![]() The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Kenosha County is a non-profit corporation 501 (c) (3) organized in 1983, and an all volunteer organization working to improve the quality of life through education, support, and advocacy. We promote recovery and fight stigma associated with mental illness. ALL of our programs are FREE of charge. We are an ALL volunteer group and we receive NO payment for our service. We rely on the GENEROSITY of others and DONATIONS to fund our programs. For more information about us - click here.
All NAMI Kenosha County Support Groups are postponed due to Covid-19.
Other NAMI Affiliate Support Groups are available: www.namiracinecounty.org/support-groups.html www.namimchenrycounty.org/support/ Rogers Memorial Family Support Kenosha clinic will be offering a free virtual support group for parents and caregivers of children, teens, and young adults struggling with mental health. This group will take place on the fourth Friday of every month from 5 to 6 pm CT, starting September 25. Those interested in attending may email me at Alyssa.Morelli@rogersbh.org or call 262-424-0465 to RSVP. After you RSVP you will receive a link to join the virtual Teams meeting. Additional information on joining a Teams meeting is available here. |
I Achieved My Wildest Dreams. Then Depression Hit.
I’d spent my life training for the Olympics, but I wasn’t prepared for what came next.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/opinion/alexi-pappas-depression.html
I’d spent my life training for the Olympics, but I wasn’t prepared for what came next.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/opinion/alexi-pappas-depression.html

NAMI Celebrates Major Step Forward in “9-8-8” Mental Health Crisis Response
Sep 22 2020 - Arlington, VA – Yesterday, Congress passed S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, which will head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“The need for 9-8-8 is urgent. Without appropriate care, people with mental illness end up on our streets, in jails and in emergency departments—and dying in tragic encounters with law enforcement,” said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., NAMI CEO. “Thanks to yesterday's vote, we are making progress toward ensuring people in crisis get help, not handcuffs.”
More than half of people in the U.S. report that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their mental health. Too many lives are being lost because of interactions between people in crisis and law enforcement. By the House passing S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, the country is on track to make 9-8-8 fully operational and provide resources to meet the increasing demand for mental health services.
Sep 22 2020 - Arlington, VA – Yesterday, Congress passed S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, which will head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“The need for 9-8-8 is urgent. Without appropriate care, people with mental illness end up on our streets, in jails and in emergency departments—and dying in tragic encounters with law enforcement,” said Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., NAMI CEO. “Thanks to yesterday's vote, we are making progress toward ensuring people in crisis get help, not handcuffs.”
More than half of people in the U.S. report that COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their mental health. Too many lives are being lost because of interactions between people in crisis and law enforcement. By the House passing S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, the country is on track to make 9-8-8 fully operational and provide resources to meet the increasing demand for mental health services.

Kenosha County Substance Abuse Coalition
Have you heard our new podcast? Listen and share!
www.saveliveskenosha.org/podcast/
Have you heard our new podcast? Listen and share!
www.saveliveskenosha.org/podcast/

Wisconsin Department of Health Services has published a five year plan aimed at preventing suicide in our state. Get the details at dhs.wisconsin.gov/news/releases/090220a.htm
Suicide in Wisconsin: Impact and Response is a new report that seeks to mobilize and guide coordinated action to reduce suicide attempts and deaths. This report includes:
-The most up-to-date picture of suicidal behavior in Wisconsin based on surveys, death records, and hospital data.
-Four strategies and 50 opportunities for action that taken, as a whole, provide a path toward reducing suicidal behavior in Wisconsin."
Suicide in Wisconsin: Impact and Response is a new report that seeks to mobilize and guide coordinated action to reduce suicide attempts and deaths. This report includes:
-The most up-to-date picture of suicidal behavior in Wisconsin based on surveys, death records, and hospital data.
-Four strategies and 50 opportunities for action that taken, as a whole, provide a path toward reducing suicidal behavior in Wisconsin."
Advocate for Mental Health during Covid-19 Crisis
As the Senate prepares the third in a series of COVID-19-related relief bills, please urge your Senators to ensure people affected by mental illness can maintain their treatment, get health and mental health coverage, access needed supports, and lift up the nonprofits they depend on, like NAMI. Please contact them now to ensure people with mental illness are helped in their response to COVID-19. We need you to ask your U.S. Senators to do 4 things: 1. Remove barriers to mental health treatment. 2. Promote coverage for health and mental health care. 3. Ensure safe housing for people with severe mental illness. 4. Support nonprofits’ capacity to serve. https://nami.quorum.us/action_center/ |

NAMI COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide
This guide is jam packed with tons of information with links to other resources.
You can download the guide here: www.nami.org/covid-19-guide
In Spanish: www.nami.org/covid-19-guia
If you have questions or immediate needs related to COVID-19, you can
If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, please call your health care provider.
This guide is jam packed with tons of information with links to other resources.
You can download the guide here: www.nami.org/covid-19-guide
In Spanish: www.nami.org/covid-19-guia
If you have questions or immediate needs related to COVID-19, you can
- Text COVID19 to 211-211,
- Visit 211Wisconsin.org, or
- Call 211.
If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of COVID-19, please call your health care provider.

TAPS
Sunrise Clinical Services offers FREE professional support to care providers who are facing increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic under the Therapy Addressing Pandemic Stress (TAPS) program.
The confidential TAPS program is specifically developed for healthcare and long-term care professionals who are facing increased stress and anxiety loads brought on by COVID-19.
The TAPS program is offered in partnership with Kenosha County Division of Aging and Disability Services.
Call Sunrise Clinical Services at 262-842-0538
Sunrise Clinical Services offers FREE professional support to care providers who are facing increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic under the Therapy Addressing Pandemic Stress (TAPS) program.
The confidential TAPS program is specifically developed for healthcare and long-term care professionals who are facing increased stress and anxiety loads brought on by COVID-19.
The TAPS program is offered in partnership with Kenosha County Division of Aging and Disability Services.
Call Sunrise Clinical Services at 262-842-0538

Holiday Blues
For many, the holidays are a time filled with love, family, food,and fond memories.
But for some, the holidays are associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and unpleasant memories. Sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season. In other cases, people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due to a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.
Learn more here: Holiday Blues
For many, the holidays are a time filled with love, family, food,and fond memories.
But for some, the holidays are associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and unpleasant memories. Sadness or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season. In other cases, people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due to a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes referred to as seasonal depression.
Learn more here: Holiday Blues
Delayed and Deteriorating:
Serious Mental Illness and Psychiatric Boarding in Emergency Departments
People with serious mental illness are disproportionately impacted by long wait times in emergency departments, a phenomenon known as “boarding.” These individuals experience longer waits than non-psychiatric patients and have more serious consequences, including making recovery less achievable and their treatment more costly to the health care system.
Read more here: www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/component/content/article/220-learn-more-about/4225-delayed-and-deteriorating
Serious Mental Illness and Psychiatric Boarding in Emergency Departments
People with serious mental illness are disproportionately impacted by long wait times in emergency departments, a phenomenon known as “boarding.” These individuals experience longer waits than non-psychiatric patients and have more serious consequences, including making recovery less achievable and their treatment more costly to the health care system.
Read more here: www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/component/content/article/220-learn-more-about/4225-delayed-and-deteriorating
Ghost networks of psychiatrists make money for insurance companies but hinder patients’ access to care
By JACK TURBAN, JUNE 17, 2019
Ghost networks or phantom networks make it impossible to actually find the care you need via your insurance provider lists.
"In a recent study, researchers called 360 psychiatrists on Blue Cross Blue Shield’s in-network provider lists in Houston, Chicago, and Boston. Some of the phone numbers on the list were for McDonald’s locations, others were for jewelry stores. When the researchers actually reached psychiatrists’ offices, many of the doctors didn’t take Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance or weren’t taking new patients. After calling every number twice, the researchers were unable to make appointments with 74% of providers on the list. In a similar study among pediatric psychiatrists, researchers were unable to make appointments with 83% of the providers listed as in-network by Blue Cross Blue Shield."
Read the full Opinion on Stat News:
www.statnews.com/2019/06/17/ghost-networks-psychiatrists-hinder-patient-care/
By JACK TURBAN, JUNE 17, 2019
Ghost networks or phantom networks make it impossible to actually find the care you need via your insurance provider lists.
"In a recent study, researchers called 360 psychiatrists on Blue Cross Blue Shield’s in-network provider lists in Houston, Chicago, and Boston. Some of the phone numbers on the list were for McDonald’s locations, others were for jewelry stores. When the researchers actually reached psychiatrists’ offices, many of the doctors didn’t take Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance or weren’t taking new patients. After calling every number twice, the researchers were unable to make appointments with 74% of providers on the list. In a similar study among pediatric psychiatrists, researchers were unable to make appointments with 83% of the providers listed as in-network by Blue Cross Blue Shield."
Read the full Opinion on Stat News:
www.statnews.com/2019/06/17/ghost-networks-psychiatrists-hinder-patient-care/