by NAMI Ohio | Jan 26, 2022 | News & Updates
Ohio officials have submitted a plan to the federal government to implement a statewide “988” National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 22 this year.
The new system “is designed to better connect crisis care services with individuals and families experiencing a mental health or addiction crisis,” according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services which is in charge of setting up the new system. “Ohio evidence suggests that the precursors to needing crisis care and related problems remain at high levels throughout the state.”
A new emergency number is similar to the familiar “911,” but is specifically designed to summon help for people in a mental health or suicidal crisis. Callers will be connected through call centers to trained personnel and other resources.
In researching the setup plan, state officials gathered statistics on suicides and attempted suicides going back 10 years in some cases.
One finding was that the pattern of suicides does not necessarily correlate to the state’s highest population centers: Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo. Instead, “the highest proportions of suicide are occurring in the Appalachian and northwest regions of the state,” the report says.
Overall, there was a 27 percent increase in the number of suicides in Ohio between 2010 and 2019. That represents 12.31 suicides per 100,000 populations in 2010 compared to 15.49 suicides per 100,000 populations in 2019. However, both rates were below national numbers.
The report also notes that some groups of people were at a higher risk of suicide than others, specifically “those with only a high school education or less and those who are divorced are at an elevated risk for suicide. Also, it is worthy of note that men are almost four times more likely to attempt and complete suicide than women.”
Young people, in general, are particularly susceptible to ideas of suicide, the state report said, due to being bullied (32 percent), experiencing anxiety (27 percent), and having depression or anxiety (21 percent).
Ohio’s Lifeline provider network will cover all 88 counties. Currently, 22 counties do not have any Lifeline provider service.
The first $400 million to pay for the network has been provided by the federal government, but ongoing funding has yet to be determined. The current network of crisis lines is funded by a patchwork of government, private and non-profit sources.
Information on the 988 plan is online here: https://mha.ohio.gov/about-us/priorities/ohios-988-implementation
Written by: Alan Johnson, NAMI Ohio
by NAMI Ohio | Jan 19, 2022 | News & Updates
Meet NAMI Ohio Board Member, Valerie Walker
From the time she was a child, Valerie Walker liked taking care of those in need, especially children. She learned it from her mother, Vellier, who was active in church outreach, and her father, Herbert, who volunteered with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Cincinnati.
“I think it’s just who I am,” Valerie said. “My thing is taking care of people.”
Valerie wears many hats: parent, accountant, minister, church volunteer, homeless advocate, and board member for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio.
Despite many accomplishments, Valerie is modest and soft-spoken. “It’s not about me. It’s about ‘we,’” she said.
The Cincinnati native’s passion, as she puts it, is to “encourage, advocate, support and educate those living with a mental illness and their loved ones especially those experiencing homelessness in our communities.”
She was raised in a Christian family and is the oldest of seven children. Valerie’s parents “taught me to give back from an early age,” she said.
Her efforts to help the homeless, especially children, are focused through the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati, a 30-year old organization that began when a handful of Cincinnati-area churches and synagogues opened their doors to homeless families. The network now has more than 100 congregational partners representing all faiths, funding from the United Way and City of Cincinnati, and provides overnight shelter, food, daycare, and other services to homeless families.
Homeless children touch Valerie’s heart the most, especially since the COVID-19 virus plagued the community beginning last year.
“The children have lost their home and they don’t know why,” she said. “They’ve lost their friends. They have to learn to wear a mask. Their parents are home or out of work and more children are suffering.”
“My concern is their mental health,” said Valerie who has been on the NAMI Ohio Board and co-chair of NAMI Urban Greater Cincinnati since 2017. “They lost connection with their schools and their friends. Many parents are frustrated and angry. There are so many untold stories.”
Valerie and her colleagues have parties and pizza nights for kids to relieve a bit of the sadness kids suffer from losing their homes and stability.
Valerie, the parent of two children herself, said NAMI and other groups are pushing to help kids by ensuring there is a mental health provider available at every school. That help is needed regularly, she said, not just when a child acts out and gets sent to juvenile detention. By then, problems have started that could potentially have been averted by early intervention.
There is hope for the future, Valerie believes, because she has watched Gov. Mike DeWine provide increased funding and support for mental health programs in general and for children in particular.”
“I know he’s a person that cares,” she said.
Information about the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati is available online at https://ihncincinnati.org/
Click Here to download the NAMI Ohio Newsbrief including this article and much more info!
by NAMI Ohio | Jan 7, 2022 | News & Updates
The local Amazon office in central Ohio has selected NAMI Ohio as a recipient of a $10,000 donation as part of their commitment to support non-profit organizations.
Local Amazon General Manager Wayne Bateman and Assistant General Manager Jennifer Schrum presented the check to NAMI Ohio Executive Director Terry Russell at the NAMI Ohio offices on Wednesday, January 5th.
This generous gift will be used to continue our mission of supporting all Ohioans impacted by mental illness.
by NAMI Ohio | Nov 19, 2021 | News & Updates
Introducing NAMI Homefront Mental Health Resources, a free, online suite of information and effective strategies to help military service members, veterans, and their families manage stress and increase overall wellness.
Sign up now for 24/7 access!
by NAMI Ohio | Nov 4, 2021 | News & Updates
The Columbus Dispatch, November 4, 2021
Death at Gahanna mental health facility raises questions about owners, state oversight
Read the article on The Columbus Dispatch website or download here
What a tragic story. The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio (NAMI Ohio), represents those living with mental illness and their families. All too often, we are made aware of tragedies caused by this mean illness.
We honor those who try their best to help us through the darkness. But we also know, families provide most of the caregiving to their loved ones.
When needing help, it is often a lonely journey and can be very difficult to navigate through the maze of the mental health system.
When reading a story like this, we believe it is about more than the failure that led to this loss, it also highlights the need that is not available to so many with mental health issues needing help now.
A Cincinnati family sending someone to central Ohio should not have to happen. The family must be part of the treatment and treatment must be available in the local community so that the family can participate on behalf of their loved one.
Unfortunately, the state of the current mental health system (again well-intentioned) can make it difficult for families to find available services.
We must look at the situation identified in this article, and many similar tragedies, and use it as a catalyst to make change in the mental health system.
We applaud the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services for their current work on developing crisis services that should be available throughout the state in the next few years. When a person is in crisis, as was Susan, the family must have an immediate place to go to receive help and direction.
NAMI Ohio wants to emphasize that licensure and surveying are extremely important but hiring more state employees for that purpose is not the answer. The answer is to put funding into more services like crisis, client navigation, housing, and supportive services to those in need.
Today, NAMI Ohio mourns the loss of Susan and our prayers are with the family.
by NAMI Ohio | Nov 1, 2021 | News & Updates
| Dear Friend,
NAMI Ohio has worked for years to increase the quality of housing for those with severe and persistent mental illness. We started the Ohio Adult Care Facilities Association over 20 years ago to advocate for the approximately 5,000 residents who live in these group homes who before were either homeless or lived in state hospitals. The residents of these homes are often abandoned by everyone. Their only family are the other residents living in their homes. Due to NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) the vast majority of these homes are in distressed areas. The home operators struggle to maintain these homes due to lack of resources.
For 20 years, I have personally gotten to know so many of these residents. When I go into a home, they yell my name and are so appreciative of any attention I give them. For fifteen years, through a grant from a foundation in Chicago, we have been able to hold an annual Christmas party in various locations throughout Ohio. Each year, the 80 residents that attend each get gifts that they so desperately need – shoes, coats, underwear, warm clothing, socks, gloves, etc. They are also given a holiday meal, with Christmas carols and crafts. I cannot adequately describe the one day of happiness that each of these residents have during the holiday party. Unfortunately, these residents do not have many days the rest of the year as joyous as this one.
A new project this year: Each year, I have been concerned that we only provide these items to a small number of those living throughout Ohio in adult care facilities. Today, we are asking for your help. I am asking that each of you reading this correspondence consider donating money and/or purchasing both adult male and female clothing that can be distributed and used by the other 4,900 special people in homes that will not attend our Annual Christmas party.
You can donate in a number of ways:
- Donate online via PayPal by CLICKING HERE or using the link below
- Mail a donation to NAMI Ohio’s “Adult Care Facility Christmas Fund” at 1225 Dublin Road; Suite 125; Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Deliver purchased items to the same address
Any donations are tax-deductible.
During the holidays, we are all inundated with holiday requests. I guarantee that no donation you make during the holidays would have a greater impact than helping this very unique and forgotten population. I will never forget the hug I received from Susie as she said, “God bless you. You’ve made my Christmas so special.”
Thank you,
Terry L. Russell |
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