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Mental Health First Aid training arrives in
Region 5!
Good news - for the first time, Mental Health First Aid
training will be offered in the Region 5 area. There has been
considerable demand, and we are happy to be one of the sponsors.
The two-day training will be held on Friday, May 31st, and
Monday June 3rd in the Community Room of the Danbury Police
Department.
What is Mental Health First Aid?
Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour certification course given
over 2 days that helps individuals and communities better
understand mental health issues and respond accordingly to
others who may be experiencing distress.
Who should take Mental Health First Aid training?
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Primary care professionals;
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School personnel, nurses and
educators;
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First-responders, fire,
police and corrections officers;
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Nursing home staff;
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Employers, human resources
professionals and business leaders;
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State policymakers,
volunteers, and the general public.
Click
here for the flyer, and information on how to register.
News and events:
Shortly after the tragic events in Sandy Hook, our Board was
contacted by Jim Adams of Chardon, Ohio, who shared their
Lessons Learned after their own school shooting, in an effort to
help Connecticut.
We were able to share that information with appropriate
individuals and organizations and they were, indeed, a help.
In
the aftermath of the tragedy in Sandy Hook, the Regional Board
undertook a study to determine our own Lessons Learned, utilizing the
feedback of the members of the local councils, consumers, family
members, citizens from Newtown and the surrounding communities.
It was the goal to address issues that were not already the
focus of the many other Task Forces formed. The report is now
complete.
Following the horrible explosions in Boston on 4/15, we
decided to "pay it forward" and - in addition to sending our
deepest sympathies - have been able to share our own
Lessons Learned with them. We hope it is a help to those who
must deal with unspeakable tragedy.
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May is here, with many
May is Mental Health Month
activities. We will try to post events as
they are are reported.
All month: Our board implements a major public education
project in May of each year, with information about many types
of mental illness and mental health disorders, lists of
resources that are available by local area and more.
These will be found in most public libraries in the region as
well as many other community locations. Call to find out where
to find these in your own community!
On Wednesday, May 1st there were wonderful Celebrations of Hope held
in Waterbury, Danbury and Torrington. We hope you were able to
participate in one of these inspirational eventsas follows:
- Waterbury: beginning at 5:00 PM at St. John's Church on the
Green, with a reception to follow at the Independence Center, 21
Church Street
- Torrington: beginning at 5 PM, on the Torrington City Hall
steps
- Danbury: beginning at 6 PM at St. Paul's Lutheran Church,
Spring Street, Danbury
Other events:
May 3rd: Project Homeless Connect- Torrington, Coe
Park and Torrington Armory, 9:30 - 3:00 PM. A collaboration of
the CHH, Litchfield County Continuum of Care and the City of
Torrington. Providing services, resources and referrals to
individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the area.
May 17th: Recovery Conference: Waterbury. This
is for individuals receiving mental health services in this
region, their families and advocates.
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Update on the W.O.W. - Working On Wellness
Project:
This DPH-funded project is moving along well!
So far there has been:
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Two trainings, one on July 2012 and the
second in March 2013.
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Peer-support by phone is going very well.
If you live in the Region 5 area and are interested in this
support in living smoke-free, please give us a call!
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Toolkits were distributed,
their contents and use reviewed, and now most of the providers
have the resources to
begin to offer the necessary support to help their program
participants move to and stay in a tobacco-free life.
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The three participating hospitals
(Waterbury Hospital, Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and
Danbury Hospital) are all now running smoking cessation
groups!
You can find smoking cessation programs at the following
locations.
Danbury: at CCBH. Contact Debbie Smith at (203) 791-5165.
Danbury, at New Heights: (contact
dearle@ccfc-ct.org )
Torrington: at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (CHH). Contact Joy Pendola at
JPendola@hungerford.org
or (860) 496-6380
Torrington: at Prime Time House. Groups for people connected
to the Clubhouse and thinking about quitting. Contact Lisa Lynch at (860) 618-2479 X 105.
Torrington: for individuals connected to the Western CT
Mental Health Network. Contact Michael Lonergan at (860)
496-3763
Waterbury: At the Independence Center. If interested, please
call Jewell at (203) 573-7695 or Claire at (203) 756-5772
Winsted: by CHH. Contact Joy Pendola at
JPendola@hungerford.org
or (860) 496-6380
Through these activities and collaboration
with our partner agencies we hope that each day more and more
people with mental
illness or substance use disorders will choose to - and be
helped to - live a life that is tobacco free and healthier -
Working On Wellness!
With a more robust infrastructure for these supports, those
resources will also be available to other members of our
communities as well.
Telephone Outreach Recovery
Support: This support is available without charge for people who have stopped or are
trying to stop smoking, and who sign up to get individualized,
phone-based or email support in their efforts. Our first
Recovery Support Specialist helped develop this resource, and it
will be continued with our newest staff member. This is for
residents of the 43 town Region V area. Please call our office if you are
interested in getting this extra layer of support! Quitting
smoking can be hard - and this can really help.
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In June we hold our Annual
Meeting, and this year it will have an exciting addition: we
will be holding a drawing for four wonderful prizes that have
been donated to help us raise funds to support our work:
- A beautiful,
hand-made-in-CT quilt, king size, in jewel colors with an
estimated value of over $600.00
- Two tickets to a show at
the Palace Theater in Waterbury
- Two tickets to the
Yankees-Red Sox game on September 7, 2013
- Tickets to a Mets game
(Date TBD)
Call us for more information!
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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 expressed
some of what her involvement has meant to her:
"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."
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Transportation Primer for Providers
This helpful resource of information about
public transportation in the Northwest Region (the 43 towns of
Region V) was developed by the Consumer Action Group. This means
wit was conceived by and developed by people that use public
transportation as their primary means of getting around. Helpful
and straightforward, it can be used by individuals or as a
training tool for providers of services many of whom have rarely
if ever had to rely on public transportation themselves.
We recognize that schedules, rates and more can change at any
time. If you see something that needs updating - please let us
know! As always, we appreciate your feedback.
You can access it by following the link below:
Transportation Primer for Providers.
- You can contact us easily at
jsw@nwrmhb-ct.org
by phone at (203) 757-9603
mail to 969 West Main St., Suite 1B, Waterbury CT 06708
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 May 10, 2013
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