Join us April 7, 2015 for the Board of Director Election and BBQ, Nominees are: (there are 8 openings on the board)

Wendy Casper – incumbent

Earl Meggison – incumbent

Bob Stoakley – incumbent

Helen Rich – incumbent

Yvonne Balbuena – incumbent

Carla Soderberg

Kate Kiley

Yaasmeen Rhett-NyJah

Andrea Price

Roberta Fisher

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

The NAMI Georgia State convention will beSaturday April 25that Mercer University off Chamblee-Tucker. I will be there representing NAMI Gwinnett so please come by and say hello if you see me. The price for registration this year is $25 which includes lunch. NAMI Georgia was the last state to not charge for their convention. Please don't let the $25 stop you. If you need help with the amount you can email the board for help we will review them case by case.
We at Gwinnett have come to another year. I am proud of our 1st Vice-President, Wendy Casper for all her work on NAMI360 (NAMI National for membership). After she was trained, she got all the records organized and membership completely in order. I am proud of Nancy Jaffee for the speakers this past fiscal year. I have personally enjoyed the Special needs trust from Mark Biernath and it was maybe due to the fact that Wills, Trusts, and Estates was my favorite class in school. I thank Paulette Graham for accepting the position as Way and Means Chairperson. With AKA, we are really going to have a great fundraising year. This year the board was very conservative are $6500 dollars ahead of where we were last year at this time. I and Wendy spoke for 45minutes on the behalf of NAMI to the Stephens Ministry on the26th of March. I am going to speak with AKA at their board meeting to show all of programs and brochures we have about NAMI.
I have had a challenging but rewarding last year as your first term president.
I have always thought of NAMI Gwinnett as integrated part of mental health. The support system works on two front of consumers and family. Neither consumers nor family should be on a hierarchy. Both are trying to learn about mental illness and how to live with it. Mental Illness is nothing to be embarrassed from or hide behind. If dealt with on healthy terms both family and consumers can lead productive lives.
I am not embarrassed but actually proud of my diagnosis of bi-polar because it allows me to help others understand it is not a life sentence but just a limitation.
Respectfully your President,
Kevin A. Johnson

Members on Wednesday, March 17, 2015 Kevin Johnson, Lois Damron and myself (Wendy Casper) attending the Gwinnett County Detention Center Mental Health Reentry Coalition Meeting at the Justice and Administrative Center, I gained the following information/facts:

Mental Health Court is under the umbrella of ALL View Point Health (VPH) Services

The Pretrial Diversion is for misdemeanors and the process is:

-Light probation

-Most go thru View Point Health (VPH) Mental Health Court Services

-Are required to see Psychiatrist once a month

-Are required to see Therapist

-the Diversion staff works with the individual to help them stay compliant

Mental Health Court is for felons as is Veterans Treatment Court

Veteran’s court – “ever” served in armed forces, can also be substance abuse (Veterans court is only program that offers that)

**Trying Mental Health Court with Superior Court – Judge Brantley

Juvenile Drug Court – Judge Waller – age up to 17

Additionally:

-Having private insurance causes a problem getting involved with these programs as insurance companies don’t want to cover it. Better to have NO INSURANCE

-Inmates leave jail with one week worth of medications as a script which either they can get filled or someone from this program will assist them in getting filled; they just need to let them know they need assistance getting the medication filled

-NO NAMI programs in the jail at this time or any scheduled for the future, nor anything having to do with NAMI as they don’t have the infrastructure for it

-Medication cannot be forced on individuals to stabilize like a hospital, can only do talk therapy

-Christy Simpson highly recommends subscribing to Mental Health America as it summarizes all the House Bills at

-If someone gets assessed in the ER doesn’t mean they are going to get committed to a Mental Health Facility

-Housing in Gwinnett County thru View Point Health (VPH) for chronically homeless only

GRIP(Gwinnett Reentry Intervention Program) –

(NOT FOR SPMI –Severe Persistent Mental Illness- Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, Bipolar disorder, manic depression)

-provides support

-places to stay (United Way helps with beds and some funding)

-job resources

-medication

-counseling

Thank you.

Dear NAMI Gwinnett Members

Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church has a no smoking policy, they have been graciously allowing NAMI Gwinnett to be an exception to this policy, please note NAMI Gwinnett has to pay a nominal fee for the use of this building.

The ONLY area designated for smoking is outside of classroom C9 which is the door between the support group rooms, around the corner from the women’s bathroom, there is NO smoking allowed in any other area of LPC. If you have questions on the location of C9 please ask your support group facilitator

LPC has on two different occasions notified NAMI Gwinnett that their staff has found cigarette butts and trash around the building on Wednesday after our Tuesday night meetings, this is not acceptable.

NAMI Gwinnett requests a volunteer, A SMOKER (since you seek the privilege) to make certain at the end of the night that ALL the cigarette butts and trash are picked up, if no one volunteers each Tuesday night there will be NO SMOKING THAT TUESDAY NIGHT!

If NAMI Gwinnett receives a third notification from LPC regarding cigarette butts and trash the privilege of smoking will be permanently revoked.

Thank you

NAMI Gwinnett