NAMI Illinois

Today marks International Overdose Awareness Day, and this year's theme is "Together we can." No one should stand alone in our fight to end overdose. While every individual action matters greatly, coming together as an international community creates a powerful collective action. One that moves us with greater speed toward our shared goal of preventing, and ultimately, ending all overdoses.

For people who use drugs and those who don’t. For heartbroken friends and family members of lost loved ones. For activists who fight for sorely needed policy reform. For healthcare and harm reduction workers. For tireless advocates. Overdose can affect anyone, and we encourage you to remember the tenacity of our community. Lean into the power that we can have when we work together.

Learn more at overdoseday.com/ and read one mother's story at tinyurl.com/yz29a4re.

NAMI Illinois is pleased to announce Carrie Worthington has been named the Interim Executive Director. Carrie has been active in the NAMI community for over a decade formerly serving as Board President of NAMI-Will Grundy, and most recently, as President of the NAMI Illinois Board of Directors. Carrie is temporarily stepping aside as Board President to carry out the work of interim executive director. Carrie will use her extensive experience in business operations and managing high performing teams through this leadership transition. She, along with the NAMI IL Board of Directors Executive Committee, will manage the Executive Director search. The Executive Committee is composed of Xan Daniels, Interim Board President; Gia Washington, Board Secretary, and Babbaditya Banerjee, Board Treasurer. Details about the search will be announced soon. Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected]. Andrew Wade served as NAMI Illinois' Executive Director from 2020 until Aug. 26, 2024.

Today marks National Grief Awareness Day. Due in part to our vastly improved physical and mental healthcare, grief is understood far differently today than even as little as 100 years ago. In part due to the frequency of death and grief, the topic was poorly researched or treated until the 1900s. In 1917, famous psychologist Sigmund Freud wrote: “grieving is a natural process that should not be tampered with.” This encapsulates the sentiment well: grieving is a part of life and needs no special attention. As the century wore on, however, there came to be more interest in grief and its stages. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross famously wrote her consequential book, “On Death and Dying,” in 1969. The book laid out the ‘Five Stages of Grief’ that many are familiar with today, under the name ‘The Kübler-Ross Method.’ It was only from 1996 to 2006 that great headway was made in the understanding of grief as something that resisted strict and chronological definition. National Grief Awareness Day was founded in 2014 by Angie Cartwright.

Hotlines, helplines and more. Thanks to our friends at the Farm Family Research Initiative at SIU Medicine for this wonderful resource. Download your copy today at namiillinois.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/MHCrisisResources-4.pdf. Mental health IS health care and you are worth it.

Register today for NAMI IL statewide conference, "Strong Together: Building Unity, Driving Impact" conference Oct. 18-19 at Moraine Valley CC in Palos Hills!

Register here: tinyurl.com/NAMIIL2024ConfReg

The conference will feature NAMI's 40th anniversary celebration, an art exhibit, and groundbreaking presentations in nearly 40 sessions, including such topics as recognizing secondary trauma, supporting youth mental health and health and wellness as we age, loved ones in crisis, crisis intervention: mental health and law enforcement and MUCH , MUCH MORE!

The complete program line-up will be available soon at namiillinois.org/strongertogether2024.

Celebrate the wins!

Aug. 30 marks National Grief Awareness Day so today's throwback pays homage to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (born July 8, 1926, Zürich, Switzerland—died August 24, 2004, Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.), a Swiss-born American psychiatrist and author who was a pioneer in the study of death and dying. Her work helped revolutionize the care of the terminally ill and helped change attitudes toward pain control and death itself. She was especially known for having identified five stages of grief experienced by the dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. She was credited with bringing acceptance and respect to the new field of thanatology and to the hospice care movement.

Developing a state of being aware and present in a moment is called mindfulness. Teaching students how to center themselves and reengage with the world is a crucial skill. Use this resource for strategies to teach students in various age groups about mindfulness. {from nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BTS-Mindfulness-Activities.pdf}

For many schools across the state, this week is the first full week of the new school year. To help teachers, parents and students prepare and prioritize youth mental health, NAMI National has some great tips to share (while these were created a few years ago, they're still relevant!) at nami.org/nami-news/nami-shares-fall-2022-back-to-school-resources/NAMI IL and our outstanding 21 affiliates throughout the state provide some of the best programs and resources for parents, caregivers, youth, teens and young adults. We're here for you every step of the way.

Welcome conventioneers! Check out our resources here: namiillinois.org/resources/mhcrisissupportresources/ (including the Convention Wellness brochure in collaboration with SAMHSA: namiillinois.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/07/NAMI-IL-DNC-Brochure.pdf).

Find the complete infographic at nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BTS-Suicide-Warning-Signs.pdf, and visit namiillinois.org to learn more about the programs and resources available at no cost. You are not alone.

NAMI IL Board of Directors Nominations Open! The full slate of Board members will be voted upon at NAMI IL's annual meeting at the 2024 Conference. Click namiillinois.org/about-nami-illinois/board-staff-leadership/ to learn how to nominate someone (or yourself!) for the NAMI IL Board of Directors.

Anyone can learn to help prevent su***de. It takes just three steps:
1. Question a person about su***de.
2. Persuade a suicidal person to get help.
3. Refer a suicidal person to the appropriate resources.

With funding from the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), in partnership with ECHO-Chicago at the University of Chicago, is offering an online, self-paced QPR Gatekeeper training. There is no cost to participants.

Register at qprinstitute.com/organization/register?org=ILS(ENTER CODE ILS1837184428).

By the conclusion of the training, participants will understand:
· The common causes of suicidal behavior
· The warning signs of su***de
· How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
· How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing su***de
· How to get help for someone in crisis

Our friends at Mental Health America released their 2024 report, "The State of Mental Health in America" (mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america). For example, 1 in 5 youth had at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year. Over half of them – nearly 3 million youth - did not receive treatment. Learn more by clicking the link above.

While the early bird registration might have passed for NAMI Illinois' 40th Anniversary Conference, the "Stronger Together: Building Unity, Driving Impact" conference is still a deal for two days full of incredible sessions and networking!

Register here: tinyurl.com/NAMIIL2024ConfReg

The conference will feature NAMI's 40th anniversary celebration, an art exhibit, and groundbreaking presentations in nearly 40 sessions, including such topics as:
• Saturday's keynote, the transformative power of art in recovery by past NAMI IL President and director/founder of The Awakenings Project Robert Lundin
• Recognizing and addressing secondary trauma with J Cangialosi at Relief Mental Health
• Harnessing lifestyle medicine as a pathway to mental wellness with Dr. Lisa Page of ACP Consultants
• Defining and understanding infant/early childhood mental health with Allison Lowe-Fotos of Start Early and Sarah Martinez of the Erikson Institute
• De-escalating agitated people with personal safety specialist Marcus Melnick
• Conquering fear, anxiety, and anger with a four-step self-help method with Angela Sullivan and Hina Sowinski of Recovery International
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

The complete program line-up will be available soon at namiillinois.org/strongertogether2024.

FINAL DAY! NAMI Illinois 40th Anniversary Conference Early Bird Registration ends tonight! If you haven't yet registered, visit the link below to get a great discounted rate to NAMI Illinois 40th anniversary conference, Stronger Together: Building Unity, Driving Impact.
REGISTER HERE: tinyurl.com/NAMIIL24ConferenceEarlyBirdReg. Visit namiillinois.org/strongertogether2024 for details on the conference, the art exhibit, anniversary dinner and MORE!

NAMI Illinois · Early Bird Registration: NAMI Illinois 2024 Conference We look forward to seeing you Oct. 18-19 at the 40th anniversary Stronger Together: Building Unity, Driving Impact conference at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills. Early Bird rates end August 12. 

Building healthy workplaces is a team effort. Thanks to this share on LinkedIn from Asim Khaliq.

We'll use an old photo for ( ), but with it we'll add "modern" resources, specifically, a classroom mental health contract for teachers.

Breaking stigma surrounding mental health can happen in the classroom. With this resource, educators can help their students talk openly and frequently about mental health and well-being: nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BTS-Classroom-Mental-Health-Contract.pdf

Check out our online support groups here: namiillinois.org/calendar/. For in-person groups and programs offered by NAMI in Illinois affiliates serving your region, visit namiillinois.org/about-nami-illinois/affiliate-list/and and click on the affiliate serving your region/county to learn more.

With NAMI IL and our wonderful affiliates throughout Illinois, you're not alone.

Some new back-to-school tips from NAMI! Visit nami.org/your-journey/kids-teens-and-young-adults/youth-and-young-adult-resources/ and check out our resources, support groups and more at namiillinois.org (be sure to visit our affiliates' websites/social to see all the great programs and events they offer!).

Working with SAMHSA, NAMI Illinois has created a Convention Wellness Guide, for the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which will take place in Chicago August 19-22. Check out tips and guidance, including our accessible convention wellness guide, for attending the convention and other large scale events: namiillinois.org/resources/mhcrisissupportresources.

With NAMI Illinois, you are never alone.

Make it a good day and celebrate any success that you experience today. Happy Friday and weekend, friends.

As we ready for getting kids back to school (including college), check out NAMI IL's Ending the Silence Training Weekends. NAMI Ending the Silence presentations help middle and high school-aged youth learn the warning signs for mental health conditions, help reduce stigma, and gain skills and knowledge to support themselves or a friend who is struggling with their mental health.

Upcoming trainings include:
August 12-13 - NAMI DuPage (Wheaton). App deadline: Aug. 5
August 24-25 - Quincy (IL) University. App deadline: Aug. 19
September 28-29 - Rooted Wellness/NAMI Sauk (Sterling). App deadline: Sept. 23
October 26-27 NAMI Will-Grundy area - TBD. App deadline: Oct. 21.

During ETS state training, presenters and young adult personal speakers learn how to engage with an audience, share crucial information about difficult topics, and practice speaking confidently and using the Ending the Silence powerpoint. Presenters must live with or support someone with a mental health condition. Personal speakers are young adults who share their personal journey with a mental health condition.

Contact [email protected] for the training application or for more information. Individuals must apply in advance for state trainings.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved Illinois’ proposed 1115 Medicaid Behavioral Health Transformation waiver application. This waiver is bringing 10 pilot programs to Illinois over the next five years, including funding to support physical and mental wellbeing, re-entry from jails and prisons and workforce development for community health workers.

NAMI IL supports the waiver and provided detailed comments as part of its ongoing monitoring of state and local policies that impact mental health services in our state,

and we appreciate the state's efforts to strengthen behavioral health care and develop innovative methods to address unmet social needs that are critical to one's health, putting the state on stronger footing toward improving mental health outcomes. While the waiver has been approved, the work isn’t over – now we turn our attention to implementation. NAMI Illinois looks forward to working with the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to ensure these pilot programs are fully implemented.

For more information about legislative measures and advocacy, contact NAMI IL Director of Research & Policy Tony Ohlhausen at [email protected].

Have you registered yet for the NAMI Illinois 40th anniversary conference, Stronger Together: Building Unity, Driving Impact? The early bird rate ends at midnight, Aug. 11. Visit namiillinois.org/strongertogether2024 to register and to stay up to date on our 2024 conference. This year's conference will feature NAMI's 40th anniversary celebration (including special guests), an art exhibit and groundbreaking presentations, including a special keynote by Robert Lundin, one of NAMI IL's early board members and the founder of the Awakenings Project. We'll also feature close to 40 sessions and presentations that cover a wide range of diverse topics, such as addressing secondary trauma, managing agitated people, becoming a trusted adult, building partnerships, creativity and mental health and MUCH more! The complete program line-up will be available in the coming months at namiillinois.org/strongertogether2024.

In honor of Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI’s CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., is joined by Harold Turner, executive director of NAMI Urban Los Angeles, and Tracy McMillan, a relationship expert and television writer for "Hope Starts With Us." (tinyurl.com/yckakety).

In this episode, Dan and our guests explore mental health equity in minoritized communities, navigating mental health crises, the upcoming second season of Hulu’s “UnPrisoned,” and more. You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.