1 / 13

NAMI Alabama & The Birmingham VAMC

NAMI Alabama & The Birmingham VAMC. Pulling It All Together. Objectives: How to pull it all together. NAMI and Birmingham VAMC collaboration: What worked? What is the Veteran Mental Health Council? Lessons learned/Benefits moving forward for collaboration. What has worked?. January 2009

marja
Download Presentation

NAMI Alabama & The Birmingham VAMC

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. NAMI Alabama & The Birmingham VAMC Pulling It All Together

  2. Objectives: How to pull it all together • NAMI and Birmingham VAMC collaboration: What worked? • What is the Veteran Mental Health Council? • Lessons learned/Benefits moving forward for collaboration

  3. What has worked? • January 2009 • Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC) hired at the Birmingham VAMC in January 2009 • LRC attended NAMI Birmingham monthly meetings • Made contact with chair of events, and long standing board member for NAMI Birmingham

  4. What is a Veteran Mental Health Council? • (VMHC) is a group of mental health consumers, family members, representatives from community agencies and Veteran Service Organizations • VMHC provides a consumer point of view on questions, policies, and matters relevant to Veterans and that affect Veteran mental health services.) • VMHC is independent/not controlled by VA • LRC is often the staff liaison to the VMHC

  5. Forming the VMHC • LRC promoted the formation of the VMHC at NAMI Birmingham monthly meetings • LRC started advertising and promotion campaign • LRC asked medical media to create fliers & posters • LRC asked for mental health providers to refer Veterans to serve on VMHC • Birmingham VMHC chartered in September 2009

  6. Work of the VMHC • Issues may revolve around: • Access to Care • Stigma • Respectful treatment • Mental health policies – local, VISN or national • Outreach/Education to other Veterans • Outreach to community • Satisfaction with VA services

  7. How did VMHC and NAMI meet? • Birmingham VMHC hosted a resource fair May 2010 • Birmingham NAMI participated as a community partner • NAMI reps and VMHC reps connected at the fair • VMHC invited to participate in NAMI Walk • NAMI Walk 2010 held at Veterans Park 

  8. December 2010-July 2011 • MOU renewal signed in December 2010 extending and expanding F2F classes • Advertised and recruited the 1st F2F class • April 2011- NAMI Alabama met with BVAMC leadership advocating for more inpatient psychiatric beds for Veterans and encouraged expansion of peer support services

  9. August 2011-November 2011 • Held 1st F2F class at BVAMC . • 20-25 registered for first class. • Facilitator from this group has started participating in VMHC meetings and representing NAMI

  10. Lessons Learned/Takeaways • Find the low hanging fruit • Show up • Look for bright spots

  11. Why should State NAMI organizations consider creating a VMHC • To improve lives of Veterans • To insure that states provide and implement the most effective programs possible • To provide more services in smaller communities and to link Veterans with mental illness to similar Veterans and their families • To provide more community services, to be able to reach out to the community Jimmie Walsh Slide

  12. For More Information Contact • Jimmy Walsh • Email: jwalsh@rumberger.com • Phone: 205.327.5550 • Daniels Williams • Email: dwilliamsvet1313@gmail.com • Phone: 205.266.8353 • Nathan Crowell, Local Recovery Coordinator • Email: nathan.crowell@va.gov • Phone: 205.933.8101 X6775

  13. Thank you!

More Related