Happy 4th of July

The Kim Foundation would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe 4th of July. Enjoy the fireworks and great weather!

Integrating Recovery Into Nursing Practice

I have practiced nursing for more than 20 years—16 of which were in psychiatric nursing. I worked in a psychiatric unit within a major medical center and a state psychiatric hospital, where it was common practice to use seclusion, restraint, and other physical containment strategies to “manage” what we viewed at the time as patients’ problematic behaviors. We were using interventions we had been taught and led to believe were the right things for our patients. Deep down, I questioned the suffering these patients went through while being contained. I felt their pain, especially when witnessing grown men and women scream and cry in agony as they were carried to seclusion. The staff’s adrenaline was pumping and their perceived goal was to keep everyone safe. But something seemed wrong with this arrangement.

Executive Director of the Nebraska Families Collaborative Invited to the Twentieth-Anniversary Fellowship Class of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

We’re always pleased when we can pass along congratulations to people and organizations inspiring a higher level of mental health care opportunities in Nebraska. The Executive Director of the Nebraska Families Collaborative (NFC), Dave Newell, was just accepted to the Twentieth-Anniversary Fellowship Class of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The program will be intense and involves a large commitment of time and energy on Dave’s part, but he is the kind of leader who will invest in the challenge. The Casey Foundation Fellowships increase the pool of leaders with vision, drive, and ability to create and sustain major system reforms and community initiatives for benefitting large numbers of children and families. During this twenty-month process, Dave and the 15 other Fellows, will work toward specific, measurable improvements for children and families.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at The Kim Foundation!

Hoarding Disorder

A recent guest on our Not Alone radio broadcast created quite a stir with her comments and insights addressing hoarding, so we wanted to share more of her conversation with us about hoarding disorders, the research that has been underway the past 25 years, and the opportunities she sees for community prevention and intervention. We are gratified to learn that hoarding disorders will be included in the new DSM – 5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition)

At Ease USA Luncheon

Again this year, we had the privilege of attending the At Ease USA luncheon to raise support for Nebraska military families experiencing the effects of trauma or emotional injury.

Happy New Year

The Kim Foundation would like to wish you and your familes a very Happy New Year! We’re looking forward to a great 2013!

NAMI-Omaha Conference Keynote Speaker, Keris Jän Myrick, Urges Audience to Do Something Meaningful

The Kim Foundation was invited to attend the NAMI-Omaha Conference on October 20, 2012, and we were delighted to be among the over 100 people attending! The keynote speaker, Keris Jän Myrick, urged participants to become involved locally, to make a strong effort to impact policy and the changing of policy as it addresses mental health conditions in our home communities.

Olympic Swimmer, Amanda Beard, Speaks to Reduce Stigma

We recently had the opportunity to hear American swimmer Amanda Beard, a seven-time Olympic medalist, speak in Omaha on behalf of Community Alliance. Her visit called attention to health issues caused by mood disorders and emotional challenges, including the resulting devastation upon people’s lives when these challenges are neither recognized nor addressed.

Amanda reflected on the years of emotional turmoil with which she coped, or didn’t cope, and how her personal life continued to spiral downward because of poor self-image, lack of opportunities to talk openly and share her emotional challenges, and the pressures of being a teenage media personality. Severe depression, anorexia, bulimia, and self -injury through cutting became her coping tools.