A reporter is working on a story about lengths of stay in hospitals. He is interested in hearing from individuals diagnosed with mental illnesses or their family members about instances where a person was discharged from a hospital too soon and soon afterwards experienced serious consequences—-such as injury to themselves or others, suicide, or homelessness. If you are willing to share your personal story, please contact Tom Moroney of Bloomberg News directly at tmorrone@bloomberg.net. Please include your city and state and telephone number and a short summary of details, including the length of hospital stay and how soon after the event occurred. Only a few stories may be used, but all will be considered. Thank you for your help.
Archive for July, 2011
The Summer 2011 newsletter is now available!
To view the file, please click the following link:
NAMI Western Carolina has moved its offices from Suite 298 to Suite 207 at 356 Biltmore Avenue. You may still enter from the main second floor entrance. We are immediately to your left. This move is the result of the expansion of the Western Highlands Network staff because of the upcoming implementation of the Medicaid waiver.
We have also increased our office hours. Due to continually rising demand for NAMI services and referrals, we are now open Monday – Thursday from 10 am – 6 pm. If you can, please call ahead to be sure we’ll be there (505-7353). We must occasionally attend an out-of-office meeting.
Our new office is the same number of square feet as our old one, but the layout is vastly different. Because of this more challenging floor plan, we have had to incur some costs to make the space work for us. It was also necessary for us to replace the carpet. All needed work has been done with great thought and on a very strict budget. In addition, we are also being invited to speak to many organizations. Each speaking engagement requires that we take NAMI brochures with us. Our affiliate purchases these brochures from the NAMI National Book Store and the costs add up very quickly.
The buildup of expenses is a result of NAMI WC being needed in the community. Since we are more visible and our services are more in demand than ever because of state budget cuts and cutbacks in provider services, we find ourselves in the position of being invited to speak about mental health in all areas of the community. The difficulty is that we are in need of additional donations to help with these costs. Many of those we serve are low-income and are unable to contribute financially.
If you would like to help us to defray these additional costs for the new office space and for outreach materials, please send a donation to: NAMI Western Carolina, 356 Biltmore Avenue Suite 207, Asheville, NC 28801. Any help that you can give to help us to fulfill our mission would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you to our volunteers who helped to physically move to our new space – Jim, Sharon, Toni, Mike, Tracey, Jesse, K.C., Greg, Duffy, Bill, and special thanks to Kylash, our canine supervisor, who made sure that everything went smoothly. Thanks, too, to Audrey, Kristi and Jasmine for their help with packing and unpacking.
Come for a visit!
NAMI Western Carolina, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, (NAMI) will sponsor a free 12-week NAMI Family-to-Family class for families of an individual with a severe mental illness beginning Monday, August 15 from 6 to 8:30 pm in Asheville. Western Highlands Network funds this education that helps caregivers understand and support people with serious mental illness while maintaining their own well-being.
Current facts abut schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and co-occurring addictions are covered in this program that has graduated over 115,00 family members nationwide. NAMI Family-to-Family includes coping skills, handling a crisis and relapse, communication techniques, problem solving, community resources, rehabilitation, advocacy, and fighting stigma and discrimination.
The class plays a key role in NAMI’s mission to improve the lives of all those affected by mental illness through advocacy, support and education. Because the class size is limited, early registration is required. Call 828-707-2937 or email BKinschner@aol.com for information.
