Thursday, May 19, 2011
First OutREACH WA Tour a Success!
Brad Berry, Executive Director and REACH Project Director, took a quick tour of Washington that covered over 900 miles and multiple cups of coffee. The REACH Advisory Council members in each community were extremely hospitable and helped to make the trip a success on many levels. A huge thanks goes out to Debbie (Richland), John (Spokane), Randi (Spokane), Kelly (Ellensburg), Sue (Olympia), and Laurel (Lakewood). The request was to be available and invite who you want...they were and they did. Brad will be organizing a regular call with this group and making a trip to Seattle and points north soon. There will be more details available through this blog, the CVAB Online Community website, CVAB’s Facebook Account and NW Seeds of Change REACH Project Group. In the meantime, consider getting involved through a REACH Workgroup. You can find applications and other materials under the REACH Project tab at our main website.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
CVAB is forming the REACH WA Advisory Council
CVAB is inviting interested individuals to become a part of our REACH WA Advisory Council.
You may remember that CVAB is developing Regionally Empowered and Accessible Communities of Hope (REACH), these will be consumer organized, operated and run centers. CVAB will simultaneously be forming the REACH Network that links the developing centers and other consumer organizations and businesses providing technical assistance to consumer operated services. The REACH Network will be committed to the continuous transformation of health services and shaping public policy.
As a part of our REACH WA project, we think it is important to have statewide representation on an advisory council. The council will help us with planning and implementing our strategies to establish REACH centers. The commitment will begin as simply as a monthly phone call but you can expect it to increase to quarterly meetings in regions of the state.
If you are interested, please go to the CVAB Online Community, find the REACH Project page and download an application. We would like to wrap up this round of applications by April 22, 2011.
REACH WA is funded by a Consumer Statewide Network Grant from SAMHSA.
You may remember that CVAB is developing Regionally Empowered and Accessible Communities of Hope (REACH), these will be consumer organized, operated and run centers. CVAB will simultaneously be forming the REACH Network that links the developing centers and other consumer organizations and businesses providing technical assistance to consumer operated services. The REACH Network will be committed to the continuous transformation of health services and shaping public policy.
As a part of our REACH WA project, we think it is important to have statewide representation on an advisory council. The council will help us with planning and implementing our strategies to establish REACH centers. The commitment will begin as simply as a monthly phone call but you can expect it to increase to quarterly meetings in regions of the state.
If you are interested, please go to the CVAB Online Community, find the REACH Project page and download an application. We would like to wrap up this round of applications by April 22, 2011.
REACH WA is funded by a Consumer Statewide Network Grant from SAMHSA.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Impressed with the Work of Our Peers
I attended the final formal gathering under WA Transformation Grant of Regional Organizing Initiatives (ROI). I was there to provide information about CVAB's SAMHSA Grant that is known as our REACH project and recruited to provide an overview of healthcare reform and how to be involved.
The part of the day that was most imressive was when it came time for the groups to report out what they have accomplished. The four groups that were present were able to stretch the monies they received to connect with, train, and support so many of our peers across the state...it was inspiring.
I hope the stories can be collected, shared and preserved so we can see how the efforts of the few led to positive changes for the many. We owe a great thanks to those who pioneered the efforts as a part of the T-grant.
I began the day telling the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz gang...the point being we all have strengths and need to recognize the strengths in others...the brain, heart, courage and ability to build a caring community was clearly evidenced through the ROI particpants.
Lets continue to find ways to support and encourage one another's good work...we must succeed.
The part of the day that was most imressive was when it came time for the groups to report out what they have accomplished. The four groups that were present were able to stretch the monies they received to connect with, train, and support so many of our peers across the state...it was inspiring.
I hope the stories can be collected, shared and preserved so we can see how the efforts of the few led to positive changes for the many. We owe a great thanks to those who pioneered the efforts as a part of the T-grant.
I began the day telling the story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz gang...the point being we all have strengths and need to recognize the strengths in others...the brain, heart, courage and ability to build a caring community was clearly evidenced through the ROI particpants.
Lets continue to find ways to support and encourage one another's good work...we must succeed.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Numbers?
We're not always sure what numbers mean when we see them. The reason we raise this is because we've had a number of days with over a hundred visits in the last week or so--yesterday we had 126 people come into the Self-Help Recovery Center. I want to say a special thanks to the three staff and few volunteers who helped keep it all flowing smoothly.
We don't do everything right, but we do a whole lot of things really well. CVAB truly is a resource for health, wellness and recovery.
We don't do everything right, but we do a whole lot of things really well. CVAB truly is a resource for health, wellness and recovery.
Five Years and Counting
I just hit the five year mark as CVAB's ED on March 20, and it continues to be an honor to serve and lead an organization filled with courageous, smart and caring people. Through the years we have had skeptics, the negatively critical, and the uncertain but the people of the CVAB community are for the most part individuals of heroic proportion.
Thanks to all for challenging me as a leader and human, and helping me do what I do so we all can participate in the wonderful health, wellness and recovery experiment called CVAB.
Thanks to all for challenging me as a leader and human, and helping me do what I do so we all can participate in the wonderful health, wellness and recovery experiment called CVAB.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St Pat's Day
In what has been a dreary winter... the green of today reminds us that Spring is coming.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Friend is Gone
CVAB received sad news last week and thought we should share it. Cindy Willey, a friend and inspiration died last week. Please read what Maria Monroe-DeVita & The Washington Institute for Mental Health Research & Training sent out today.
Dear Friends,
It is with great sorrow that we - at the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT) - share the news that the Washington State mental health community has lost a wonderful friend and talented colleague. Cynthia (“Cindy”) Willey died last Thursday after just recently being diagnosed with cancer. We wanted to share some of Cindy’s story below, as we know many of you would want to remember her this way.
Cindy grew up in the Midwest and moved around the country before settling in Washington State 21 years ago. She reared four children and delighted in being Nana to eight grandchildren. She loved writing, reading, cooking, hiking, and most of all spending time with her family. After many years working in the corporate world, she turned to teaching computer skills, and then to human services education. Beginning in September 2002 she co-facilitated “Pebbles in the Pond,” a 36-hour psychoeducation course, at Comprehensive Mental Health in Tacoma. In the same year she became the Operations Manager for the Center for Psychiatric Recovery & Rehabilitation in Tacoma. Cindy was a leader on recovery and peer-based services, as well as consumer-driven evaluation and research. Beginning in 2005, Cindy became a Program Manager at the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT) in Tacoma. While at WIMHRT, she was the primary instructor for the Washington State Certified Peer Counselor Program and a key trainer for the Mental Health Transformation Project’s Anti-Stigma Program. She also helped to spearhead the Consumer and Family Evaluation Mini-Grant Program for the Mental Health Transformation Project and conducted peer-to-peer interviews as part of the data collection methodology for several WIMHRT research and evaluation projects.
Cindy received a Hero Award at the 2002 Washington Behavioral Healthcare Conference. In 2006 she received the Stigma-Buster Award at the Washington State Consumer Conference.
Cindy blended her presentation skills and life experiences to engage, encourage, and inspire her peers. She shared her love of her work and challenged each peer to find his or her own best wellness strategies. She brought kindness, gentleness and integrity into the lives of many.
A memorial for Cindy will be held in Marysville on Saturday, March 5th at 11:00 am. The location for the memorial is: 1211 2nd St. Marysville, WA 98270.
Cindy will be missed by us all. We will continue to carry her spirit in our ongoing work at WIMHRT.
All our best,
Maria Monroe-DeVita & The Washington Institute for Mental Health Research & Training
University of Washington
Dear Friends,
It is with great sorrow that we - at the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT) - share the news that the Washington State mental health community has lost a wonderful friend and talented colleague. Cynthia (“Cindy”) Willey died last Thursday after just recently being diagnosed with cancer. We wanted to share some of Cindy’s story below, as we know many of you would want to remember her this way.
Cindy grew up in the Midwest and moved around the country before settling in Washington State 21 years ago. She reared four children and delighted in being Nana to eight grandchildren. She loved writing, reading, cooking, hiking, and most of all spending time with her family. After many years working in the corporate world, she turned to teaching computer skills, and then to human services education. Beginning in September 2002 she co-facilitated “Pebbles in the Pond,” a 36-hour psychoeducation course, at Comprehensive Mental Health in Tacoma. In the same year she became the Operations Manager for the Center for Psychiatric Recovery & Rehabilitation in Tacoma. Cindy was a leader on recovery and peer-based services, as well as consumer-driven evaluation and research. Beginning in 2005, Cindy became a Program Manager at the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT) in Tacoma. While at WIMHRT, she was the primary instructor for the Washington State Certified Peer Counselor Program and a key trainer for the Mental Health Transformation Project’s Anti-Stigma Program. She also helped to spearhead the Consumer and Family Evaluation Mini-Grant Program for the Mental Health Transformation Project and conducted peer-to-peer interviews as part of the data collection methodology for several WIMHRT research and evaluation projects.
Cindy received a Hero Award at the 2002 Washington Behavioral Healthcare Conference. In 2006 she received the Stigma-Buster Award at the Washington State Consumer Conference.
Cindy blended her presentation skills and life experiences to engage, encourage, and inspire her peers. She shared her love of her work and challenged each peer to find his or her own best wellness strategies. She brought kindness, gentleness and integrity into the lives of many.
A memorial for Cindy will be held in Marysville on Saturday, March 5th at 11:00 am. The location for the memorial is: 1211 2nd St. Marysville, WA 98270.
Cindy will be missed by us all. We will continue to carry her spirit in our ongoing work at WIMHRT.
All our best,
Maria Monroe-DeVita & The Washington Institute for Mental Health Research & Training
University of Washington
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