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Tips to Avoid the “Back-to-School Blues”
All of the school supplies have been bought and their backpacks are bursting at the seams! While the summer brings much needed relaxation, the hustle and bustle of the school year is never far away.
Program Spotlight: Charles Drew Health Center
Since 1983, Charles Drew Health Center (CDHC) has provided the Omaha community with affordable, quality health care services to over 10,000 individuals each year. In addition to their pharmacy, medical, dental, and nutrition clinics, Charles Drew has been busy developing mental and behavioral health services to complete their Integrated Care Model.
New Phone App is Proven to Lower Anxiety Levels
Dr. Tracy Dennis, professor at Hunter College in New York, has been busy working with developers to create “Personal Zen,” a game that incorporates the latest science to clinically reduce anxiety levels while you play on your Smart Phone.
Behind the Laughter
As the world absorbs the devastating loss of funny-man Robin Williams, we are reminded once again of the seriousness of mental illness and the indiscriminate way it impacts society. It is reported that Williams suffered from severe depression and had attended rehab more than once for substance abuse problems. Nearly 14.8 million Americans suffer from depression and over 38,000 people end their lives by suicide each year.
“A New State of Mind: Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness”
I recently viewed the documentary “A New State of Mind: Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness,” and found it incredibly interesting. Narrated by mental health advocate, Glenn Close, the documentary interviews several inspiring individuals with various mental illnesses. Among those interviewed includes retired politician, Patrick Kennedy and Olympic diver, Greg Louganis.
New Beginnings
It’s hard to believe summer is more than half way over. With this week ushering in August, back to school is at the front of many of our minds and new beginnings are abundant. This is such an exciting time for so many youth, but also a very stressful time for many others and their families. Changes in schedules and environments, new faces of peers and teachers, and new lessons that may prove to be a difficult subject matter for some, can all be causes of anxiety for a number of youth. We want every youth to feel like they can put their best foot forward to have a successful school year without these anxieties or other concerns getting in their way. This, among many other reasons, is why we have supported school-based therapy and clinics throughout the Omaha Metropolitan area in the past two years of grant funding.
Program Spotlight: Daybreak
The sounds of busy little voices fill every room inside of Daybreak. With a mission to provide valuable behavioral and mental health treatment services to empower and enhance the lives of children, individuals and their families, Daybreak is the area’s newest mental and behavioral health service.
Program Spotlight: OMNI Behavior Health
The Kim Foundation visited OMNI Behavioral Health last month and had the opportunity to meet with Megan Riebe, the Director of Outpatient Services. OMNI was established in 1993, is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and is designed to provide community-based behavioral health and child welfare services.
Iowa Reorganizes Mental Health Regions
Iowa has reorganized its mental health services into 15 regional authorities. Prior to July 1st, Iowa’s 99 counties were previously responsible for their own mental health system. The state’s leaders no longer want an individual’s address to determine the type of mental health care available to them. This change is also focused on keeping people’s mental health from worsening to the point where they wind up in jail or hospitalized because of behaviors related to their illness. This month, Des Moines is opening a new Crisis Observation Center, which will serve as an alternative for people who need help with mental health crises and are in immediate danger of harming themselves or others. Without the additional $6 million in annual funding that Polk County is receiving from the state after the redesign, the center would not have been possible.
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