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What's New 

Healthy Connections Choices 

South Carolina Healthy Connections Choices is a program that helps Medicaid members enroll in managed care plans. When members enroll, they choose a health plan and a doctor (or clinic). Healthy Connections Choices can help members choose a health plan that is best for them. We would appreciate your including this information as appropriate in newsletters and informative publications that your organization distributes.

For more information on the program, visit our website at www.SCchoices.com or contact Pat Head at 803-667-4333. Thank you for helping us spread the word about the changes to the Medicaid program.

Support Program

A New Support Program is starting that offers phone calls to our caretakers.  Having a mentally ill family member can be overwhelming and it is helpful to talk to someone that understands how you feel.  The individuals that are offering to do these phone calls are some of the volunteers in our NAMI office which have a person in their immediate family with mental illness.  You do not have to travel this road alone.  If you are interested in hearing more information concerning this,  please call Ruth Halpin at 681-2200.

New Community Activity

Movie and Popcorn, starting on Tuesday, March 24th at 1:30pm, please join us.  We will have this in our office for our community members.  This activity will be on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Please call Ruth with questions at 681-2200, or if you would like to donate any VCR movies.

NAMI Launches New Legislative Action Center

Since 2003, NAMI's Web site has featured online information and tools to help you understand current legislation affecting people with mental illness and to take action by contacting your representatives.

Now we've made it even easier for you to affect change with the launch of our new and improved Legislative Action Center.  With just a few clicks of your mouse you can contact your representatives by customizing a form letter from NAMI or composing a message of your own.

Visit NAMI's Legislative Action Center now at: www.nami.org/advocacy. We hope you will take it for a spin and let us know what you think!

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BOOK PRESENTS 30 YEARS OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTING RECOVERY

In this first of two landmark volumes, "Recovery from Severe

Mental Illnesses: Research Evidence and Implications for

Practice—Volume 1" editors Larry Davidson, Courtenay Harding,

and LeRoy Spaniol present over 30 years of accumulating evidence

that challenges the long-held view that severe mental illnesses

typically follow a deteriorating course. Supported through

long-term outcome studies, personal accounts and articles,

this book demonstrates that people with severe mental illnesses

achieve higher levels of role functioning, adjustment, and subjective well-being than previously thought. Contributing

authors include: William Anthony, Patricia Deegan, Robert Drake,

John Strauss, Mary Ellen Copeland, Kim Mueser, Luc Ciompi,

and other prominent researchers and advocates in the field of

psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery.

To learn more, visit http://www.bu.edu/cpr/catalog/books/titles/rsmi-1.html

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TRENDS IN TRANSFORMATION

SAMHSA'S web site recently posted the premiere issue of

Mental Health Transformation Trends, a periodic briefing

to help "identify how the transformation of the mental health

care system can happen" across the nation. The briefing will

also articulate steps that the Agency and its partners are taking

toward creating a Federal Action Agenda for Mental Health,

which will be a roadmap for transformation at the national level.

Both SAMHSA administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W., and

Center for Mental Health Services director Kathryn Power, M.Ed.,

contributed to the welcome message.

To read the first issue, visit www.samhsa.gov/matrix/mhst.

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IMPLEMENTING RECOVERY-BASED CARE

This NASMHPD/NTAC e-Report on Recovery features a collection

of essays and information from a variety of national experts

on psychiatric rehabilitation. The report includes a panel

discussion on workforce issues, a preview of measurement tools

now in development, case studies of successful systems and

ideas at the state and local levels, and print and online resources

for more information.

Check out http://www.nasmhpd.org/spec_e-report_fall04intro.cfm

Hearts and Minds

Total Well-being Inside and Out

Feeling Good Feels Great!

Living a healthy lifestyle has many benefits - not all physical.  When everything is working together - when your body and your mind are strong -  you have more energy and self-confidence and can take more control of your life.  For people who live with mental illnesses, a healthy lifestyle is especially important.  Sometimes, it is easy to become so focused on treating a mental illness that physical health is neglected.  But having a healthy body contributes to emotional recovery.  Eating the right foods, exercising, finding ways to manage stress, getting enough rest and having friends and activities that you enjoy are all part of healthy living. It can help you make better choices for yourself, develop new interests and even make new friends and acquaintances, leading to a happier, more fulfilling life.

For information on becoming a facilitator or for more information on the Hearts and Minds program, click Hearts and Minds

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