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April Alcohol Awareness Month - April 2008

We’ve all seen them on TV and in the movies – the bumbling, hiccupping town drunk, the heart-broken barfly, the beer-swilling frat boy. What’s the harm; it’s just entertainment, right?

Wrong.

These portrayals perpetuate the negative stereotypes and stigma associated with alcohol and substance abuse and can keep those who need treatment most from seeking help. Alcohol abuse is no light matter, it’s a real and dangerous issue. Those people that suffer from alcohol abuse are valuable community members who need help, treatment and support.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and Newaygo County Mental Health (NCMH) encourages you to stop perpetuating the stereotypes and stigma associated with substance abuse.

Recent federal surveys indicate that about 1 out of every 10 Michigan residents, age 12 and older, are either dependent on or have abused alcohol and other substances during the past year. That’s approximately 838,000 people statewide that are in need of intervention and treatment in some form. It’s also estimated that the majority of those people, about 655,000, did not receive treatment needed for their alcohol use.

Alcohol abuse touches the lives of countless individuals, in all demographics – from veterans who drink to forget their war experiences, to professionals who drink in excess after a hard day’s work, to senior citizens who drink out of loneliness.

Substance abuse manifests itself for a number of reasons, including everything from personality characteristics, to peer pressure and psychological stress and can cause severe health, financial and social consequences.

Alcohol abuse can lead to depression, memory loss and over time can do extensive damage to almost every system in the human body. It can lead to serious financial and legal issues, including loss of employment, failure in school and participation in crime. Alcohol abuse has a major impact on society causing thousands of innocent deaths each year and escalating situations involving violent crimes and domestic violence. Not only that, it can get in the way of important personal relationships and cause pain for loved ones.

Many people think that alcohol abuse is directly linked to a lack of will power, but in reality, alcohol and substance abuse affects brain chemistry and causes individuals to feel compelled to drink. This compulsion leads to tolerance of the effects of alcohol, which leads to a need to consume even more.

While some signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse may seem obvious, some are harder to recognize. For example, do you drink alone when you feel angry or sad? Does your drinking worry your family? Do you ever forget what you did while drinking? Do you get headaches or have a hangover after drinking? If you answered yes to any of these, you might have a problem with alcohol abuse and should consider seeking treatment to make your life the best that it can be.

NCMH reminds citizens that there are a variety of treatment options available and that recovery and a substance-free life is possible for those individuals who abuse alcohol. Let’s join together and fight the stigma to ensure healthier and happier lives for our residents.

Snyder appointed to national board - March 2008

Greg Snyder, executive director of Newaygo County Mental Health, was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD) at their recent annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Snyder will also serve on the Medicaid subcommittee for the organization.

NACBHDD is an affiliate of the National Association of Counties (NACo) and responsible for the development and recommendation of policy to NACo on national health care issues.

Mr. Snyder has a master's degree in social work from Western Michigan University and a B.S. degree in psychology. A native of the West Michigan area, Greg started his career at Muskegon County CMH. He has been at Newaygo County CMH for 28 years, serving as executive director for the past eight years.

Recipient rights office receives awards - November 2007

At the recent annual recipient rights conference, Newaygo County Mental Health was presented with two awards. On behalf of Newaygo County Mental Health, Cheryl Parker, Officer of Recipient Rights, received the Full Compliance Award for achieving a perfect score during the 2007 site visit conducted by the Department of Community Health – Office of Recipient Rights.

“This is an outstanding achievement. We are very proud of our Recipient Rights Office,” said Greg Snyder, Executive Director. Cheryl has been with Newaygo CMH for 24 years; 17 of which have been in the provision of services as the Officer of Recipient Rights. The award letter noted there was evidence of exemplary performance, and called attention to examples where the rights staff and the CMH exceeded the standard requirements in promoting and protecting recipient rights.

In addition, Beatrice Stevens, Customer Service Representative, and Cheryl shared the 2007 Director’s Award for Innovation in Rights Protection, presented by the Department of Community Health. Bea, who has been with Newaygo CMH for 6 ½ years, has developed an extensive training program based on the “Dare to Dream” series which she presents to persons in Newaygo County who have developmental disabilities and/or mental illness. The topics covered include person-centered planning, self advocacy, crisis planning, McGill Action Planning, independent facilitation, and self determination. She also includes a recipient rights element throughout the series. In addition, Bea works with Cheryl conducting on-site audits of contracted adult foster care home and inpatient/crisis home settings to assure the state-established recipient rights protection standards in these facilities are met. As a result of Bea’s activities, there has been an increased awareness for consumers and insight for staff from the perspective of consumers.

Ms. Helen Taube, Chair of Newaygo CMH Board of Directors, states, “It is evident that Recipient Rights is not a stand-alone activity in the agency. Recipient Rights is an integral part of service provision for our consumers which requires the participation of consumers in order to be successful.”

For more information on services offered by Newaygo County Mental Health, call 231-689-7330 or 1-800-968-7330. You can also check the website, www.newaygocmh.org.

Open house held - November 2007

On October 18, staff members of Newaygo County Mental Health welcomed the community to celebrate the open house of the agency’s expanded facility, a year to the day of the groundbreaking ceremony in 2006. County officials and CMH board members were there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and took part in guided tours of the building. Representatives from Fleis and VandenBrink Engineering participated in the festivities, as did local officials and members of the community.

The desire for the long-awaited project began back in 2004. The existing structure is approximately 25 years old, was originally designed as an outpatient unit, and served 1/3 of the number of consumers it serves today. Staff were working 2-4 people in offices originally designed for 1 person. Services are now much more psychiatric oriented with a focus on the physical and behavioral healthcare, and that created a need for more “patient” rooms, a lab, and storage space for medication, consumer files, and future growth.

Today, the 12,000 foot addition, leased by CMH from the County of Newaygo , includes a new entrance and lobby and allows CMH to serve consumers more effectively through enhancing the delivery of services for now and into the future.

At the same time, CMH is celebrating 35 years of service to the citizens of Newaygo County . Newaygo County CMH was established in 1971, and in 1978 was the first mental health center in the state (and smallest in the nation) to receive accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

“Over the past 35 years we have improved care and quality of life for those who have a mental illness or developmental disability,” says Greg Snyder, executive director of CMH.” As we work toward solutions, we must not waver from the basic philosophy that gave birth to the CMH system –mental health is just as real and important as physical health, and every citizen should have the right to be a participating and contributing member of their community.”

For more information about Newaygo County Mental Health and the services they provide, call 231-689-7330, or toll-free, 1-800-968-7330. You can also check out their web site at www.newaygocmh.org.