NorthWest Regional Mental Health Board

 

...dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals who need support in their recovery from mental illness and/or addictions.

 

969 West Main Street, Suite 1B, Waterbury, CT 06708

Phone/Fax: (203) 757-9603

Executive Director: Janine Sullivan-Wiley
Chairman: Joe Shea

NEW Email: jsw@nwrmhb-ct.org

Home About Us Local Council Meetings Events and news Local Resources Links Directions   Contact Us
 

News and events:

December was enlivened by many holiday events for and by people with psychiatric disabilities in the Region V (northwest) area.

Congratulations to Cheri Bragg for being selected for the annual Dr. Karan Kangas Award for Excellence in Advocacy for 2011, presented to her at the December Advocacy Unlimited Holiday Party.
This region was honored to have Bill Pierce, Co-Chair of the Consumer Action Group and Regional Board member; and Janine Sullivan-Wiley, NWRMHB Executive Director, nominated for that award.

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MEMBER NEWS AND UPDATES:

There are still vacancies in several towns; please check out these opportunities under the "Local Council" link, above.
Remember that all of our meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in attending to "see what it's all about," give us a call and we can arrange for you to be greeted, and have a seat saved for you.
One of our town representatives in a recent e-mail expressed some of what her involvement has meant to her.
She gave her permission to share her thoughts here :

"I enjoy so much being part of the NWRMHB volunteer council.  The town appointees and the providers truly care about others.  It has been a very positive experience.  Best for me is seeing and learning how to address otherwise uncomfortable situations with non-confrontational grace.  I am learning so much more every meeting about our mental health mission as well." - Linda Fiore

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  • Following the rather quiet month of December, in January the Catchment Area Councils have resumed their meetings and activities. Please refer to the "Meetings" link for dates and locations. Guests are always welcome!

 

  • Transportation Primer for Providers – developed by the Consumer Action Group of the NWRMHB:

    This new resource was developed over many months by the Consumer Action Group, a highly respected group under the auspices of the Regional Board. It came about in response to the need for consumers to know more about public transportation and how to use it. That was followed by a recognition that the best expertise was really within the consumers themselves, as they typically use public transportation more than the providers. I have distributed it widely, including to the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner at the State Board meeting 11/16. It has also been distributed to all CSP/RP providers as a resource and a template for a useful educational tool. It is getting rave reviews. We would be happy to send it out by email to anyone who is interested.

     

  • Our Smoking Cessation Support proposal – for the “WOW! Working On Wellness” project:

    Our contract from DPH (the Dept. of Public Health) is still in their pipeline; we hope it will be finalized shortly.
    The implementation of this region-wide project will be an exciting opportunity for this region to improve the smoking cessation rates - particularly in our target population of people with mental illness/mental health issues.
    We will be working in a partnership with three of the region's hospitals (Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Danbury Hospital, and Waterbury Hospital), the three social clubs (New Heights, the Independence Center and Prime Time House)
    and the Western CT Mental Health Network.
    We will be hiring two people for this project, both of whom must be non-smokers:
    Project Coordinator: This part-time, flexible hours position is an excellent internship opportunity for a graduate student or advanced undergraduate for hands-on experience with an exciting and transformative public health project over two years.
    Peer Recovery Support Specialist (RSS): This is a paid, part-time position. The RSS will do some outreach to social clubs and the participating hospitals to connect with program participants, and provide scheduled phone support to individuals who agree to this support. Some, but not all of this work can be done from home.
    Persons interested in either position should contact the Executive Director (contact information above.)

    The Board continues to be an active member of the Smoking Cessation Supports Initiative (SCSI).
     

    We are delighted that as of January 2012 smoking cessation support will be covered by Medicaid (e.g. nicotine replacement therapy and therapy to help people stop smoking) We anticipate that this will save many, many lives as it support people in their efforts to live tobacco-free. We also anticipate that, as in other states that implemented such coverage, savings in related health costs will make this a cost-effective decision for the state as well.


    We are also pleased to be working closely with the DMHAS Chief of Staff on smoking cessation issues.

     

  • Legislative Info:
    If you are interested in Legislative Updates as prepared by Doreen DelBianco, Legislative Liaison to DMHAS,  you can access that via the "links" button, above.
     

 

To really keep up with what's going on in your own area, you are invited and encouraged to come to your own local Catchment Area Council meeting. The dates of those meetings can be found on this website, as can directions.

ALL of our meetings are open to the public and guests are always welcome.

If there is specific information you are seeking, call, write or send us an email.

                                                                            Thanks for visiting our site!


updated January 6, 2012