Christi at 6 PM, September 14, at Bayview Hospital Gymna-sium, 6629 Wooldridge. On Fri-day, September 15 at 8 AM, Dr. Allen will present again at Del Mar College with continuing education credits available for professionals. Both events are free and open to our members, friends, and the communi-ty. This is a major cooperative event for the community of Cor-pus Christi. For more infor-mation, visit suicideprevention-coalitionofthecoastalbend.com.

Check out your NAMI Advocate magazine when it arrives in September from NAMI National. NGCC is honored to be featured in an article highlighting our rapid growth in reaching NAMI’s Standards of Excellence status! We are grateful for the major mentoring and guidance of Holly Doggett, Executive Director of NAMI Texas, and Stacy Hol-lingsworth, NAMI Texas Con-sultant to new affiliates.

We continue to reach out into the community with support and education on mental illness – you can help. Do you want to learn more about mental illness and make a difference in your life and others? Come to a meeting – you will be warmly welcomed!

Back to school and back to a little more routine in our lives as calendars start to fill up with NAMI Greater Corpus Christi outreach activities. Our affiliate has grown over the summer with a new membership cam-paign offering a NGCC custom-designed T-shirt with every new membership. Get yours at the next meeting!

Over the summer, many of our members have been assuming leadership roles! Andrew Horner is now a Texas state trainer for NAMI Family Sup-port Group Facilitators and he has trained five of our mem-bers to expand our Family Sup-port Groups! Angela Horner is now a Texas state trainer for NAMI Connection and sign-ups are open for facilitator training for this popular peer support group. Call Angela at 361 452-4227 for more information.

Four of our NGCC active mem-bers trained in mid-July to be-come Family to Family course leaders and a new course began at Bayview on September 2nd! The dedication and commitment of these additional facilitators and leaders will allow NGCC to offer more support groups and clas-ses! Special “high-fives” go out to Marty and Claudia Gomez, Lynne Hudson, Amber Guillette , Jim Sturgis and Lorraine Ysassi. Check our website often to see where and when new groups are scheduled – www.namitexas.org/ngcc. We are preparing for the 3rd An-nual Suicide Prevention Coalition Conference September 14 and 15 with featured speaker, Jon Allen PhD from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. A family and open community meeting is to be hosted by NAMI Greater Corpus

Letter from our Leadership

Volume 1, Issue 4 Fall 2017

NAMI GCC General Meetings

Thursday, September 14, 2017 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 19, 2017 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 16 2017 5:30 p.m.

All meetings are at Bayview Be-havioral Hospital Gymnasium

6629 Wooldridge Road in Corpus Christi

Inside this issue:

Scenes from the NAMI National Con-vention

2

Volunteer Spotlight 2

Mental Health Condi-tions: Getting Help Paying for Medica-

3

NAMI Applauds Con-firmation of New Fed-eral Leader on Mental Health and Sub-stance Use Disorders

3

What is a NAMI Sup-port Group Like?

4

Legislative Recap 4

Membership Form 5

NAMI Programs Schedule

6

Special Thanks 6

Contact Us 6

Find Help. Find Hope.

Upcoming Speakers:

NEW TIME: 5:30 p.m.

September 14 SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING. Jon Allen, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine “Suicide Awareness (6pm-8pm)

October 19 Denise Pace, Corpus Christi Police Department

November 16 Anthony Zoccolillo, Ph.D., Texas A&M Cor-

pus Christi

December 14 Holiday Focus on Homelessness with Metro

Ministries, Corpus Christi—Bring supplies for the homeless

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire uni-verse, deserve your love and affection." -Buddha

This year’s convention

theme was “Educate,

Empower, Engage” and

was held in Washington,

DC from June 28—July

1, 2017.

The presentation given

by NAMI Texas and

NAMI Greater Corpus

Christi can be viewed on

the NAMI website,

www.nami.org/

convention. Click on

"Presentation Slides and

Resources" and then

click on, Friday B-7, you'll

see how NAMI Greater

Corpus Christi was

formed under the Stand-

ards of Excellence! Next

year the NAMI National

Convention will be held in

New Orleans, June 27-

30, 2018.

meetings, health

fairs and confer-

ences. They both

can be counted on

for big smiles and

even bigger hugs!

Thank you and Con-

gratulations Lynne!

Scenes from the NAMI National Convention

Volunteer Spotlight

blessed our affiliate with

her skills and compas-

sion toward others. You

will see her often facilitat-

ing the Family Support

Group at Our Lady of

Perpetual Help Church

on 1st and 3rd Friday

nights at 7 PM. She and

her son Daniel regular-

ly help out at general

The fall 2017 volun-teer spotlight is on NAMI Greater Corpus Christi Family Support Group leader and pub-licity chair, Lynne Hud-son!

Lynne took the

Family to Family course

last spring, made many

new friends and has

Volunteer Spotlight

Lynne Hudson

Fall 2017

Page 2

Office of Senator Ted Cruz

Welcome to the NAMI Na-tional Convention

Team Texas visits Senator Ted Cruz’s office

NGCC presenting "Starting Up a New NAMI Affiliate with Success" with NAMI Texas Executive Director Holly Doggett, Consultant Stacy Hollingsworth, and Lynn Saunders from NAMI National

Meeting NAMI National CEO, Mary Gilberti

Psychiatric medications are an im-portant part of treatment for many peo-ple who live with a mental illness. They can improve symptoms and help pro-mote recovery and wellness, but the price for medication can often be an obstacle. Luckily, there are some op-tions you have for reducing the price of your medication. Health insurance can help protect you from high medical costs. However, if you don’t have insur-ance, the first thing you should do is speak with your doctor if you are hav-ing trouble affording your medication. They may be able to provide you with free samples for a period of time. It may also be possible to switch to a less expensive brand-name medication or the generic form of your medication.

Government Prescription Assistance Programs

Many states and counties offer

prescription assistance programs. Con-tact your NAMI State Organization and NAMI Affiliate for information about programs in your area.

www.needhelppayingbills.com is a

website that also lists state and local assistance programs that you may qualify for.

Your state’s Medicaid office may

have information about prescription assistance and discount programs.

If you participate in Medicare Part

D and need financial assistance you may be qualified for the federal benefit pro-gram called Extra Help. The Medicare Rights Center—1-800-333-4114—can let you know if you qualify.

Nonprofit Prescription Assistance Pro-

grams

NeedyMeds helps people of all ages, with and without insurance, locate Pa-tient Assistance Programs, free/low cost clinics, state programs and offers a free NeedyMeds Drug Discount Card. For more information, you may call their help-line at 800-503-6897. Partnership for Prescription Assis-tance helps qualifying people without prescription drug coverage get the medi-cation they need for free or nearly free. They offer access to public and private programs, including pharmaceutical com-pany programs.

RxAssist helps individuals find infor-mation about free and low cost medica-tion programs and other ways to manage your medication cost through their online Patient Assistance Program Center. They also provide a prescription discount card that patients may be able to use even if they have health insurance cover-age.

RxHope provides program descriptions and downloadable applications for pre-

scription assistance programs for specific medications.

PatientAssistance.com is a non-profit site that offers money-saving offers such as printable coupons and a searchable database of available patient assistance pro-grams.

GoodRx allows you to compare drug prices from pharmacies in your area, including big pharmacy chains, local pharmacies and mail order companies.

If you take the brand name version of a medication, the pharmaceuti-cal company that makes that drug may offer payment assistance. A full list of medications, manufactur-ers, and contact information, along with other helpful resources includ-ing direct links to many of the as-sistance programs listed, can be found at https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/Living-with-a-Mental-Health-Condition/Getting-Help-Paying-for-Medications

Mental Health Conditions: Getting Help Paying for Medications

NAMI Applauds Confirmation of New Federal Leader on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

rectly to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Price, she will be well positioned to coordinate the priorities and actions of all of HHS agencies that touch the lives of people who live with mental illnesses.” In her confirmation hearing last week, Dr. McCance-Katz spoke about the im-portance of finding proper balance be-tween intervening early in treating emerging mental health conditions while also ensuring that services are available for those most at risk of experiencing hospitalizations, homelessness, incar-ceration and other consequences of lack of treatment. She also discussed the importance of working creatively to address workforce shortages in mental health, through strategies such as pay-

ment reforms, utilization of allied mental health professionals, increasing tele-mental health services, and peer supports. Dr. McCance-Katz emphasized the important role that families and caregivers play in sup-port and recovery and the need to achieve appropriate balance in protecting privacy while ensuring that caregivers have access to the information and support they need. “NAMI looks forward to working closely with Dr. McCance-Katz in carrying out her im-portant responsibilities,” Giliberti stated. “We will do all we can to support her efforts by bringing the lived experience of individuals and their families to the table as she seeks to increase access to critical mental health ser-vices and supports.” For more information visit www.nami.org

On August 3, 2017, the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Eli-nore McCance-Katz, M.D., as the first ever Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. Dr. McCance-Katz, a psychiatrist, has an extensive background as a treat-ment provider and administrator of mental health and substance use disorder services. “NAMI is pleased that the Senate has confirmed Dr. McCance-Katz,” stated NAMI’s Chief Executive Officer, Mary Giliberti. “Dr. McCance-Katz has both federal and local experience and a history of working closely with people with mental illness and their families in implementing policies. And, as an Assistant Secretary who reports di-

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 4 Fall 2017

NAMI has two popular support groups – Family Support Group and NAMI Connection. NAMI Connection is a free weekly recovery support group for people, 18 and up, living with mental illness where peo-ple learn from one another’s experiences, share coping strategies and offer mutual encouragement and under-standing. The groups provide an ongoing opportunity to dis-cuss the challenges of living with mental illness and the techniques for maintaining wellness. All groups are facili-tated by trained facilitators who also are in recovery with men-tal illness. In Corpus Christi, NAMI Connection meets 1st and 3rd Fridays at 7 PM at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 5830 Williams St. and on 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 6 PM at Family Counseling Services, 3833 S. Staples, Rm 218.

Our Family Support Group is also a free meeting for care-givers of individuals with a mental illness where family members can talk frankly about their own challenges and help one another through their learned wisdom. These meetings are also facilitated by trained NAMI family mem-bers. NGCC’s Family Support Group meets at 7:00 PM on 1st and 3rd Fridays at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 5830 Williams St. We meet at the same time as NAMI Connection, in a sepa-rate building. Both groups meet for 90 minutes seated in a semi-circle with two facilitators. Both groups have an agenda, a brief check-in with each person (although we can “pass” if we just feel like lis-tening), and guidelines of con-fidentiality, respect, and em-pathy. Discussions follow prin-

ciples of support as outlined by NAMI including topics such as: seeing the individual first, not the illness.; recognizing that mental illnesses are med-ical illnesses that may have environmental triggers; aiming for better coping skills; reject-ing stigma; rejecting guilt and forgiving ourselves; embrac-ing humor as healthy; working on accepting we cannot solve all problems; and most im-portantly, never giving up HOPE! The goal of the NAMI facilita-tors of these groups as we guide the groups through dis-cussions, is to help partici-pants leave the meeting with a feeling of belonging and support, and perhaps just a bit more hopeful than when they arrived. Give us a try – guar-anteed your money back! (It’s free.)

rural areas), $3.4 million for peer services, over $1.5 million for Clubhouses, and several targeted initiatives related to mental illness in the foster care system. As for inpatient services, the Legislature funded items such as $300 million for the new construction of state hospitals, $160 million for de-ferred maintenance at state hos-pitals and state supported living centers, $24.8 million to maintain state hospital service levels, $20.7 million to purchase addi-tional community psychiatric hos-pital beds, and $10.3 million to increase maximum security bed capacity. Also of particular inter-est in the budget is $37.5 million in matching grant funds for jail diversion, nearly $1 million to extend the availability of medica-tions post-release from prison, judicial mental health education program funding, $1 million to continue the forensic peer support program, veterans mental health funding, a new managed care program for people with serious mental illness, and funding to staff a new behavioral health access to care ombudsman program.

On May 29th, the Texas Legisla-ture adjourned following 140 days of policymaking. The NAMI Texas public policy team spent most of the day at the Texas State Capitol, visiting with and thanking legisla-tors and their staff. The Legislature was then back in for a special session from July 18th through August 15th. While many mental health policy issue areas are in need of attention leading into and during the 2019 legislative ses-sion, mental health advocates should take a moment to reflect on and be grateful for the Legisla-ture’s recent work on mental health. For the third consecutive session, the Legislature increased funding for mental health services. On the outpatient side, this investment includes (but is not limited to) $62.6 million in new funds to in-crease access to community men-tal health services, $30 million for a matching grant program for com-munity mental health programs, $25 million for Healthy Community Collaborative homeless service programs (including $10 million for

Many stand alone bills of interest passed outside of the budget: mental health parity (HB 10), the Sandra Bland Act (SB 1849), medication access reform (SB 860), mental health first aid train-ing for university employees (SB 1533), special education reforms (including SB 160), Medicaid after jail (HB 337), peer services (HB 1486), mental health screening for children (HB 1600), law en-forcement mental health bills (including HB 2619), postpartum depression screening (HB 2466), expedited licensing for out-of-state psychiatrists (SB 674), kin-ship care and foster care bills (including SB 879), mental health and criminal justice reform (including SB 1326), and cyber-bullying prevention( SB 179). Please note: the list above is not exhaustive. It is simply intended to provide a flavor of the mental health reforms passed in the 85th session of the Texas Legislature.

Greg Hansch, LMSW Public Policy Director National Alliance on Mental Ill-ness (NAMI) Texas

What Is a NAMI Support Group Like?

Texas Legislative Recap

Page 4 Newsletter Title

New Family-to-Family leaders recently trained in San Antonio. From left: Ed and Jackie Dickey (trainers), Jim Sturgis, Claudia Gomez, Lorraine Yassi, and Marty Gomez

Newly trained Family Support Group Facilitators (Including 2 for the NAMI Laredo Affiliate)

Page 5

P.O. Box 270692 Corpus Christi Texas 78427-0692 namigreatercorpuschristi@gmail.com

www.namitexas.org/ngcc

Millions of Americans are affected by mental health conditions every

year. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation’s

largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building

better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness

through education and support for both the individual and the family.

Business Name

Special Thanks To:

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., Behavioral Health Center of Nueces Coun-ty, Bayview Behavioral Hospital, Family Counsel-ing Services, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catho-lic Church, Coastal Plains Community Center, Iconic Signs, Shipley Do-Nuts, Anthony Zoccolillo for his time and dedication to the production of NGCC's Newsletter, General Meeting Speakers, and Holly Doggett-Stacy Hollingsworth-Greg Hansch and Patti Haynes from NAMI TEXAS!

We’re on the web

namitexas.org/ngcc

Crisis Line:

Nueces County

1-888 767-4493

Coastal Plains Counties

1-800 841-6467

Page 6

https://www.facebook.com/NAMIGCC/