Each year, NAMI-Northern
Virginia submits an application to Community Health Charities of the National
Capital Area as a prerequisite to be included in their list of charities that employees
of their membership companies may select for payroll contributions.
As
part of this application, we submitted the following "Annual Report"
and "Human Health and Welfare Narrative" as Attachments I and D. They are combined below as the complete annual report for 2003.
NAMI-Northern Virginia
Annual Report for 2003
NAMI-Northern Virginia (NAMI-NoVA) is an association of volunteers whose purpose is to provide support and education to people with mental illnesses (consumers) and their families, and advocacy to the community, including public officials, to ensure that consumers are afforded opportunities to live, work, learn and participate fully in their communities, free of stigma, and fully enjoying their human rights.
NAMI is dedicated to promoting public awareness of mental illness and advancing the provision of best practices and favorable outcomes which support the integration of people diagnosed with mental illness into the fabric of society, promoting the self-determination, hopes and wellbeing of individuals and their families.
NAMI-NoVA is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit corporation. Our office address and contact number are:
NAMI-Northern Virginia
1820 Michael Faraday Drive
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 525-0686
NAMI-NoVA is an affiliate of NAMI-Virginia and, through them, the national NAMI organization.
NAMI is headquartered in Arlington, VA and provides all necessary support to local affiliates both directly and through its state affiliates.
NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic and other severe anxiety disorders, autism and pervasive developmental disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other severe and persistent mental illnesses that affect the brain.
Founded in 1979, NAMI today works to achieve equitable services and treatment for more than 15 million Americans living with severe mental illnesses and their families. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers participate in more than one thousand local affiliates and fifty state organizations to provide education and support, combat stigma, support increased funding for research, and advocate for adequate health insurance, housing, rehabilitation, and jobs for people with mental illnesses and their families.
Local affiliates and state organizations identify and work on issues most important to their community and state. Individual membership and the extraordinary work of hundreds of thousands of volunteer leaders is the lifeblood of NAMI's local affiliates and state organizations. The national office, under the direction of an elected Board of Directors, provides strategic direction to the entire organization, support to NAMI's state and affiliate members, governs the NAMI Corporation, and engages in advocacy, education and leadership development nationally.
From www.nami.org
NAMI-VA is located in Richmond, VA and provides support and liaison with our national organization and other local NAMI affiliates within the state by means of regular communication and meetings with the presidents of Virginia’s affiliates.
NAMI-NoVA is governed by a board of directors elected by the membership to three year terms expiring in May, representing the geographical areas we serve: Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William counties, plus the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church, Virginia. Directors serve without compensation and are from various professional and business backgrounds including mental health professions, management, government, education, non-profits, law and others. Directors come to the organization because they are consumers, family members, or interested in supporting consumers of mental health services.
In addition, our Arlington Coordinator pays special attention to advocacy issues, meetings and events in Arlington County.
The board of directors met the third Thursday of each month (except July, August, December) at 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m., beginning in November 2003) at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI), 3302 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA.
See Table I for a list of directors.
Officers are elected by the board of directors to one-year terms and serve without compensation. Current officers are:
Carol Ulrich, President
Frank Edmondson, Vice-President
Tony Gallagher, Secretary
Jack Williams, Treasurer
Please see Attachment D for a list and description of human health and welfare programs and services provided directly to members and the public.
MIAW, Legislative Breakfast; Arlington MIAW; Photo exhibit at library
Various
NAMI-NoVA participated in funding and organization of special observations of Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in Fairfax and Arlington counties. MIAW is a yearly nationwide week focusing on mental illness, held the first full week in October.
Fairfax/Falls Church MIAW Conference: This conference is held yearly in support of the nationwide MIAW and features a luncheon with a guest speaker who is usually a consumer from outside our region; a diverse panel from the community on a topic of importance to consumers and families; awards recognizing advocates who have made notable efforts in contribution to the consumer community, and an opportunity to circulate, socialize and avail oneself of the literature and information from representatives of organizations with an interest in mental illness.
In 2003, the conference was held Friday, October 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Fair Oaks Holiday Inn with approximately 170 paid attendance and a dozen consumer scholarship attendees. Attendees came from NVMHI, the Fairfax/Falls Church CSB, county Mental Health Centers, providers of mental health services, advocates and consumers.
Arlington Conference: NAMI-Northern Virginia’s Arlington Coordinator, Betsy Greer, worked in concert with the Arlington Community Services Board to organize the MIAW Symposium held Thursday, October 9, 2003 at the Arlington Central Library Auditorium. An information fair began at 6:00 p.m. preceding the symposium that began at 7:00 p.m. and featured award presentations and speakers from local government plus a special guest speaker and panel who are individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
"Nothing to Hide" Photo Exhibit: This exhibit poignantly portrayed the faces of consumers and their families, alongside vignettes delineating the effect the illness had on their lives. This was publicly displayed for two weeks in October, in the Arlington County Library, where every member of the public had access. The exhibit was sponsored and funded by NAMI-Northern Virginia and Friends of Clarendon House, in memory of Jane Jack, a longtime advocate. Copies of the accompanying book were donated to the Arlington library, with a commemoration of the event inserted.
NAMI-NoVA participates as part of the Coalition for Disabled Citizens of Northern Virginia each year to organize a December Legislative Breakfast where Northern Virginia advocates and providers can meet with their legislative contingent and present their legislative agenda. The Coalition comprises representatives from non-profits working on issues of mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse. The breakfast features a guest speaker from a state agency, talks by a consumer from each of the three constituencies, and awards to an individual professional chosen by consumers, a legislator, and an advocate from the community in honor of their service to the mental disability community.
In 2003, the breakfast was held Friday, December 5th at the Fair Oaks Holiday Inn. Despite a snowstorm our featured speaker, Jane Woods, Virginia’s Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and James Reinhard, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services (DMHMRSAS) along with many other members of the department made the trip from Richmond to attend. Although a few people were understandably deterred by the weather, approximately 180 paid ticket-holders attended, along with numerous guest legislators and consumers.
In 2001, our Public Policy and Advocacy Committee began studying the issue of incarceration of seriously mentally ill individuals. Our concern was confirmed and aided by the appearance of the federal government’s report on criminalization of mental illness in 2002. Members of the committee at various times were consumers who had been incarcerated, people who had family members who were incarcerated, and people who had worked in the criminal justice system. Toward the end, Jim Thur, the Executive Director of the Fairfax/Falls Church CSB began attending regularly.
In March 2003, delegations from NAMI-NoVA, the Fairfax/Falls Church CSB, and the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Department (including the Sheriff) met to discuss, not only the conditions of confinement and treatment of persons with mental illness who were being held in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC), but also, the simple fact of their confinement. All factions agreed that jail is not an appropriate place for people who are arrested due to manifestations of symptoms of a serious mental illness, and that we would meet quarterly to discuss status and remedial measures for obviating the confinement or improving treatment in the ADC.
Out of these meetings grew the Jail Diversion Pilot Project, staffed by NAMI-NoVA and the CSB, including forensic staff working in the ADC. The purpose is to determine the results of effecting the release of consumers from jail and ensuring that they have a mentor who will ensure that they attend their counseling appointments and their court hearing. The initial approach involves consumers who are arrested for non-violent misdemeanors such as trespassing and who already have housing and mental health treatment services. The procedure is for the forensic staff to identify appropriate consumers who wish to participate, notify NAMI-NoVA who will arrange bond and volunteer mentorship, beginning in 2004.
The Jail Diversion Coalition began in while the Pilot Project was under development, with a “Summit Conference” in December involving countywide participants from police and sheriff, the court system, the CSB, state and county providers and NAMI-NoVA. Other similar organizations, from outside the county, such as the chair of the statewide DMHMRSAS-sponsored forensic working group and law enforcement officers from neighboring cities, asked to be included in order to learn what we are doing. As a result of the summit conference a Sponsor Group met, consisting of the top management of participating organizations, and a working group was formed to meet in 2004 and develop strategies and implementation of a jail diversion program.
NAMI-NoVA members serve as board members of the Fairfax/Falls Church and Arlington Community Service Board (CSB) citizen advisory boards. The president of NAMI-NoVA traditionally sits as an associate member of the Fairfax/Falls Church CSBs Mental Health Committee. In addition to formal ties, NAMI-NoVA members frequently attend board meetings either to advocate for specific issues or to monitor activities of the agency.
In 2003, Herb Taylor and Betsy Greer continued their service on the Fairfax and Arlington CSBs, respectively and Diane Engster (also president of the Northern Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association) was newly appointed to the Fairfax CSB.
One of NAMI-NoVA’s most significant efforts involving the CSB’s was the restructuring of the regional mental health system. The purpose was originally to determine methods for reinvesting funds from the proposed closure of units of NVMHI into community mental health services, as was being done with other state psychiatric hospitals throughout Virginia. But, because it became clear that Northern Virginia sorely needs all the hospital beds existing in the region, especially those at NVMHI, planning involved only restructuring to offer community based services, with no reinvestment funds available. The president of NAMI-NoVA sits on the Regional Partnership Steering Committee formed for this purpose. Planning and a report were developed and promulgated at regional public hearings in 2003 as a basis for continuing work in 2004 and subsequent years.
NAMI-NoVA includes members from all cities and counties in the region and has developed a strong working relationship with the CSBs in Fairfax/Falls Church and Arlington Counties. One side benefit of the regional partnership effort was that NAMI-NoVA ties to other CSBs in the region have been strengthened and will continue to grow as we grow into these augmented relationships.
Table I. NAMI-Northern Virginia Board of Directors
|
DIRECTOR |
TERM EXPIRES |
Committee or Function |
|
Don Gantzer |
2004 |
|
|
Jim Hardcastle |
2004 |
|
|
Bill Yolton |
2004 |
Public Policy and Advocacy Chair; Newsletter |
|
Carol Ulrich |
2004 |
President |
|
Tony Gallagher |
2004 |
Secretary |
|
Erin Finney |
2004 |
|
|
Joe Hinshaw |
2005 |
|
|
Dotti McKee |
2005 |
Housing |
|
Carol McDonough |
2005 |
Publicity |
|
Claire Williams |
2005 |
Volunteers |
|
Margaret Moore |
2005 |
Publications |
|
Ginger Smith |
2005 |
Housing |
|
Jack Williams |
2005 |
Treasurer |
|
Herb Taylor |
2006 |
|
|
Bob Simon |
2006 |
|
|
Emil Franks |
2006 |
|
|
Ellen Storck |
2006 |
Education Chair |
|
Jose Armilla |
2006 |
|
|
Frank Edmondson |
2006 |
Vice President & Development Chair |
NAMI-Northern Virginia
D(1): Human Health and Welfare Narrative
NAMI-Northern Virginia (NAMI-NoVA) is an association of volunteers whose purpose is to provide support and education to people with mental illnesses (consumers) and their families, and advocacy to the community, including public officials, to ensure that consumers are afforded opportunities to live, work, learn and participate fully in their communities, free of stigma, and fully enjoying their human rights.
NAMI is dedicated to advancing the provision of best practices and favorable outcomes which support the integration of people diagnosed with mental illness into the fabric of society, promoting the self-determination, hopes and wellbeing of individuals and their families.
Educational material and brochures on mental illnesses, treatment and services are made available at support groups, monthly membership meetings, symposiums and conferences, mental health centers, Arlington’s Special Education Parent Resource Center, and the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute.
A link to Northern Virginia CSBs, which provide contact information for mental health centers, is provided on our website. Although we do not provide a list of private providers, people may receive individual recommendations, at support groups or via email to our organization, regarding a doctor whom a member has found to be helpful for his or her own particular disorder.
Support Groups: The NAMI-Northern Virginia support group meetings consist of individuals and families coping with severe mental illness. They offer confidential emotional support and information about local services that may be able to help with specific problems. Some groups are designed for consumers, while others are for family/friends.
The NAMI-Northern Virginia support group meetings consist of individuals and families coping with severe mental illness. They offer confidential emotional support and information about local services that may be able to help with specific problems. Some groups are designed for consumers, while others are for family and friends.
NAMI-NoVA offers Support Groups at fourteen locations throughout Northern Virginia, on a monthly or weekly basis, serving from 3 to 19 recipients at each meeting. There is no cost for these groups.
See Table D, below, for a specific listing of dates, times and locations of group meetings throughout Northern Virginia.
Speaker meetings: Meetings are held the fourth Monday of each month (except July, August, December) in Falls Church and the second Tuesday of each month in Arlington to educate members and the general public on topics related to mental illness, featuring a speaker or panel with special knowledge of the evening’s subject. Attendance varies between 15-30 attendees at each site.
Newsletters: A newsletter is published nine months of the year covering the Northern Virginia area, and another is published five times per year with special emphasis on the Arlington community. Approximately 400 copies of each are mailed to members and distributed to mental health service providers covering our activities, recent advances in research and treatment, and other issues related to mental illness.
In Our Own Voice: NAMI-NoVA sponsors consumers who participate in NAMI’s “In Our Own Voice” (IOOV) program. This program trains consumers to present education on mental illness from the viewpoint of one who has been personally affected. IOOV consumer participants then speak to audiences such as community groups, university faculties and corporate employers to increase awareness of the effects of the illness and its treatment, and also to discuss their continued abilities to partake of community life and to contribute to the community.
Family-to-Family Education Program: The NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program is a free 12-week course for family caregivers of individuals with severe brain disorders (mental illness). Trained family members teach the course. All instruction and course materials are free to class participants.
The Family-to-Family curriculum focuses on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic-depression), clinical depression, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The course discusses the clinical treatment of these illnesses and teaches the knowledge and skills that family members need to cope more effectively.
Three courses were taught in 2003, with approximately 20 attendees at each:
Table D. NAMI-Northern Virginia Support Groups
[See Support Group listings, this website.]