Apologies for the mistake! Our previous email said that our mental health movie night is happening on Saturday - but it is this SUNDAY, August 28th! See more details below - we hope to see you there! We hope you are having a great summer, and staying as cool as you can in the heat! In this newsletter, you will find information about what's going on at NAMI of Washington County, including a mental health movie night coming up this Sunday, and our new mental health education and support program for parents of school-age youth launching this school year. Plus, read a letter from our Executive Director, Dave Mowry, about the importance of supporting families in our county when it comes to mental health. |
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We're hosting a movie night THIS WEEKEND! Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness This documentary from PBS and filmmaker Ken Burns follows more than 20 young Americans from all over the country and all walks of life, who have struggled with mental illness (watch the trailer below). We want to watch it as a community, and then have a discussion about youth mental health (and yes, there will be popcorn). So join us! When: Sunday, August 28th 4-6pm at NAMI of Washington County 18680 SW Shaw St., Aloha, OR |
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Connections Support Group Are you looking to connect with other people who are also experiencing mental health challenges? At NAMI Connections, you can meet supportive peers, talk about some of the things you're dealing with, and be with people who truly get it. Struggling with your mental health can be isolating, but this group will remind you that you are not alone. This group meet Wednesdays from 2-3pm, in-person at NAMI of Washington County. |
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LGBTQ+ Art Space is CANCELED this month But don't worry, it will be back! This group normally takes place the last Saturday of the month, so look out for it at the end of September, if you're looking for a space to hangout with other members of the LGBTQ+ community and work on some crafts! |
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Interested in joining another one of our peer support groups? Click the button below to see our full calendar. |
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Are you looking for something to watch or listen to this week? Here are a couple of ideas. |
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| | Our Executive Director, Dave Mowry, is on the latest episode of Vision Action Network's Finding Community podcast! Listen to the episode to hear him talk about battling mental health challenges, becoming a best-selling author, and the healing power of acceptance and community. | | |
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We're in the middle of a children's "mental health pandemic" (and we at NAMI want to help) This might not be surprising to you: anxiety and depression among chidlren across the US increased significantly during the pandemic. This is now confirmed in a study that came out this month from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. According to the report, the number of kids with anxiety and depression went up 26% nationally, between 2016 and 2020. |
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In Oregon, that number went up 40% over the same span of time, so it's estimated that 16.1% of kids in the state are struggling with anxiety and/or depression. We can even zoom in on information specific to Washington County, thanks to data released by Our Children Oregon. The report estimates that 12.7% of youth in the county have unmet mental health needs (the survey was based on 8th graders). The U.S. Office of the Surgeon General is calling it a "mental health pandemic." Do you like the sound of that? No, neither do we. The good news is, there are things we can do to help our kids. To address youth mental health, the Surgeon General's advisory says we must: Recognize that mental health is an essential part of overall health Empower youth and their families to recognize, manage, and learn from difficult emotions Ensure that every child has access to high-quality, affordable, and culturally competent mental health care Support the mental health of children and youth in educational, community, and childcare settings Address the economic and social barriers that contribute to poor mental health for young people, families, and caregivers Increase timely data collection and research to identify and respond to youth mental health needs more rapidly
We know we can't solve it all overnight. But we know that there is so much we can do to support youth and families in their mental health. Which is exactly why we're partnering with various school districts and organizations in Washington County this school year to provide mental health education and support. Read more about this in the letter from our director further down in this email. |
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Other local mental health news: |
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State lawmakers are working on proposals to improve children mental health care After reading the piece above, you might be asking, "Well, what are lawmakers going to do about the youth mental health??!" And the answer is: they're working on it. State Senator Sara Gelser Blouin, who is the Chair of the Senate mental health committee, says she is working on legislation to improve access to mental health services by bolstering the Student Success Act. That's a bill from 2019 that includes money that goes to funding school-based mental health services. The roll out of these new services was delayed because of the pandemic, but Gelser Blouin wants to pass laws that help the Oregon Education Department get those dollars in the right places to provide greater access to vulnerable children and prevent mental health crises. She also wants to make sure youth are supported after a crisis, receiving continuing care, not just in one moment. Gelser Blouin says the Oregon Legislature's focus on increasing spending on mental health care and substance abuse gives her hope that conditions will improve for our Oregon kids. |
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Oregon expands mental health services to students The Oregon Department of Education is now expanding mental health services to students and school staff, through a new initiative: Strengthening Mental Health in Education 2.0. The initiative comes with $5.5 million in funding, which will be used to increase mental health literacy, train staff members looking to improve skills related to mental health support, and invest in services coming from peers. "In our conversations with youth and young adults is that not every youth and young adult wants a therapist," said Chelsea Holcomb, Director of Child and Family Behavioral Health at the Oregon Health Authority. "And so one of the things that we’ve been trying to do is put increased funding into peer-delivered services." With the initiative also comes a Community Care Project, which includes four school districts, including Hillsboro. In this district, Community Care Specialists will be assigned to three elementary schools with some of the most diverse populations in the state. These specialists will serve as liaisons and cultural navigators between students/families and staff, school and community-based mental health and health providers, family resource centers, and local systems of care. |
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We all know that the impact of the pandemic has hit school-age youth particularly hard. There truly is a youth mental health crisis. Before the pandemic, the National Institute of Mental Health reported that 16.5% of school-age youth live with a mental health challenge at any point in a school year. That percentage is now even higher. For Washington County, that means we have 17,000 kids who are impacted. NAMI, in conjunction with Washington County Health and Human Services, and school districts within Washington County, has created a program to reach kids with information, outreach, support, resources and hope. We will do outreach to these kids directly. We will also reach them by informing, educating, and supporting parents, teachers, faith leaders, community organizations, sports leagues and more. Whether you are a child with mental health concerns, or a parent of a child who's struggling, you often feel like you are all alone. You may feel like there is not any help, or hope. NAMI of Washington County, along with committed community partners, is going to reach these kids and families with the message that, “You are not alone. There is help, and there is hope.” We will connect people to other folks who are going through the same experiences through bi-monthly support groups. We will do community presentations sharing information about youth mental health. We will have young people telling their personal stories to parents, teachers, coaches, and others, about living with their own challenges during their school years. We will be teaching six-week NAMI Basics classes so adults will become familiar with the signs of youth mental illness. These classes build bonds and often lead to long term friendship and support. Resources are also provided. Through this program, school-age youth will no longer feel like they are the only one living with these challenges. And, once that happens, they can find that there is help and there is hope. We're really excited to bring this program to our county this school year. Please reach out to us if there's anything we can do to help you and your kids' mental health. Dave Mowry Executive Director, NAMI of Washington County |
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We are looking for more volunteers at NAMI of Washington County! Here are the things we would love your help on: Front desk/taking messages Working in our library Yard work in our front yard/back garden Leading peer support groups Sharing your personal story to raise awareness Appearing in social media/promotional materials Cleaning crew for our office building If you'd like to help out, click here to fill out the sign up form and let us know which role(s) you're interested in!
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Do you need somewhere to hangout and meet other people who might get what you're going through? Our building is open in Aloha, from 10am-4pm Monday-Friday. Come in to relax, charge your phone, hangout in our garden, do some arts and crafts, or just enjoy the air conditioning! See you soon! |
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