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Contact UsOffice Hours: Mon - Fri 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. New Address: 2010 N First St Ph. (408) 453-0400 |
Welcome to NAMI Santa Clara CountyNAMI Santa Clara County is one of the largest Bay Area NAMI affiliates of the the NAMI California and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). We offer practical experience, support, education, comfort and understanding to anyone concerned about mental illnesses (primarily schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression and OCD) and their treatment of services in Santa Clara County. In addition, we work with public organizations, private businesses and the media to increase organizational and personal knowledge of effective ways to deal with the illnesses while advocating for increased research and improved services for individuals with mental illness. General MeetingTuesday, January 10th, 2012 Reaching Out to Silicon ValleyHow can we reach out to companies in Siliicon Valley? This is the question that volunteer activists at NAMI Santa Clara County have discussed and grabbled with for years. We began to answer this question in November when we hosted a meeting of the Santa Clara Chapter of the Northern California H.R. Assoc. We were able to use about 18 minutes of the meeting to give a presentation to the 40 or so persons in attendance. Not only did we briefly present statistics regarding the cost of mental illness in the work place, but also three members told their personal stories. Two of the stories explained the steps their employers are taking to support workers who are ill or have ill family members. We ended our presentation by describing the many free classes, support groups, and programs that we offer. To further educate our guests a list of 14 truth or myth questions (e.g. Schizophrenia means split personality.) was distributed with a prize offered for the most correct answers. And correct answers were readily attained from NAMI members in attendance. Although it is too early to see the results of our meeting, those in attendance were very pleased and several further initiatives resulted from follow up contacts.
View the video here
Job Opportunities at NAMI Santa ClaraThe following part-time job opportunities are currently available at NAMI Santa Clara. For details please check out our job opportunities page. KKUP 91.5 FM John Mitchem and Kathy Forward Interviewed by Anita RosasJohn Mitchem and Kathy Forward give a very infomative interview about NAMI Santa Clara County and the resources and programs available to our members and consumers. Click to listen: Seeing Past the Label to the HeartMany NAMI members will remember Dan Wu as one of their Family-to-Family teachers. Others may know him as a caring and empathic psychiatric nurse at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. Since becoming a NAMI member, Dan has become a dynamic and diligent stigma-buster, working to improve the lives of people with mental illness in many ways and on many fronts. On Sunday, April 17th, Dan and Eileen, his wife of one year, were honored as 'Local Heroes' by the Media Center in Palo Alto for their work in mental illness. Their's is a story of dedication to each other, and of the miracle and healing power of love. The Media Center is a cable TV network serving Mountain View, Los Altos and Palo Alto. You can view the taped interview online seen on cable TV the week on April 17 through 23.
Please Join Us for some informal FUN!
Connect 2 U!Consumers, Families and Friends Social Group meet for board games, card games, light refreshments, conversation and FUN! Time: 2 - 4 PM Date: Saturdays Location: NAMI Office 2010 N. 1st Street, SJ Contact: Mary Lou Snowden (408)741-1413 NAMI SC Nature Walks & Hikes for Consumers, Families and Friends
Contact: Joe Flood (408)-529-5369 Please join us for informal NAMI Santa Clara Walks and Hikes. When: 9:OO AM to 11:00 AM Most Sundays Where: Meet at Campbell Park near the Playground area. Everyone might consider having a suitable breakfast before and we will provide light snacks and bottled water for the walks and hike. Shoes & what to wear: Dress accordingly, wear layered clothing if cold. Good walking, running or hiking shoes are best. Directions: Campbell Park is located intersection of Campbell & Gilman Avenues, between Downtown Campbell and Highway 17. Parking: In the parking area or on the street Public Transportation: Light Rail to Down town Campbell . Then east on Campbell Avenue a few blocks to the Park.
Holiday Office HoursThe NAMI office will be closed on the following holidays in 2012: January 16: Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.
Another Honor for NAMI VolunteersThe remarkable run of recognition for the efforts of NAMI Santa Clara and its volunteers continued recently. Gini and John Mitchem were honored for their NAMI volunteer work at Disability Awareness Night at a San Jose Giants baseball game. This follows similar honors this year and in recent years for activist members Luisa Perez, Sharon Roth, Kathy Forward, Monica Nay, Navah Statman, Vic and Mary Ojakian, and Dan Wu as well as for NAMI SCC itself as an organization. The Mitchems joined two other local honorees in receiving an EP Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award in recognition of their "competitive spirit and effort on behalf of the disability community". The award is sponsored by the EP Foundation for Education, MassMutual Financial Group and League of Dreams and was presented at the Disability Awareness Night sponsored by Miceli Financial Partners of San Jose. Gini and John feel very fortunate to work with so many great NAMI volunteers, the vast majority of whom do not receive recognition outside our immediate NAMI community. But together we make important contributions in support, education, and advocacy as we work for a life in the community for everyone.
MY FAMILY MEMBER HAS BEEN ARRESTED—WHAT DO I DO?Despite the good efforts of CIT trained police officers, sometimes our family member's illness causes behavior that leads to arrest. NAMI SCC has an up-to-date guide to assist families when a loved one who suffers from a biological brain disorder is in the Santa Clara County criminal justice system. In order to contact the Public Defender please go to the public defender office website or call 408 299-7700, option 8.
Our 35th Anniversary CelebrationOn November 11, 2010, NAMI Santa Clara County celebrated its 35th Anniversary with a dinner and awards presentation. It was an outstanding success. Over 200 people attended and helped honor our achievements over thirty-five years and some of the individuals who have truly made a difference. Here is a brief review of the event. We also have a review on page 2 of the January newsletter. One of the wonderful surprises of the Celebration was the attendance and participation of the Honorable Zoe Lofgren, Congresswoman from the Bay Area. Here is the full text of her remarks, entered into the congressional record, concerning our first president, Marie Hibler.
NAMI national has released a new report, Grading the States 2009, assessing the nation's public mental health care system for adults and finding that the national average grade is a D. Fourteen states improved their grades since NAMI's last report card three years ago. Twelve states fell backwards. Read all about it. |
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