baseball cap and join breast cancer survivors and their supporters in the march on February 19.

The race will be the first such charity event anywhere for Komen since an uproar erupted last week over its decision to cut funding to women’s health organization Planned Parenthood, thrusting it into the middle of the nation’s polarizing debate on abortion.

Komen reversed course after an outcry on social media sites as well as among its own affiliates, and from people who support both groups. That reversal in turn drew fresh criticism from Komen supporters who oppose the abortion services some Planned Parenthood centers provide.

In announcing the policy change, Nancy Brinker, who founded the charity in 1982 to honor her sister, Susan, who died of breast cancer acknowledged the organization had “made mistakes.” And, its senior vice president for public policy and chief lobbyist, Karen Handel, a Republican who once ran for governor of Georgia on a platform of defunding Planned Parenthood stepped down.

The true test over how deeply the controversy has affected Komen’s grassroots base begins with the race in El Paso and those that follow as supporters on both sides of the abortion issue consider whether to show up. Five events are scheduled for March and 12 for April, according to the Komen website.

“We’ve kind of put everything on hold – we haven’t decided whether to race yet,” said Reza, whose grandmother died of breast cancer in 1993. “It probably won’t make a big difference to them, but for us personally, I don’t feel comfortable paying money into this event when all of this is going on.”

She said Planned Parenthood, which provides birth control, abortions and other health services, “is a huge necessity” and that it’s still unclear to her whether their clinics will receive money from Komen.

Komen’s more than 140 races worldwide every year help drive nearly $420 million in donations of all kinds annually. Such sums make Komen a powerhouse among private breast cancer charities, allowing it to fund education efforts, research and screenings.

Chris Berry decided to sign up for the El Paso race after “a brief moment of concern.”

His hesitation disappeared at the thought of his great-uncle, who is suffering from breast cancer and has had a rough time with chemotherapy. It is a rare occurrence among men, with the ratio of female to male breast cancer estimated at 100 to 1.

“He’s the reason I’m doing it,” said Berry, who posted signs in his family’s restaurant, The Good Luck Cafe, seeking participation from customers and employees. “We’re trying not to get caught up in the politics of it.”

Last year, about 12,000 people registered for the El Paso event and 20,000 people showed up, including family members and supporters of race participants, Komen’s local affiliate said.

The event – which takes place at a stadium where the El Paso Diablos play minor league baseball – raised more than $500,000 in individual contributions, sponsorships and entry fees. About 75 percent of that went to help local organizations provide health services, screening and treatment to underserved and uninsured people. The rest paid for breast cancer research.

WAITING TILL THE LAST MINUTE

Komen’s races attracted 1.6 million participants last year, often with school, neighborhood and workplaces organizing teams of women and men of all ages, and its pink ribbons are a well known symbol of support for the fight against breast cancer.

Komen officials at the organization’s headquarters declined to comment on whether they expect to see the same enthusiasm for their events in the wake of the very public controversy.

But Komen officials in El Paso expect the same number of participants to show up this year as last. They said it is hard to know most of the city’s participants register in the final two weeks rather than signing up online in advance.

Eight days ahead of the race, the affiliate had raised 28 percent of its $85,000 goal for individual fundraising, according to its website.

Stephanie Flora, executive director of Komen’s El Paso affiliate, and other Komen officials are busy visiting local malls to register people for the race.

“We’re really hopeful that people will continue to come out” and that they’ll “really remember that it’s for the uninsured men and women in the community that need these services,” Flora said.

In El Paso, a heavily Catholic and Hispanic border city of almost 650,000 people, nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty level, according to Census data.

Flora said the controversy did not have a local flavor because El Paso does not have a Planned Parenthood clinic. Planned Parenthood’s six El Paso clinics, which did not provide abortions, closed in 2009 because of the economic downturn, according to the El Paso Times.

For El Paso participants the event is deeply personal and far removed from abortion politics.

It is about their memories of loved ones lost, their own battles with the disease, and the goals of finding a cure and raising money for health care services in a community where more than one in four residents lack health insurance.

This year’s race, El Paso’s 20th, will be Janie Shockley’s 20th as well. During the early years, she participated in honor of a sister-in-law, a survivor. Along the way, Shockley herself became a survivor.

“All the ladies in pink I saw all the years at the race – never did I think I was going to be one of those, but that’s what happens in life sometimes,” said Shockley, a former board member of the El Paso Komen affiliate.

For Elizabeth Zaborowski, who plans to attend the race, the key moment comes in a ceremony afterwards, when she and others who have suffered from breast cancer gather in groups according to how long they’ve survived.

“When you’re walking toward the stage,” Zaborowski said, “you just feel the happiness, the joy, the sadness, all at once.”

(Editing by Michele Gershberg and Jackie Frank)

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11 Feb 2012

Screaming Eagles and Crossroads Holding Mental Health Awareness Night

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February 10, 2012 – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

The Cape Breton District Health Authority’s Crossroads Clubhouse and the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are working together to raise awareness about mental health.

Mental Health Awareness Night takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 15 as part of the Eagles’ game against the Victoriaville Tigres. The goal of the evening is to increase education and reduce stigma around mental illness in the community.

“Mental illness doesn’t discriminate, it can happen to anyone,” says Scott Gouthro, Recreation Therapist, with Crossroads, a community outreach program of the District’s Mental Health Services. “Mental illness occurs in all ages-from childhood through the senior years. For some people, mental illness is a short-term illness but for others, it’s a life-long journey towards recovery. People need to know that they are not alone, that there are supports in the community. You can get help.”

Several activities will mark Mental Health Awareness Night. A member from Crossroads will take part in the puck drop. Hugh Toner, a local pharmacist and song recorder will sing the National anthem. Staff and members from Crossroads, Keith Anderson with Bringchange2mind, Canadian Mental Health Association Nova Scotia and Crossroads Advisory Board and staff from the District’s Mental Health Services will be at information booths during the game. People are encouraged to stop by the booths to learn about mental health and enter a draw for an Ottawa Senators jersey autographed by Daniel Alfredsson. At the 10-minute mark of each period, Screaming Eagles’ players will deliver a series of video messages about mental health. The videos were compiled and edited by Michael Corning, an active member of Crossroads Employment Unit.

“Over the years, the focus for athletes has been on physically and mentally preparing for the next game or competition,” says Paul MacDonald, President of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. “We’re seeing a shift now where there is more focus on an athlete’s overall mental health. This is a good thing, especially for young athletes. It’s important for athletes to know that when they are concerned, worried or have a problem, there are people they can talk to and supports they can use. Athletes, just like everyone else, need to be able to reach out to others when they need help and support.”

This is the first time the Eagles and Crossroads have hosted Mental Health Awareness Night. Game start time is 7:00 p.m. at Centre 200.

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Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Stories from February 10, 2012

• Commissioner’s Decision On Player Eligibility Announced – QMJHL

• Screaming Eagles and Crossroads Holding Mental Health Awareness Night – Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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11 Feb 2012

Mental Health First Aid Training Available

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The Mental Health Association in Santa Barbara County is promoting the growth of a Mental Health First Aid instructor certification program in order to increase the availability of mental health treatment.

“Mental Health First Aid gives certified individuals in our community the tools to make a potentially life-saving difference for a person in crisis,” said Annmarie Camreon, executive director of the Mental Health Association in Santa Barbara. “The reason we want to have this training course is so we can have more teachers.”

Although Santa Barbara already has over 300 people certified as mental health first aid responders, Cameron is encouraging the growth of the trainer certification course so that mental health first aid certification can become as popular and widespread as first aid or CPR certification. Through a five day, 40 hour course, ordinary citizens can become certified to instruct others in learning mental health first aid.

“It gives you the skills to be able to help someone rather than feel like you need to walk away,” Cameron added.

James Raydack, a mental health first aid trainer with the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare in Washington D.C., was on hand to lead the certification program in Santa Barbara this past week. Raydack explained that the program came from Australia a few years ago, and, although it is relatively new, over 2,000 mental health first aid instructors have trained over 10,000 mental health first aiders throughout the U.S.

“There’s absolutely no reason why folks that are learning CPR and first aid shouldn’t also learn mental health first aid,” said Raydack. “Particularly teachers, police officers, and people involved in different health issues.”

Raydack also said that one out of four American adults in any given year will experience some form of mental health problem, and, most of the time, people are not getting the help they need either because they don’t know what’s happening to them or cannot see past the stigmatism attached to mental health issues.

“People who attend this program have seen their own attitudes change and have been more comfortable reaching out to someone as a result,” said Raydack.

According to Raydack, the program encourages mental health first aiders to listen to those who may be affected with mental health issues without judgment, to be reassuring, and to encourage them to seek help without forcing them.

Ann Lippincott, president of the board of directors for the Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara, took the training course to become certified as an instructor in order to begin identifying different groups within Santa Barbara that could possibly benefit from mental health first aid services. Lippincott identified Resident Assistants living in the dorms at UCSB, faculty and staff at UCSB as well as SBCC and Antioch University, along with local police and parks and recreation officials who are likely to encounter people in need of mental health first aid.

“We see — of course — a big need for it in almost every sector of our community,” stated Lippincott. “So we’re going to start with the people who come to us and express the need themselves, and hope the enthusiasm will grow.”

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11 Feb 2012

Donations to area Goodwill stores decrease

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ZANESVILLE — A drop-off in donations to local Goodwill stores, especially the Maple Avenue retail site, could be a symptom of a struggling economy.

The resulting drop in revenue from retail store sales, however, could cut into the number of employees Goodwill can help get back on their feet, Maple Avenue Store Manager Connie Kimble said.

“We’ve got 34 employees here right now and 12 at the South Zanesville store. We don’t want to let any of them go,” she said. “But we’re hurting for donations, and we need that to pick up again so we can continue our training process.”

Kimble said the slide began this past summer, as donations declined from about 100 to 130 a day to 25 to 35 on a typical day now.

“Our funding for the stores is strictly from the donations and the items we put out to sell,” she said. “South Zanesville is doing OK, mainly because they receive donations from the ADCs (Attended Donation Centers), but our drive-up donations have been way down.”

With the economy and residents pocketbooks struggling to keep up, “it’s likely people are hanging onto things longer even while the demand for clothing and other items at our stores goes up,” Kimble said. “Our customer count has gone up, which is good, but our donations are down.”

So an increase in donations is needed and Kimble hopes upcoming Fill The Truck events will provide a boost, with a Dresden collection point next Saturday and two in the Zanesville area Feb. 25.

That will help Goodwill continue its primary mission — helping people overcome barriers to employability.

“The retail stores support our mission of providing work opportunities and skill development for people who have barriers to finding employment,” she said. “It helps them find jobs out in the community, at other retail stores, the hotels. Through sorting and stocking and hanging of items on the stores’ shelves, and with the help of job coaches, employees are getting jobs at Walmart and other places like that. This is not a charity, but a chance to help people develop life and job skills, and that helps the community.”

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11 Feb 2012

Ronald McDonald House Charities get sweet with Chocolate Fantasy Ball

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Feburary 10, 2012) – Looking for a sweet way to spend your Valentine’s Day weekend this year? The ninth annual Chocolate Fantasy Ball benefiting Ronald McDonald HouseÂ® Charities of Arkansas will provide an elegant night of chocolate confections, couture and cocktails today, Feb. 11 at The Peabody Hotel in Little Rock.

The evening of extraordinary indulgence features more than 6,000 pieces of bite-sized delectables and desserts in addition to music, dancing, live and silent auctions, a seated dinner and an incredibly decadent Godiva chocolate signature martini courtesy of Glazer’s.

THV’s own Craig O’Neill will serve as the event’s emcee with entertainment provided by White Chocolate.

The black-tie celebration begins at 6 p.m. with a chocolate-themed cocktail reception and silent auction. Dinner, featuring gourmet selections, will be served at approximately 7:30 p.m. followed by a live auction.

Tickets are $200 per person and sponsorships are still available. For more information and to make your purchase today visit www.rmhclittlerock.org or call (501) 978-3119.

The Ronald McDonald HouseÂ® is a 28-bedroom home-away-from-home in Little Rock that provides housing and services to families who have a child receiving treatment at an area hospital, particularly Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

According to the international organization, studies show that families are stronger when they are together, and their presence helps a sick child heal faster and cope better.

“We are so proud of this gala and grateful for the incredible support our many attendees provide our organization. The choices our families here at the House have to make are very difficult-they are far from home and many of them have a child here in the hospital as well as other children and responsibilities at home,” said Karen Erren, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas. “This event, our primary fundraiser of the year, allows our families to worry less about everyday challenges such as a place to stay, laundry and dinner, and focus on what matters most: helping their child get better so the entire family can go home.”

The local chapter also serves families through the Ronald McDonald Care MobileÂ®. Essentially a dentist-on-wheels, the vehicle provides full-service care and education to children who would not otherwise have access to dental services.

Mental Health Day at Caffe Med Goes Haywire; Cops, Once More, Invade Coffee House of Whack

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You could almost have seen it coming.

I was talking to a Berkeley Mental Health commissioner outside the Caffe Med, about mental health, Thursday, when my old friend Michael moved in. Michael has experimented with schizophrenia for the thirty-five years I’ve known him.

I say “experimented” because Michael is one of those schizophrenics who seem to relish it. Still, he certainly topped himself, Friday.

He was together enough, according to the look-the-other-way system that makes me the cold-blooded mammal I am. He moved into my conversation with the mental health commissioner, greeting me, disrupting the conversation, and shoulder butting me, in a friendly way.

He was mildly demented. This time, though, he seemed amused by it all. Any paramedic would have called it mania.

I had noticed him earlier, going through the most-shopped trash can in all of Berkeley–the one not far from the door of the Caffe Mediterraneum. The pickings were lean. But something always turns up.

He pulled out a plastic bag full of empty styrofoam containers, and twirled it above his head.

Although, I didn’t speak with Michael until later, in the evening, I was aware of his movements, as he darted about the Med. He seemed momentarily cured, as he spoke with me of mutual friends. I hoped he wouldn’t threaten me.

Thirty-five years ago, our friends–his roommates–warned me that Michael was “dangerous.”

Six months ago I had offered to walk him to treatment, at an agency downtown.

Last week I warned the owner of the Med to keep an eye on Michael, having previously vouched for him.

Perhaps my conflicted views on Michael stem from my own shaky mental health, which was what the health commissioner and I were discussing earlier. Later, I saw the name of my condition on the cover of a book being read at an adjoining table.

I browsed the self-help book.

Although Michael had been asked to leave repeatedly, he now was having his way with the Med. I hardly noticed. I was lost in the clouds in my laptop.

Then a cop came in. I was about to tell her that the owner was not in. She was looking for someone.

That someone was Michael, I learned soon enough. And before I could piece it all together, Michael was trapped, like a rat in a trap, at the rear of the caffe up against the counter-rail, in front of the kitchen. There was no way out, and Michael didn’t like it.

He was surrounded now by four cops. Every move they made was a threat to him. That’s when he contacted his personal field commander, David, and called in the heavy artillery, complete with sound effects.

But his connection was stalling, and he had to keep asking if David was “getting” him.

I found myself digging the whole scene, but suspected that was part of my own mental condition. I hadn’t known Michael could be so amusing.

When the cops got Michael out the door, he had a large audience of passersby, who may have thought Telegraph was under siege, beneath the flashing lights of five Berkeley Police squad cars. A fire engine, and a paramedic ambulance, joined the festivities.

Michael might have been playing the crowd, except that he seemed to notice only the paramedics, and cops. He got off a few threats, like “I’m going to kill you,” and a paramedic, replied, “we’re paramedics; we’re here to help you.”

On-lookers found it hard to suppress guffaws when Michael said the cops were up his butt.

A street guy, who had had problems with Michael earlier, was saying Michael was getting what he deserved. “I don’t care if he is sick; he’s a pain in the ass, and I hope they take him away for good,” the street guy observed.

But Michael saved his best stuff for his exeunt. As they lifted his gurney into the van, Michael noted, with an amazed glare, “Oh-oh this is a nine balls hoist–a real balls breaker. Watch your balls!”

The incident had cleared the Med, except for hardcore Medheads, who have seen it all. I was questioned by a cop, after identifying myself as a long-time friend of Michael’s. The cop was glad to learn Michael’s name, and place of birth, but I didn’t know what meds he needed, or how to contact his friends.

The old crowd we hung with at the Med thirty years ago is gone, and I realized I had been long out of touch with Michael–except for when he is driven into the streets.

__________________________________________________________________

Ted Friedman has written extensively on the Med for the Planet. Google: tedberkeleydailyplanetmed to see other Med stories.

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11 Feb 2012

Mental illness patients persevere – Record

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Redding photo exhibit displays trials

By Alayna Shulman

ashulman@redding.com 530-225-8372