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Fresh DigsNAMI MC Moves to New Location

in this issue

1 Fresh Digs

2 from the Executive Director

3 Welcome Our Newest Staff Member

4 NAMI in the Lobby

5 Latinx Programs Return to NAMI MC

6 Become a Corporate Member of NAMI MC

7 Employees’ Mental Health

8 Calendar of Events

Hope starts here.

“We’ve called this space

home for ten years

so it’s sad to say

goodbye, but we are

excited to take on a new

professional chapter”

NAMI Montgomery County is excited to announce that we have moved to a new location after being located on Parklawn Drive for 10 years!

The new office, located at 9210 Corporate Boulevard, Rockville, MD, is down the street from the RIO Lakefront. NAMI MC hopes that the new location, which features ample free parking, will be easier for volunteers and community members to find.

NAMI MC groups, classes, and presentations that were scheduled to occur at the Parklawn Drive office will be moved to local community locations, such as churches, libraries, and schools. Check out the calendar included in this newsletter to see the times and locations of our current support groups. Please be advised that at the time of print of this newsletter, we had not yet determined a new location for our weekly Tuesday night Connection Mental Illness Recovery support group.

When reflecting on NAMI MC’s 10 year stay in the office near Rockville Pike, Executive Director Stephanie Rosen noted, “We’ve called this space home for ten years so it’s sad to say goodbye, but we are excited to take on a new professional chapter.” NAMI Montgomery County appreciates every individual who walked through our Parklawn Drive office’s door, and we are looking forward to welcoming many new and returning community members to our new home.

NavigatorNAMI MONTGOMERY COUNTY NEWSLETTER

SUMMER 2019The NAMI

Save the Date NAMI MC’s Annual Heroes Celebration will take place on

the evening of October 11, 2019

2 NAMI Montgomery County

Looking ForwardDear Friends of NAMI MC,

The start of the new fiscal year brings changes and new programs to NAMI MC. As you will learn when you read this newsletter, July was a busy month for us. We moved to our new office on Corporate Boulevard. We are excited to be in this new location and start the next chapter of NAMI MC. During July, we launched our newest program NAMI in the Lobby at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center’s Emergency Department.

We also began our strategic planning initiative in July. The staff and board at NAMI MC believe that the strategic plan will help NAMI MC narrow down our broad focus and better serve the community based on the needs of its residents. The information collected through the strategic planning process will provide us with an improved direction for program-making decisions. Gaining this clarity and direction will enable NAMI MC to be more effective with our limited resources.

NAMI MC is working with a consultant to complete this strategic plan. Over the next few months, our consultant will interview staff, board members, volunteers, funders and community members to collect information to help us learn how we can best serve the community. We will share our strategic plan in January 2020.

Please look out for more information about our Annual Heroes Celebration taking place on the evening of Friday, October 11, 2019. We will be announcing more details later this month. I hope you will join us!

Best regards,

Stephanie Rosen Executive Director NAMI Montgomery County

Contact Information NAMI Montgomery County9210 Corporate Blvd Ste 170Rockville, MD 20850

301.949.5852 [email protected]

www.namimc.org

Follow usE @NAMIMontgomeryCountyQ @NAMI_MC and SOS_MoCo

StaffStephanie Rosen Executive Director

Nicole Lucas Director of Programs

Sara Hourwitz Director of Development

Stephanie Del Cid NAMI in the Lobby and Latinx Program Coordinator

Briana Lockhart Mental Health Promotion Coordinator

Megan Capitelli Operations and Development Coordinator

Board of DirectorsMimi Brodsky Kress President

Josh Wooldridge Treasurer

Michael Murray Secretary

Dana DeBeaumontHelen HocknellRoberta PetrishkoDon ReedDarrilyn Vassar-Jackson

Want to help keep our newsletter running? Email [email protected] for sponsorship opportunities or call (301) 949-5852 for more information.

CFC#27615 United Way #8687

from the Executive Director

The NAMI Navigator | Summer 2019 3

We are very excited to welcome Megan Capitelli to the NAMI MC team as our Operations and Development Coordinator. In this role, Megan will be responsible for various programming, development, and administrative initiatives.

As NAMI MC’s Operations and Development Coordinator, Megan will manage volunteer and outreach efforts, which include recruiting and training volunteers to become facilitators for NAMI MC programs. She will also coordinate the Ending the Silence presentations, which take place in local schools throughout the county.

In addition, Megan will provide support to the Director of Development in the planning and preparation of NAMI MC’s fundraising events, including the NAMIWalks event and the Annual Heroes Celebration. Megan will also take on office managerial duties and oversaw the efforts for NAMI MC’s move.

Before joining the NAMI MC team back in February as a full-time employee, Megan previously interned with us during the Fall of 2018 during her final semester at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Megan graduated in December of 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Community Health and a minor in LGBT studies.

As an undergraduate at UMD, Megan volunteered at the UMD Help Center, which is a peer crisis and intervention hotline. This experience, as well as the positive impact mental health professionals have had on her life, has drawn her to the mental health field and specifically with NAMI MC. Megan shares that she “absolutely loves working here because [she] is able to see firsthand how this organization helps people living with mental illness and their families and caregivers.”

Megan with her dog Cooper.

Welcome Our Newest Staff Member Megan Capitelli

Housing Unlimited is in Need of a Volunteer!We are seeking a detail-oriented person to assist us with basic computer data entry tasks for a few hours one day per week.

Please email [email protected] or call 301 592 9314

Help us provide affordable housing for individuals in mental health recovery!


NAMI MC has recently launched a new program called NAMI in the Lobby (NITL). This program is designed to provide support and resources to family members and caregivers of individuals hospitalized for mental health crises. NAMI MC has partnered with Adventist HealthCare to offer NITL in Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED).

Trained NAMI MC volunteers who have lived experience caring for a loved one living with mental illness will staff the waiting room of the ED twice a week - Wednesdays, 5:00pm - 7:00pm and Saturdays, 1:00pm - 3:00pm. During the shifts, nurses will connect NAMI’s NITL volunteers with family members whose loved one was admitted to the ED. Our volunteers will provide the family members with resources in the community that will help them support their loved one when the individual is released from the hospital. Resources include: housing, legal aid, outpatient day programs, NAMI MC support groups and classes, and more.

NITL volunteers will offer compassionate support and hope to the family members and caregivers with whom they interact. The National Alliance for Caregiving reports that on average, mental health caregivers provide 32 hours of care each week for nine years to their loved ones. Seventy four percent of mental health caregivers report feeling high emotional stress. NAMI MC’s goal is to ease caregivers’ and family members’ stress so they can better care for their loved one and themselves.

NAMI MC’s current NITL volunteers are also trained Family-to-Family facilitators. Long-time volunteer Mary Custer is very happy to be involved with this new initiative. In Mary’s own words: “Having been in an emergency room on many occasions with a loved one experiencing

a mental health crisis led me to volunteer for NITL. It would have been a godsend if someone had handed me a NAMI pamphlet or a list of resources in the county or had just validated that my experiences and utter confusion were normal. Through NAMI MC’s NITL program, I hope to provide such aid to Montgomery County families experiencing a mental health crisis.”

Stephanie Del Cid is the NAMI in the Lobby Program Coordinator and has played a key role in the launch of this program. Stephanie shares, “I am excited to be a part of this new program. Family caregivers are such an integral part of an individual’s recovery and the caregivers themselves need support and guidance.”

When volunteers are not at the hospital, Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center’s Emergency Department’s nurses will provide family members and loved ones with NAMI MC’s information and helpline number so that the individuals can easily follow up with NAMI MC regarding available resources.

NAMI MC’s NITL is modeled after a similar program created by NAMI San Diego called Friends in the Lobby, which NAMI San Diego has implemented in nine hospitals and behavioral health centers across the San Diego region.

NAMI MC is very grateful to the funders, including the Orange Wednesday Foundation, who helped support the launch of NITL. We are also very appreciative of Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center for partnering with us on this initiative.

NAMI in the Lobby (NITL)

NAMI MC volunteers will be stationed in the waiting room of the Emergency Department at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center.


We are thrilled to announce that NAMI MC is bringing back our Latinx mental health programs in early 2020. NAMI MC received two grants to enable us to relaunch our signature programs in Spanish. We are grateful to The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs for their generous support of this initiative.

NAMI MC previously offered Latinx programs but decided to put them on hiatus in the fall of 2017 in order to restructure and improve our approach to offering the programs. The hiatus allowed us time to research the needs of the growing Latinx population in Montgomery County, which has grown significantly within the last decade. According to the United States Census Bureau, 19.9%, or over 209,000, of Montgomery County residents identify as Latinx and nearly 16% of households speak primarily Spanish at home. Because of the growing population, it is important that we make our signature programming culturally and linguistically accessible to serve the diverse needs.

To make the Latinx mental health programs more accessible to the Latino population, we will utilize an innovative “hub” model to bring free mental health programs in Spanish to locations with large Spanish communities in the county. We will partner with local agencies and faith-based communities who can help refer clients and congregants to our programs.

NAMI MC will offer a support group (Grupo de Apoyo) for individuals living with mental illness in the Latinx community. One of the classes offered, Family-to-Family (Familia-a-Familia), will provide family members and caregivers with education and support in order to deal with an adult loved one’s mental illness(es). There will also be a Basics & Fundamentals (Bases y Fundamentos) class offered for parents and caregivers of children and teens with emotional and behavioral difficulties. NAMI MC also plans to offer presentations in places of worship under the NAMI program, Sharing Hope (Compartiendo Esperanza), to educate the community about mental illness and the resources available.

“Although the Latinx programs have been on hiatus, it has been a priority for NAMI MC to be able to successfully relaunch them,” said NITL and Latinx Program Coordinator Stephanie Del Cid. “NAMI MC aims to be present in the Latino community so that we may help educate and advocate for their mental well-being. As a second-

generation Latina immigrant, I am excited to be a part of this effort.”

NAMI MC is now accepting bi-lingual volunteer applications to assist with these programs. To apply to become a volunteer, please contact Stephanie Del Cid at [email protected].

Latinx Programs Return to NAMI MC

Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates Ana Sol Gutierrez supports Latinx mental health program at NAMI MC breakfast.

“Although the Latinx programs have been on hiatus, it has been a priority for NAMI MC to be able to successfully relaunch them”


Corporate Membership Levels: Platinum Gold Silver Bronze

Number of tickets to 2019 Heroes Celebration 12 10 6 3

Logo listed on NAMI MC website homepage

Stage appearance at NAMI MC events

Logo on stage banner for NAMI MC events

Logo & name included in electronic communication and press releases for events

Listing in bi-annual print newsletter

Table at 2020 Walk

Logo listed on 2020 Walk t-shirt

Logo on event day posters and signs

Listing as sponsor on event websites

NAMI MC "StigmaFree Workplace" training

Corporate Membership Cost: $7,500 $5,000 $2,500 $1,500

NAMI MC is inviting local companies to participate in our corporate membership program. By becoming a corporate member, you become a full-fledged partner in our efforts to support community members affected by mental illness.

All levels not only include recognition for your company but access to innovative programming for your employees, including the StigmaFree Workplace training. In addition, corporate members are sponsors for our 2019 Heroes Celebration, taking place on the evening of Friday, October 11, 2019, and our 2020 NAMIWalks Montgomery County event in the spring. For 2019, we are offering four levels of corporate membership (see chart below).

If your company would be interested in becoming a corporate member, please contact Sara Hourwitz, Director of Development at 301-949-5852 or [email protected].

Become a Corporate Member of NAMI MC

Thank you to our current corporate members


Health is not the absence of disease, and wellness is more than just taking care of your physical health. Wellness is multidimensional, holistic, and evolving. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration promotes eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, and environmental. These dimensions acknowledge that an individual is more than just physical health and that many factors contribute to a person’s overall wellness and mental health. “Workplace wellness” is an emerging field under the mental health umbrella in which employers support employees’ physical and mental health needs.

Research shows that employees want support from their employers when it comes to mental health. According to the National Business Group on Health, one in four employees want more mental health support from their employers. The National Business Group on Health reports that only 43% of large employers have implemented a formal mental health strategy.

A survey of 2,200 employees conducted by the National business Group on Health found that two in five employees would like help dealing with “burnout at work” and approximately 25% want to learn how to become more resilient.

Providing mental health promotion and support is not only beneficial to employees but will also likely lead to increased productivity in the workforce. The World Mental Health Federation reports that major mental health disorders cost the U.S. an estimated $193 billion in lost earnings annually. Sixty-two percent of the employees surveyed by the National Business Group on Health reported that they missed work days due to mental health-related issues, while 57% reported mental health conditions resulted in a lack of focus at work.

Employees’ Mental HealthTo help local employers support their employees’ mental health, NAMI Montgomery County offers tailored workplace wellness workshops focusing on strength and resilience. These workshops include concepts, values, and activities from the evidenced-based suicide prevention program Sources of Strength that are adapted for an adult workplace population.

After NAMI MC provided over 400 Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) staff our StigmaFree Workplace training, MCPL management approached us to offer a solution to their staff’s self-reported high levels of stress. In an effort to better support their staff, MCPL partnered with NAMI MC, who now provides Strength and Resilience Workshops to high-stress branches. One MCPL employee shared, “[the workshop] allowed me to ‘open up’ regarding dealing with stress.” Another participant noted enjoying hearing about coworkers’ strengths and hearing about what people spend time doing outside of the library work environment.

The goals of the Strength and Resilience Workshops are to increase participants’ ability to identify strengths in their lives, especially while at work; increase participants’ resiliency at work; and increase participants’ help-seeking behaviors. By achieving these outcomes, participants will also be more satisfied and effective employees.

“Taking an open-minded and all-encompassing approach to wellness is so important. I’m excited to be part of our community’s push to care for employees’ mental health in a holistic way,” commented Briana Lockhart, NAMI MC’s Mental Health Promotion Coordinator. If you would like to learn how you can bring the Strength and Resilience Workshops to your company, please email Briana at [email protected]. She can review your organization’s needs, workshop implementation, and pricing.

9210 Corporate Blvd Ste 170Rockville, MD 20850

NON-PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDSILVER SPRING, MDPERMIT NO. 3818

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

• NAMI Family Support Group • NAMI Recovery Support Group

17:00 pm Parent Support Group St. Andrew Lutheran Church7:00 pmNAMI Connections MC DHHS, Silver Spring Center

27:00 pm Spouse Support Group St. James Episcopal Church (new location)

310:30 am General Family Support Group Cedar Lane Unitarian Church(new location)

57:00 pmNAMI Connections MedStar Montgomery Hospital Medical Center Building

67:00 pmNAMI Connections Location TBD

7 87:00 pm General Family Support Group Open Door Metropolitan Community Church

9 109:30 am General Family Support Group MedStar Montgomery Medical Center 2nd Floor3:00 pmNAMI Connections Silver Spring Wellness and Recovery Center



142:30 pm General Family Support Group Rockville Unitarian Universalist Church

157:00 pm Parent Support Group St. Andrew Lutheran Church7:00 pmNAMI Connections MC DHHS, Silver Spring Center

167:00 pm Spouse Support Group St. James Episcopal Church (new location)

17



217:00 pmNAMI Young Adult (18-30) Saint Luke Lutheran Church

22 23 243:00 pmNAMI Connections Silver Spring Wellness and Recovery Center



287:30 pm General Family Support Group Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (new location)

29 30 31

Calendar of Events | August 2019

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