NAMI - NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Past Events

 

Family Day at Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI)

NVMHI Advisory Council, NVMHI and NAMI – NOVA are sponsoring a Family Day at NVMHI: Come Visit with US!!!!!

This is an opportunity for families and significant others to learn about NVMHI. We encourage family members and significant others of former, current, and potential clients to attend!

NVMHI is located at 3302 Gallows Road, Falls Church, VA 22042-3398
(Exit 51 off Capital Beltway, use Gray entrance at Fairfax Hospital, drive straight past the parking garage into NVMHI parking lot)

We sincerely hope you can join us on:
Saturday, May 22, 2004
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Includes Picnic Lunch

The agenda for the program will be as follows:

10:00 - 10:15 a.m. Welcome and Overview
Lynn Delacy, RN, MS, CNAA, Facility Director
10:15 - 11:00 a.m. Recovery Principles at NVMHI
Admission, Assessment, Treatment, and Discharge
Bart Branscum, MD
Louis W. Rosato, Jr, DSW, LCSW
The Treatment Mall
Debbie Green, OTR/L
Maggie Ward, RN
11:00 - 11:15 a.m. NVMHI Advisory Council
Mary Brown, Chair
11:15 - 11:30 a.m. NAMI - NOVA
Carol Ulrich, President
11:30 - 12:00 p.m. Open Forum: Question and Answer Session
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch and conversation with the presenters and participants
* Information tables from the three sponsoring agencies

Please R.S.V.P. to Peggy Pavone at (703) 207-7433 by May 14, 2004

Potluck (sandwich)luncheon at St. Thomas Episcopal Church focuses on the PRS Compeer mentor program.

Outreach Invitation: St. Thomas Epsicopal Church Outreach Committee Potluck (Sandwiches)Luncheon*
Sunday, April 18, 2004, 11:45 a.m. All are welcome to attend the 10 a.m. service beforehand also.

* Please bring sandwiches, chips, desserts, fruit, fruit juice, milk, etc., to share

Location: St. Thomas Episcopal Church
8991 Brook Rd., McLean VA, 22102
Phone 703.442.0330 / Fax 703.848.8344

For Further Information: Ginger Smith, smithg@gwu.edu, 703-532-0085

Program Purpose: To discuss the significance of mental illness and to introduce the St. Thomas congregation to the PRS (Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services) Compeer Program, a mentoring program for individuals recovering from mental illness.

Speakers: Crystal Barksdale, Director, PRS Compeer Program Claire St. John, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Board of Directors
Comments also by: Reli Parks, St. Thomas parishioner, and Al Ramsey, PRS Compeer mentor program

Also Attending: Elisa Kosarin, PRS Senior Staff

Background on Mental Illness, PRS, and PRS Open Houses.

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 5.4 percent of Americans live with a mental illness. In Fairfax County alone, over 14,000 individual adults live with either schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder, not to mention other diagnoses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, and clinical depression. Yet Virginia ranks 48 out of all 50 states in per capita spending for mental health services.

PRS, Inc. (Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Inc.) is a private nonprofit organization, based in Northern Virginia, that helps adults with mental illness recover and return to productive lives in our community. The organization serves approximately 700 clients per year by providing employment services, day programs, residential services, and the Compeer companionship program. Last year, PRS placed 65% of its Employment Services clients in competitive jobs: the national average for this population is 10%.

The Compeer Program of Greater Washington matches trained volunteers in one-to-one friendships with persons who are recovering from a mental illness. Compeer means a companion who is a peer or equal. Friends are matched by gender, interests, and preferences regarding age range and geographic location. Compeer matches get together for four hours a month to do things they both enjoy, from hiking to just talking over coffee. Volunteers receive three hours of training, plus on-going support through information meetings, social events, newsletters, and guidance from staff and mental health professionals.

Additionally, you are all invited to attend an introductory tour of PRS. The tours last for just one hour and offer a complete picture of the services offered to improve the lives of persons with mental illness.

The next tour is scheduled at PRS Reston on:
Wednesday, April 21, 11 am - 12 pm

Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Symposium

The 18th annual Mood Disorders Research/Education Symposium at Johns Hopkins will be held Thursday April 15, 2004. Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. is scheduled to speak and so is Kay Redfield Jamison who will be speaking on "The Moods and Temperament of Winston Churchill". For information and registration call 410 955 2959 or 1-888-288-1104 or go to www.hopkinscme.org/cme