NAMIWalks on Saturday May 14th was

an AMAZING DAY!! The skies stayed

clear well after the Walk! We strutted with

the Quaker City Mummers, decorated

parasols, designed kids’ masks for the Kids

Parade, and even decorated bandanas for

the four-legged Walkers! THANK YOU to

the Walk Planning Committee, the Board

of Directors, the office staff, volunteers,

the Quaker City Mummers, Elle Gyandoh

& Band, and most especially our

wonderful wonderful sponsors and

generous donors and participants – this day

could not have happened without you. We

not only made goal, but surpassed it!!!

SUCCESS!!

Awards Announced at Annual Membership Meeting

65 members attended the

Annual Membership Meeting

on May 11th in King of Prus-

sia, where the following

awards were presented:

Maryella Hitt Advocacy

Award: Neen Davis

Peg Cochran Volunteer

Award: Marianne

Donahue

Glenn Koons Recovery

Award: JB Brooks

Criminal Justice Award:

Michelle Monzo

montco memo Montgomery County, PA June 2016 Volume XXXV Issue 10

Also in This Issue

Calendar 2

Message from Our Executive Director

3

Laugh Out Loud for Mental Health Rights a Big Success

3

Using Health Care Funds to Find Housing for Homeless

4

6 Awful Lies Mental Illness Told Me

5

Announcing our new website! www.namimontcopa.org

6

MONTCO Peer Support Groups

6

Pictures from NAMIWalks 7

Tributes and Donations 7

NAMIWalks 2016 a Huge Success!

L to R: Deputy Secretary of Mental Health Dennis Marion; Neen Davis, 2016 Maryella Hitt Advocacy Award recipient; and Carol Caruso at our Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Dinner on May 11th.

June 2016 Page 2

montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 10

the montco memo is published monthly by

NAMI of PENNSYLVANIA

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Board of Directors

President Beth Milton First Vice-President Dawn Hogan Second Vice President Dave Davis Secretary Lauren Centola Treasurer Stephen Nelson Past President Neen Davis

Victoria Bright Armand DiYenno Rhea Fernandes Precious Graham Laura Longstreet Tricia Malott Donna McNelis Jerry Rudakevich Mike Solomon

Executive Director Carol Caruso Editor Beulah Saideman Co-Editor Mary Schuck Editor Emeritus Maryella D. Hitt Office Manager Debra Herbut Bookkeeper Jane Polto Walk Manager Danielle Blanchard

Support Group Facilitators Coordinator Carol Caruso

Abington Presbyterian Church Joan Kozlowski Corinne Smith

Lansdale Rich Kelble Anne Magowan

Lower Providence Presbyterian Church Neen Davis Sue Soriano

Pottstown Nina & Alan McDaniel

NAMI of PA Montgomery County

100 W. Main Street Suite 204

Lansdale, PA 19446 Phone: 215-361-7784 FAX: 215-361-7786

Email: nami-montcopa@verizon.net Web page: www.namimontcopa.org

Letters to the Editor and other articles and contributions are welcome. Send them

to the NAMI Office or by Email to brsaideman@comcast.net

by the 15th of the preceding month.

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is an approved Donor Choice Agency of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and

Southern New Jersey

United Way Agency Code # 5076

Calendar

Peer Support June 9 July 7 June 7 July 5

June 6 June 27

June 9/23 July 14/28

Hearing Voices Support Groups “Taking Back Our Power” for both adults and young people, are for people who hear, see or sense things that other people don’t, and want to learn and grow together. They are run by Creating Increased Connections (CIC). See the schedule on Page 6. For more information on Voices, call CIC (David, Mary or Mike) at 484-681-9432.

Voices Learning Community meets the 2nd Thursday of every month 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM — Creating Increased Connec-tions Office, 18 E. 4th Street, Bridgeport. Voices Family Support Group meets the 1st Tuesday of every month 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM — Creating Increased Connections Office, 18 E. 4th Street, Bridgeport.

WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plans) is a way to plan and monitor what you need to do to stay both mentally and physically healthy. Also run by CIC. See schedule on Page 6. For more in-formation call 484-681-9432.

NAMI Connection Groups are peer run support groups for individuals living with mental illness. See Page 6 for schedule. The July group will meet Mon. June 27th due to the holiday.

New Directions Bipolar & Depression Support Group, 2nd & 4th Thursday, 10:00 AM, Giant Food Store, 315 York Rd, Willow Grove

June 6 July—no meeting

Pottstown Family Support Group, 1st Monday at Creative Health Services, Consumers Library, 11 Robinson Court,, 7-8:30PM. No July meeting.

June 6 July—no meeting

Lower Providence Family Support Group, Lower Providence Presbyterian Church, 3050 Ridge Pike, Eagleville, Room 205. 7 PM. First Monday except on holidays. No July meeting.

June 7 July 5

Lansdale Family Support Group at St. John’s United Church of Christ, Main Street and Richardson Avenue, Lansdale. First Tuesday, 7:00 PM.

June 7/21 July 5/19

New Directions Bipolar & Depression Support Groups (2) one for Consumers & one for Family/Caregivers — 1st & 3rd Tuesday, Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington — 7:30 PM. Call 215-659-2366.

June 9 July 14

Glenside Family Support Group, Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road, Abington — 2nd Thursday, 7:30 PM.

June 16 July 21

Montgomery County CSP (Community Support Program), 3rd Thursday,12-2:30 PM, Montgomery County Library, 1001 Powell St., Norristown.

June 16 July 21

Board of Director’s Meeting, 3rd Thursday, Lansdale Office, 6:30 PM.

A Note About Our Meetings

Although some of our meetings are held at religious institutions, they are non-denominational and open to people of all beliefs.

June 2016 Page 3

montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 10

Laugh Out Loud for Mental Health a Big Success

Message from Our Executive Director

May was Mental Health Month and we had a very

busy time, loaded with activity. Some of the high-

lights were:

Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, involv-

ing distribution of materials to many Montgomery

County School Districts

Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Dinner,

featuring keynote speaker Dennis Marion, Deputy

Secretary for Mental Health in Pennsylvania.

9th Annual Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalk, fea-

turing the Quaker City Mummers and 1200

participants

Interview on WPHL TV’s In Focus with Jennifer

Lewis-Hall

Resource table and Staff in-service- Graterford

Prison

Resource table—Pottstown FARM

We look forward to celebrating July as Minority

Mental Health Month. Stay tuned for upcoming

announcements and events!

Carol Caruso

On April 16, Laugh Out Loud for Mental Health,

an effort of mhc (Mental Health Consultants) presented a

dinner and comedy show highlighting persons with the lived

experience of mental illness as the comedians. Beneficiaries of

proceeds raised by the event were NAMI PA Montgomery

County and the Mental Health Association of Southeastern

Pennsylvania.

Four individuals, trained as stand-up comics by David

Granier, gave their routines to a very appreciative audience

of 175.

Laugh Out Loud will now train four local individuals

in stand-up comedy to continue presenting such performances

around the region and raising awareness about mental illness.

Thank you to mhc for your support.

Fall Family to Family Classes

We are currently firming up the fall class schedule of our Family to Family Educational Program.

Family to Family is a free 12-session course that meets one night per week, from 6:30 to 9 PM. The

course is for family members and caretakers of adults (18 and older) living with a mental illness. We

are hoping to schedule classes in Norristown and Lansdale, and the classes will most likely be on

Tuesday evenings. All instruction and materials are free of charge; however, you must register and

attend all classes. For more information and to register please call 215-361-7784.

June 2016 Page 4

montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 10

By Usha Lee McFarling, STAT, May 13, 2016

LOS ANGELES — The job sounds impossible: solve the health

care crisis in the massive and desperately sick homeless popula-

tion of Skid Row, which sprawls across dozens of blocks just

south of downtown.

Marc Trotz readily admits he’s daunted. “I don’t feel success-

ful any day I come to work,” he said.

But as director of Los Angeles County’s new Housing for

Health initiative, Trotz is trying to make a dent, starting with the

estimated 2,000 people on Skid Row who have no shelter aside

from tents, boxes, or cars. His office is located in this sprawling

neighborhood of extreme poverty, so Trotz works amid the shan-

ties and tents, the stench a daily reminder of how much work he

has yet to do.

His partner in this mission: Dr. Mitch Katz, who directs the

county’s Department of Health Services. Trotz and Katz had suc-

cess addressing a homeless crisis in San Francisco earlier this

decade by moving people into permanent housing and connecting

them with support services.

Now, they’re trying a similar tactic in LA.

It’s a bold approach: They’re using health care

dollars not just for blood tests and antiviral medi-

cations, but also to pay for housing for the sickest

residents of Skid Row. The idea is to first give the

homeless a stable place to live, then gradually treat

their medical and mental health needs — instead of

waiting for them to quit drugs and clean up before

settling them into an apartment.

National experts applaud the strategy: “We

think it’s absolutely essential,” said Matthew

Doherty, executive director of the United States

Interagency Council on Homelessness. “People

cannot address their [health and addiction] challenges when they

are struggling with homelessness every day and every night.”

So far, the county has allocated nearly $60 million in health

funding for new housing. Officials look for available units across

the county, typically in affordable housing developments. Resi-

dents generally pay 30 percent of their income, however low that

may be.

The county is also stepping up its health outreach. It moved a

clinic to Skid Row, and Trotz has organized battalions of health

workers from public agencies and nonprofits to canvas the region,

in an initiative called C3 for County+City+Community.

Four teams — each made up of nurses, mental health and sub-

stance abuse experts, and homeless advocates — return day after

day to their assigned sectors of Skid Row so they get to know the

residents and gain their trust. Previous outreach efforts have been

too scattershot, Trotz said.

“We can’t just be wandering around with two people and a

couple of backpacks,” he said. “You can’t just say, ‘Hey, how are

you doing?’ and hand out some socks.”

Outreach workers often find that offering medical help is the

best way to engage people living on the streets, who are often

suspicious of strangers.

“They have a gaping wound. We have a nurse who can help,”

said Sara Shortt, who runs the program from a vibrant, renovated

storefront on Skid Row. “A random window opens and they’re

ready for detox — maybe it’s that their tent got stolen for the sev-

enth time. Because we’re there, we can be around when that win-

dow opens.”

In its first four months, the team has assigned 184 people to

permanent housing, including many who suffer from chronic kid-

ney and pulmonary disease, HIV, heart failure, and cirrhosis. Of-

ficials say they are likely to reach and perhaps even top their goal

of housing 250 people in the first year.

They hope to get nearly 2,000 people — nearly all of Skid

Row’s unsheltered — into permanent housing within four years.

City and county leaders are now scrambling to find more mon-

ey to expand this program and others; they recently proposed a

new tax on LA’s wealthiest residents. It’s estimated it will cost

nearly $2 billion to provide housing for the city’s 26,000 home-

less residents. Add Los Angeles county residents to that total and

the homeless population for the region

stands at nearly 50,000.

“If I could wave a magic wand, eve-

ryone over the age of 60 who was home-

less would be housed,” said Dr. Susan

Partovi, who walks a sector with the

outreach teams and staffs two clinics on

Skid Row. “Housing is the cure for

homelessness. It’s also the cure for a

homeless person with diabetes, with

drug addiction or hypertension. It’s the

first cure.”

The “housing first” approach worked for T.D. Osborne. When

he moved to LA from Seattle in the ’80s, he had a stable job with

Amtrak, working in the dining cars. But a cocaine addiction led

him to lose everything: his job, his wife, his home. Osborne alter-

nated between shelters and the homes of friends for years. He

found an apartment through the Skid Row Housing Trust in 2004

and finally became clean in 2010.

“I had to give up 100 percent of everything — cocaine, drink-

ing,” he said. “That would have been hard on the streets.”

He’s since been successfully treated for a goiter and and other

health issues. “Having housing made it easier to get to the ap-

pointments I needed, to get blood work,” he said.

Osborne, 57, is now working with one of Shortt’s teams,

reaching out to others who have similar stories. “I understand the

addiction part,” he said. “I understand the hopelessness. Even

when you start receiving help, it takes a while. It’s not easy.”

https://www.statnews.com/2016/05/13/homeless-housing-skid-

row/?s_campaign=stat:rss

A Bold Bet in LA: Using Health Care Funds to Find Housing for the Homeless

They’re using health care dollars not just for blood tests and antiviral medica-tions, but also to pay for housing for the sickest resi-dents of Skid Row. The idea is to first give the homeless a stable place to live, then gradually treat their medical and mental health needs...

June 2016 Page 5

montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 10

6 Totally Awful Lies That Mental Illness Told Me By Sam Dylan Finch, Ravishly, March 11, 2016

For a long time, I believed that my mental illness was my own

doing. Back when I was dealing with a depressive episode, one of

my partners told me, “Sam, you have to remember that not every-

thing you think is true.”

Simple, but it was a real revelation for me. Sometimes with bipo-

lar disorder, it’s incredibly hard to distinguish between your own

voice and the fears, trauma, and outright lies that run on a loop in the

back of your head.

I liken my experiences with mental illness to being in line at a

grocery store: I’ve placed everything on the belt and, while the cash-

ier is ringing everything up, some . . . jerk is placing random items

on the belt when I'm not looking. In other words, someone pulled

one over on us.

Not to be outdone, I’ve compiled this list of some of the worst

lies mental illness has ever told me. Because while it might be in my

cart, I’m sure . . . not buying it.

1. You just aren’t an ambitious person.

For the longest time, as I struggled under the weight of my de-

pression, I watched my friends and peers excel in their passions and/

or careers. I was amazed with how driven they were, and wondered

how they seemed to have it all.

Then I looked at myself, floundering. And I thought, “I’m just

not driven like they are. I’m not ambitious. It’s not who I am.” What

I wish had occurred to me then was that when you’re struggling with

mental illness, every bit of your resources goes towards your own

survival.

As I began to get the help I needed, I was able to start setting

goals for myself and enjoying the pursuit of those goals. As it turns

out, my “ambition” or work ethic wasn’t the problem — it was a

psychiatric disability.

2. This is the way things will always be.

I can only speak for myself in this instance — I won’t assume to

know anyone else’s situation. But when mental illness tells me that I

somehow have the ability to know the future and that the future is

entirely dismal, I’ve learned to be a little more skeptical.

The reality is that I know nothing about the future with any cer-

tainty. I remember where I was just a few years ago, desperately

suicidal and lost, feeling that there was nothing ahead of me that was

worth holding on for. And then I look at where I am now, doing

meaningful work and surrounded by a beautiful community that

cares for me, and I can’t believe how wrong I was about my future.

I said that my future was empty. I believed that with everything

in my being. But it couldn’t be more full, more vibrant, more ful-

filling.

3. You are unlovable.

I have stayed in relationships that hurt me on every conceivable

level because I honestly believed that I was unlovable. I thought that

any person who loved me in spite of my illness was some kind of

heroic savior to whom I owed my life.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The truth is that we all have

endured some kind of trauma. We all bring “baggage” to a relation-

ship — some more than others — because we have all lived, we’ve

all been hurt, we’ve all been broken.

Those experiences are not flaws that make us unworthy of love

— they are experiences that have shaped who we are. And the peo-

ple who truly love us for us will know that mental illness is not a

character flaw, but a struggle that makes us so very human. The folks

who can’t understand that aren’t proof that we’re unworthy. It simp-

ly means that they aren’t ready to be a part of our journey.

4. You will only be happy if you “get rid of” your illness.

I used to think that I would only be happy if I came as close to

being “neurotypical” as possible. I thought that I needed to be cured

to live a whole, fulfilling life (which is one of the downsides of the

medicalization of our struggles, but that’s a story for another day).

What I’ve learned is that recovery is not about eliminating my

mental illness. For me, it’s been coexisting with it, adapting in the

face of its challenges, and understanding how to ride the waves as

they come. My recovery has been about turning down the volume so

that it’s no longer ear-shatteringly loud and senseless. Recovery is

taking the unbearable sounds and quieting them into music.

5. Your struggles are all your fault.

For a long time, I believed that my mental illness was my own

doing. I believed that if I had chosen differently, the outcome would

have somehow been better — maybe I wouldn’t be bipolar, anxious,

agoraphobic, messy, broken.

It’s harder to be honest and say, “It’s a complex combination of

biological, sociological, and psychological factors that I will proba-

bly never understand in my lifetime.” It’s harder to accept that some

trauma may be inevitable or out of our control. It’s harder to accept

that society conditions us to feel like we are at fault for our own ill-

ness.

But it starts with realizing that regardless of how we arrived

where we are, we can begin to practice compassion – compassion for

ourselves, compassion for what we’ve been through, compassion for

all the difficult choices we made to survive.

6. You won’t live past age 18.

Or 19… 20… 21… 22… 23… 24...And yet, my birthday rolls

around every year, and I spend a good portion of my day in tears

because I can’t believe that I’m still here. Not only am I grateful that

I’m here, but I’m grateful for the person I’ve become — someone

who wouldn’t be who he is without the struggle it took to get here.

By no means has this been an easy road. And some days — when

my anxiety is so raw that I can’t leave my apartment, or when I’m

wide awake at three in the morning, convinced that I’m total human

garbage — I really wish that the journey had been easier rather than

longer.

But I can honestly say that of any lie mental illness has ever

whispered into my ear, this is the one that I’m most grateful to be

wrong about.

http://www.ravishly.com/2016/04/05/6-totally-awful-lies-mental-

illness-told-me?

utm_source=goodmenproject.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_ca

mpaign=pubexchange_article

Research News You Can Use

Montgomery County Peer Support Groups

NAMI Connection

1st Monday, June 6th at 6:15 PM at William Jeanes Memor ial

Library, 4051 Joshua Rd, Lafayette Hill, PA. JULY’S meeting

will be held on June 27th due to the July 4th holiday.

Monday

VOICES – Pottstown 12:00 – 1:30 PM, Trinity Reformed

Church of Christ, 60 N. Hanover Street, Pottstown

WRAP – Bryn Mawr 12:00 – 1:30 PM, Ludington Library,

5 S. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr

VOICES – Norristown 3:00 – 4:30 PM, Friends Meeting

House, 20 E. Jacoby Street, Norristown

VOICES-Young People - Lower Merion 4:30 - 6:00 PM,

The Middleton Center, Rm 203, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church,

625 Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr

VOICES – Willow Grove 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Giant Food Store

(Use entrance near Café) 2nd Floor Meeting Room, 315 York Rd,

Willow Grove

Tuesday

WRAP – Pottstown 2:00 to 3:30 PM, Tr inity Reformed

Church of Christ, 60 N. Hanover St, Pottstown

VOICES - Lansdale 4:30 - 6:00 PM, Lansdale Public Library,

301 Vine Street, Lansdale

VOICES Young People – Hatboro 7:00 – 8:30 PM, Braccia

Complex, 1st Floor (across from Dance Arts), 2935 Byberry Road,

Hatboro

Wednesday

WRAP – Roslyn 1:00—2:30 PM, Faith Community Church,

1200 Easton Road, Roslyn

WRAP - Lansdale 3:00 - 4:30 PM, Lansdale Public Library,

301 Vine Street, Lansdale

VOICES – Lower Merion 3:30 – 5:00 PM, The Middleton

Center, Rm 203, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625

Montgomery Avenue, Bryn Mawr

WRAP – Norristown 6:00 – 7:30 PM, HopeWorx, 1210

Stanbridge St, Suite 300, Norristown

Thursday

WRAP - Norristown 10:30 - 12:00 PM, Friends Meeting

House, 20 E. Jacoby Street, Norristown Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA) - 6:00 – 6:45 PM,

Women’s Village of Hope, 807 Lawn Avenue, Sellersville

June 2016 Page 6

montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 10

Update on July Support Group Schedule

Our support groups that meet on the first Monday of the month will not meet on July 4th. Note that our

NAMI Connection Peer Support Group, held at William Jeanes Memorial Library in Lafayette Hill, will meet

on June 27 instead of a July meeting. Both our Pottstown and Lower Providence/Eagleville Family/Caregiver

Support Groups are canceled for July.

We are excited to announce our newly designed website located at a new URL: http://www.namimontcopa.org/

We hope you like our new look!

June 2016 Page 7

montco memo Volume XXXV Issue 10

The Tribute Fund is a good way to mark anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions, and to express sympathy for the

loss of a loved one. We will send a note of appreciation to anyone you designate. Send your check to NAMI of Pennsylvania, Mont-

gomery County office, 100 W. Main Street, Suite 204, Lansdale, PA 19446. When designating NAMI in an obituary notice, please

specify NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County.

In memory of James P McCauley: Mary Dunn Carol Heffner Mary Madden

Mary Oehler Mary Purol Phyllis Taggant

Tzine Weinberg

Individual Donations: Beth Adams Margaret Costello Mary Ellen Falk

Adrienne Foster Joanne Hill Geraldine Lowe

Harriton High School Catherine Keim Richard Kelble

Anthony Malloy Mary Patricia Malott Jacqueline Megraw

Lena Delphine Onsongo Rosemary Pedley Quaker Chemical Corporation

Mary Schuck Joseph Thomas

Tributes and Other Contributions

Pictures from NAMIWalks 2016

The Quaker City Mummers prepare to welcome back the 2016 Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalkers as they return from the 5 K Walk around the campus of Montgomery County Community College.

1,200 participants helped to raise awareness and fight the stigma associated with mental illness at the 9

th

Annual Greater Philadelphia NAMIWalk on May 14th

.

PENNSYLVANIA MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Dues are for one year and are Tax Deductible. Donations are welcome and are also Tax Deductible.

(Please print clearly)

NAME__________________________________________________________________________________

STREET ________________________________________________________________________________

CITY_______________________________________STATE_____ZIP______________________________

PHONE (H)__________________________________(C)_________________________________________

E-mail __________________________________________________________________________________

_____Annual Dues $35.00 _____Open Door $3.00 - 30.00 (Amount $_____) _____Donation $______

What is the best way for us to contact you? Phone ______ Email ______ Snail Mail ______

Make check payable and return to: NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County

100 W. Main Street, Suite 204

Lansdale, PA 19446

Or join or renew on our website: http://www.namimontcopa.org/join/

Double or triple the impact of your donation at no additional cost! Please check with your employer’s Human Resources Department to

see if your donation can be matched through a company matching gift program.

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is also an approved United Way Donor Choice Agency - Code #5076.

NAMI of Pennsylvania Montgomery County is open to all individuals subscribing to its purpose. All members receive NAMI newsletters and are automatically affiliated with NAMI PA and

the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)3 and all dues and donations are tax-deductible. Official registration and financial

information of NAMI PA Montgomery County may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free within PA 1.800.732.0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

The official registration and financial information of NAMI PA Montgomery County can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within Pennsylvania:

1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.

PENNSYLVANIA

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

100 W. Main Street, Suite 204

Lansdale, PA 19446