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NAMI-Blue Ridge Family Alliance
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Meeting Schedule September 21: Western State Update John Beghtol, Director of Community Services for Western State Hospital, will report on changes in their use of restraint and seclusion. He will also describe their psychosocial rehabilitation program. Be sure to attend to learn about progress at WSH. October 5: Support Group Meeting October 19: "Cautious Optimism on the Road Dr. Irving Gottesman, UVA professor and well-known authority in the field of genetics and mental illness, will give us the very latest news in this critical field of research. Parents and siblings will find this meeting to be helpful as they strive to make informed decisions re family planning. November 2: Support Group Meeting November 16: "Mental Illness and the Law" Dr. Paul A. Lombardi, program director at the UVA Center for Bio-Medical Ethics, will discuss laws on patient confidentiality, as well as other legal issues. Family members, mental health professionals, doctors, and lawyers should attend. December 7: Third Annual Family Holiday Please mark your calendars to reserve the date. |
President’s Message Dear Friends, Our condolences go out to Millie Shor for the loss of her husband, Mort, who was a long-time friend of our Family Alliance. His presence at our meetings will be missed, but his spirit will remain with us. Millie Shor, Sally Rinehart, and Pat Passalacqua will now share the publicity chores that Mort had faithfully taken care of for so long. NAMI is sponsoring a new Family-to-Family Education Program, a 12-week course for families of individuals with severe mental illnesses. Trained family members teach the course, and all course materials are furnished at no cost to those who attend. Ginger Johnson (a newcomer and fellow Region-Ten employee) and I took the Family-to-Family Education Group facilitator training at the end of June. We plan to start this 12-week class in March of 2001. It will be held from 6:30pm until 9:00pm on Tuesday nights, so keep that night free if you'd like to attend. Call or e-mail me (donnal@regionten.org) to be put on the list, as space is limited and these classes usually fill up quickly! Also, Julie Curry and I have been trained as facilitators for the new Family-to-Family Support Group. We started using this new format in August, so expect some changes when you come to support group meetings on the first Thursday of the month -- same time (5:30pm) and place (Board Room of the Region Ten Building). Donna Loney
FearLess October Be on the lookout for brochures announcing this month-long series of educational events, sponsored by the Charlottesville Mental Health Association and a coalition of mental health agencies, including NAMI - BRFA. Throughout October there will be many free workshops, lectures, talks, and forums, all open to the general public. Blue Ridge Family Alliance’s special contribution to the schedule is Dr. Gottesman’s presentation on October 19.Continue to Page 2 |
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All meetings are held at the Region Ten Building, 800 Preston Avenue, from 5:50 PM - 7:00 PM |
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