Pre-Summit Meeting - May 8, 2003

Strengths, Wishes, Powerful Questions, & Integrated MH Themes from the Community

MH Best Experiences/ Strengths

Creating Self-Sufficiency through Empowerment Human/Community Connection: The Power of the Relationships Supporting our Children & Families: The Gift of Service Access to Medical Care/Medication

MH Wishes

Easier Access to Varied MH Services & Support MH Education to Raise Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance MH Services Created by & for the Individual from a Holistic Perspective Collaborative Community Action

Powerful Questions

Education & Awareness For Whom Do We Care Access to Resources and Improvement of Services Alternative and Holistic Care

Integrated Community Themes

Raising Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance through MH Education Easing Access to Varied MH Resources, Services, and Support Offering Holistic MH Services Created by & for the Individual Creating a Collaborative Community - Service in Action Deciding For Whom Do We Care Creating Self-Sufficiency through Empowerment and Relationships

Best Experiences: Themes from the Community

Self Sufficiency/Empowerment/Client-Centered After years of difficulty, having a MH worker ask, for the 1st time, what I really wanted Witnessing an isolated Spanish speaking man receive, for the 1st time, training in becoming self-sufficient in money management and independent living Working with homeless teenagers, hearing the pain and suffering of how they became homeless and living that experience. Then seeing the joy, accomplishment, and victory they feel as they work and succeed in changing their lives Witnessing a severely mentally ill person get well enough to live independently Seriously mentally ill patient responded to sensitive, caring attention to his strength To eventually gain power within the system that can be alienating to family members Being instrumental in helping a mental health client in finding hope for a better life Power of the Human/Community Connection This MH Summit project - Discovering the need and seeing people willing to work towards a solution The power one person can have on another by The power of one person empowering another Seeing a mentally fragile person recover due to the nurturing support of a community organization For the first time, she knew she was not alone - met others with similar experiences - After being raised with "don’t tell" Supporting Children/Families: The Gift of Service Casa worker/advocate experienced "glowing moments" Teacher working with kids w/ special need individually-more "glowing moments" Watching "milieu therapy" work, as kids were placed in happy families and became happy kids Casa worker/advocate experienced "glowing moments" Teacher working with kids w/ special need individually-more "glowing moments" Access to Medical Care/Medication A young child was having difficulty in home and at school-was placed on medication that helped the child to regain balance-improved in school and did well Learned that respect comes from the inside Finally, got access to a psychiatrist Her psychiatrist was willing to refer her - a good network

MH WISHES: Themes from the Community

Easier Access to Varied MH Services & Support Hope for all who suffer and MH All who need can get medications needed Compeer could match everyone who requests service in a more timely fashion Enough providers to meet the needs of those who want services Services easily found for parents to help their children More support services for ADD adults More access to MH care for the homeless Support groups to help people maintain MH More resources allocated toward MH See people in the gap between public MH and corporate coverage get the help they need affordably More services and support for children Easier access when in pain More EAP throughout the county - one stop shop - "help desk" Advocate to work in crisis holistically with people Resources to coach people to get what they need and navigate the system. MH Education to Raise Awareness, Understanding, and Acceptance Better understanding in the community Willingness to live next door to one another and open up to each other Better understanding of mental illness and its overall effect on a person’s life The system believes that the individual has all their own answers within them Greater understanding of mental illness Dignity and respect for all who have mental illness The community has a greater understanding of MH problems and their affect Community embraces the mentally disabled as equal members Creation of an embracing community not limited by identified disability Everyone sees others as one - as themselves Less stigma, misconceptions Show more compassion, respect, and understanding Educate public and reduce fear about mental illness Mentally ill to be accepted and valued for who they are MH Services Created by & for the Individual from a Holistic Perspective "Recovery Model" should underlie everything in our community Service is provided that the individual requests No involuntary psychiatric treatment Alternative choices to psychiatric treatment Person driven program Attend to people’s basic needs Collaborative Community Action We’ll be successful in bringing together a diverse community - Something that pulls the community together so they can interact Expand the level of collaboration in the community - Do more with less Envisioning a big picture, while developing the small steps Get the community involved and in action to support MH Leaders look for alternative solutions The mentally ill have a deeper connection to the community

Powerful Questions: Themes from the Community

Education & Awareness How can community members know the needs of their neighbors? How can we promote/market mental illness community education to remove stigma and build social acceptance? How can we guarantee the dignity of all people? How would one discover the overall assortment of services available? How do we create a culture of dignity and respect? Why are MH problems isolated and services kept behind locked doors? For Whom Do We Care Do you really care about children and what are you willing to do to show that you care? Who are we helping? How can we recognize problems in children in schools to provide early intervention? Is the standard of "danger to self" or "danger to others" appropriate? Is the failure of the system to support its workers detrimental to the clients? How do we provide a continuum of care for a diverse population (age/culture) in the climate of today’s cutbacks? Access to Resources and Improvement of Services When will access to MH system be user friendly and cohesive? How can we minimize waste and utilize our resources more effectively? How do we get more care to more people in order to intervene early and avoid the problems that result when left untreated? How can we bring Medi-Cal policies to reflect the Recovery Model? Alternative and Holistic Care When will we begin integrating mental and physical health? Why not move "full steam" ahead with applying proven alternative treatment’s or processes? Why do we look at symptoms and not at causes?