BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A SUCCESSFUL MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING COALITION

2. BUILDING AND MAINTAINING A SUCCESSFUL MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING COALITION R. D. “Bob” Rawlings Rawlings Consulting Services 1600 Timber Ridge Road Edmond, Oklahoma 73034 Phone :(405) 348-1129 - E-Mail: okbobber@swbell.net

3. THE BUILDING BLOCKS • Who are your building blocks • State, County, Local and Private Mental Health Agencies • State, County, Local and Private Substance Abuse Agencies • Primary Care Physicians and Their Organizations • Consumers • Family Members • Higher Ed Geriatric Programs • State Aging Agency • Area Agency on Aging • AARP/RSVP/Silver Haired Legislators • Retired State Worker/Teachers Assn. • Retired Federal Employees Assn. • Ministerial Alliance/Religious Organizations • State and Local Governmental Officials • Community Mental Health Centers/Private Outpatient Providers • Public and Private Geriatric Assessment/Inpatient Facilities • Long Term Care/Adult Day Care/Assisted Living Centers • Professional Associations • Veterans Administration • Other Interested Individuals and Organizations

4. THESTUMBLING BLOCKS • What are the stumbling blocks • The Stigma of mental illness with older adults • Mental Health and Substance Abuse too far down the list of priorities • Mental Health problems are considered normal for older adults • Younger Mental Health and Substance Abuse population is more mobile and visible and consume the available staff time and resources • Other disability populations do a better job of advocating their needs

5. THE SUCCESSFUL COALITION AT WORK • Advocates Working for a common cause • Meetings that Feed The Needs of the Members • Continually Assessing and Reassessing Needs • Know the Available Resources • Develops Short and Long Term Goals • Provides Education to Members and Community • Works with State and Local Government • Promotes Networking and Cross Referral to Maximize Use of Available Resources • Promotes Active/Working Committees • Promotes The Work of the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging

6. DEFINITION OF A MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING COALITION A mental health and aging coalition is characterized by the common interest of a diverse group of agencies, organizations and individuals working for a common purpose to meet the needs of older adults and their behavioral and physical health problems. A coalition does not belong to nor is it controlled by an agency or organization but is a free standing entity working together to make a more effective and efficient use of available resources and to educate its members and the public about issues relating to older adults and mental health, substance abuse and primary care needs. A coalition may or may not be incorporated. It provides information, education and advocacy on behavioral and physical health issues to agencies, providers, consumers, families and policy makers to assure the needs of older adults are served. Membership should include representatives from public and private mental health, public and private entities involved in substance abuse, primary care, higher education, ministerial and religious organizations, aging advocacy organizations, family members and aging consumers. A coalition can be organized at the regional, state, or local level. It should foster a free exchange of information, education, needs identification and advocacy from the grass roots level up to the National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging.

7. MAINTAINING A COALITION • Feed The Coalition To Make It Grow • Never Meet For The Sake of Meeting • Coalitions Can Not Be Dormant • Projects Keep Up Interest And Will Make Others Want To Become Involved • Plan Programs Well In Advance • Provide CEUs And CMEs For Your Professionals • Secure Agency/Program Buy-In • Keep members informed through a Website, Newsletter and other mailings

8. PROJECTS OF SUCCESSFUL MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING COALITIONS • Education of primary caregivers • Educational Seminars • Develop Brochures on Aging Mental Health Issues • Peer Organizations that share successful Treatments Programs • Public Education • Public Service Announcements • Speakers Bureau • Aging Mental Health Conferences

9. PROJECTS OF SUCCESSFUL MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING COALITIONS • Service Accessibility • Improving intake methods • Assist with the development of cross agency agreements to speed referrals and share basic patient information • Develop a Resource Directory • Provide Consumer to Consumer Supports • Develop consumer volunteers to walk the path with new consumers • Develop training for Peer Counseling • Support Consumer Involvement in the Coalition

10. STATES INVOLVED IN BUILDING OR EXPANDING MENTAL HEALTH AND AGING COALITIONS • ALASKA • ARKANSAS • ARIZONA • CALIFORNIA * • COLORADO • FLORIDA * • GEORGIA • ILLINOIS • INDIANA * • KANSAS * • KENTUCKY * • LOUISIANA • MARYLAND • MASSACHUSETTS • MISSOURI • NEW JERSEY * • NEW MEXICO • NORTH CAROLINA • OHIO • OKLAHOMA * • PENNSYLVANIA * • RHODE ISLAND • SOUTH DAKOTA • TENNESSEE * • TEXAS • UTAH • WASHINGTON • WISCONSIN

11. Some Web Sites of Interest Http://www.tmhac.org This is the Middle Tennessee Mental Health and Aging site with links to: Arkansas Coalition site, Florida Coalition site, Oklahoma Mental Health and Aging Coalition, Pennsylvania Coalition site, National Coalition on MH and Aging site, Older Adult Consumer Mental Health Alliance, SAMHSA, KEN, NASMHPD, NTAC, NRI, NIMH, NAMI, NMHA, HHS and Aging in Oklahoma sites