Community Information and Calendar - Western Highlands Network of NC

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Community Information/Calendar

Meetings, training sessions, and other events sponsored by agencies and organizations throughout the 8-county community.

This page contains information common to all eight counties. For county-specific information, see "Resource Information by County" on the left. Asheville announcements are on the Buncombe County page.

"Change on the Horizon" Mental Health Community Forums

Western Highlands Network presents "Change on the Horizon", a Community Forum addressing current plans for addressing crisis services, medical support and service needs for Mental Health Consumers in the community. The public will have an opportunity to give input and pose questions to the presenters. The forum will take place on the following dates and locations:

For Madison, Mitchell and Yancey Counties
Monday, June 30th, from 6:30-8:00 pm UPDATED LOCATION: Burnsville Town Center, 6 South Main Street, Burnsville. Printer-Friendly Flyer (PDF)

For Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania Counties:
Thursday, June 12th, from 1:30-3:00 pm Pardee Health Education Center Blue Ridge Mall, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville. Printer-Friendly Flyer (PDF)

For Polk and Rutherford Counties:
Thursday, May 29th, from 11:30-1:00 pm Steps to Hope 60 Ward Street, Columbus, NC. Printer-Friendly Flyer (PDF)

NAMI-NC Family-to-Family Education Program 2008

For family members and caregivers of individuals with Mental Illness

A 12-week course helps family members/caregivers understand and support people with serious mental illness while maintaining their own well-being. Topics include facts about the mental illnesses (brain disorders), medications, communication techniques, problem solving, stress reduction, community services/support and advocacy.

There is no cost to participate in the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Program. All materials are provided free. Class size is limited. Confidentiality is maintained. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Over 120,000 family members in the U.S. and Canada have completed this course. We think you will be pleased by how much assistance the program offers. We invite you to call for more information. If you wish to further check on this program, please go to www.nami.org or www.naminc.org to read more about NAMI and its programs.

LOCATION: FOREST CITY, NC
TIMES: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Beginning January 22, 2008
We can accept class members until the 3rd class

Pre-Registration required. Class size is limited. Call early. This NAMI Family-to-Family Education, program is sponsored by NAMI-Four Seasons an affiliate of NAMI-NC. It is funded by the Western Highlands Network.

Contact: Amy Kerrigan, 828-288-3820 or e-mail amyz59@hotmail.com

System of Care ~ A Philosophy and Practice for Everyone

Esteemed Colleagues, Family Partners and Stakeholders;

Please find below theSummer/Fall schedule for System of Care Training in Buncombe County. All interested folks in the Western Highlands Network Catchment area are welcome. Registrations should be filled out and sent via email to Rose Stouder as listed on the registration form. A hard copy of the registration form, plus a check for $15.00 made out to Caring for Children, may be sent to me, or brought with you to training (provided you have pre-registered via email!).

We have a new curriculum that will enhance your facilitation skills in Child and Family Team Meetings. Please note that System of Care practices are sanctioned by all public agencies and is a proven best practice. We urge you to attend a training soon, and if you haven't been to one in the last two years, it is recommended that you participate again!

See you soon!

	2008 Training Calendar July - January	Word	PDF
	Registration Form	Word	PDF

For training opportunities in Buncombe County sponsored by the Buncombe County Children's Collaborative, please see Buncombe County Resources.

For questions regarding these trainings, technical assistance, or to plan SOC training in your county, agency, etc. please contact:

Rose Stouder
WHN System of Care Coordinator
stou0824@westernhighlands.org
(828) 225-2800

For more information on System of Care, please refer to the NC Division of Health and Human Services website at:
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/mhddsas/childandfamily/index-new.htm

Support Connections Directory

A Support Connections Directory, compiled by the Provider and Consumer Relations Department and CFAC is ready for distribution. (PDF file 950K )

The directory contains descriptions of face-to-face support groups and telephone support networks for consumers and families dealing with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and/or substance abuse in the eight counties of the Western Highlands Network. Although family members or professionals lead most of the groups, there are a number run by and for adult consumers. This is a heart-warming sign that many consumers are taking the challenge of recovery upon themselves. There are also some adult-supervised support groups for teenagers.

We hope that at least one of the support connections listed in our directory will be just what you, or someone you know, are looking for.

If you would like a copy of the Directory, please contact:

Rose Stouder (stou0824@westernhighlands.org ),
WHN System of Care Coordinator
or
Melissa Faulkner (faul0852@westernhighlands.org),
Support Staff at:
Western Highlands Network
356 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
828-225-2800

WHN Stakeholders by County (a handy way to contact your State Agencies in your County)

Contact Information by County for DSS, DJJDP, & LEA's.

Click here for the following counties:
Buncombe Henderson Madison Mitchell Polk Rutherford Transylvania Yancey

NMHA Joins Partnership for Prescription Assistance

The National Mental Health Association announced its participation in the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a groundbreaking initiative to help people who lack access to medications get the treatments they need. A coalition of national organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Academy of Family Physicians, united to promote this new one-stop shop for information on 275 public and private prescription assistance programs.

"Until now, there was no central information clearinghouse for prescription assistance programs sponsored by government agencies and pharmaceutical companies, leaving consumers to navigate two complex systems for prescription assistance," said Michael Faenza, president and CEO of NMHA. "With more than two-thirds of people needing mental health treatment in this nation going without, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance can help many Americans who have trouble paying for treatments get help."

To access the program, people can call 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669) or visit http://www.pparx.org/.

Asperger's Sibling Support Project

NEEDED: Children in the 8-12 age range who have a brother or sister diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and who might be interested in participating in a videotape interview in an effort to offer support to other families. For more information, please see the printer-friendly flyer:
Word or PDF

Community Meetings:

Each County in the WHN catchment area has local community meetings that occur monthly. Click the following links to view a calendar with these recurring static meetings for you to use as a resource for more information regarding the community in which you live, work, and enjoy. Monthly Community Meeting Calendar: Word file or PDF file.

Local Children’s Collaborative:

Local Children’s Collaborative meetings are State mandated meetings, but are open to the public to include family members and consumers, as well as professional partnering agency representatives. County Collaboratives meet monthly to discuss community resources, services, and funding. The mission of the collaborative is to ensure a System of Care model across all agencies, information sharing, trainings for the community, and education to each stakeholder as to agency roles within the agency as well as partner roles with each other and the families we serve.

Local County Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils (JCPC)

Each JCPC has the responsibility to:

Review the needs of juveniles in the county who are at risk of delinquency or who have been adjudicated undisciplined or delinquent
Review the resources available to address those needs
Prioritize community risk factors
Determine the services needed to address those problems areas
Develop a request for proposal for services in need
Submit a written funding plan to the county commissioners for approval
Evaluate program performance
Increase public awareness of the causes of delinquency and strategies to reduce the problem
Develop strategies to intervene, respond to and treat the needs of juveniles at risk of delinquency
Provide funds for treatment, counseling, or rehabilitation services

Share the Warmth Providing Heating Assistance to the Less Fortunate

The Share the Warmth (STW) program provides financial assistance for heating bills during the winter season for low income families within the Duke Energy service territory in the Carolinas. Since the program’s establishment in 1985, we have completed 20 successful seasons and provided over $21 million in heating bill assistance. Visit Share the Warmth Partner Agencies for more information.

Share the Warmth Fund
The Duke Energy Foundation
P.O. box 35469
Charlotte, N.C. 28254-3429

Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center (ECAC)

The ECAC offers parents of children with special needs many services and resources. All services are provided to parents and families at no charge. PDF Brochure 366K

There is also a new Website with information for families based on IDEA 2004; see (http://idea.ed.gov) for more information.

American Humane Association - A Possible Resource In Our Communities

Those who are involved with Collaborative groups would find it worthwhile to research this resource. The American Humane Association has provided for many demonstration grants for children and families; why not in one of our communities???

To learn more, visit www.americanhumane.org

SummerShine Camp programs at Lutheridge.

Please click on the following documents for more information.

SummerShine Kids Flyer (Word File)

SummerShine Hilltop Flyer (Word File)

SummerShine Adults Flyer (Word File)

2007 SUMMER CAMP DIRECTORY - provided by the Family Support Network of North Carolina (FSNNC)

A Free Resource Guide for Families With Children Who Have Special Needs
IS NOW AVAILABLE
both in printed copy
AND ON-LINE at: http://www.fsnnc.org/camps/start.asp

This new and improved on-line edition is fully searchable - just enter
your selection criteria to find the camps that meet your needs.
(As always, it is also available in PDF format to download.)

We have also added an on-line survey to gather feedback from families
and service providers.

Additional printed copies may be requested by calling the CDR at
800.852.0042 or emailing cdr@med.unc.edu.

Western Highlands Network will post community information if it is given to us for dissemination. It is not an endorsement of the information or activity, it is merely a posting of the information. Individuals should check out the activity and/or information to assure themselves that it is safe and appropriate for their needs.