Solano County`s Voice on Mental Illness

NAMI Meetings are
for members,nonmembers, people
living with mental
illness, mental
health professionals,
families and friends.
Open to all.
General Meetings




470 Chadbourne Rd.
Fairfield, CA
4th Monday,
Monthly
6:30 p.m.
JANUARY 26TH
Andrew Williamson,
SC Rehab Dept.
FEBRUARY 23RD
Donna Wood, NAMIWalk Sacramento
MARCH 23RD
TO BE ANNOUNCED
APRIL 27TH
TO BE ANNOUNCED
Inside this
issue:
NAMI Solano
County News
and Events
1,
2, 3
Peer-to-Peer
3, 4
Solano County’s Voice on Mental Illness
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2014 was a wonderful year for NAMI Solano County!
Not only did we have wonderful programs each month,
but many new and exciting things have happened for our
affiliate, many of them in the last quarter of the year.
We started off the 4th quarter with a very enjoyable and
well-attended “End of Summer Celebration,” with good
food, good entertainment, and lots of fun door prizes, as we
celebrated Health, Wellness and Recovery (see photo below). In October, we learned a lot about PTSD from two
Kaiser doctors, Dr. Kathyrn Wetzler, Psy.D and Dr. Kelly
Land, followed in November by an informative presentation
by Kay Kelso about Solano County’s ACCESS line. December
brought another very successful Gift Bags Service Project
(see separate article on p. 4).
2014 was a banner year for Community Outreach. We
were able to participate in many different community
health fairs and other events throughout the county, all the
way from Vallejo to Vacaville. At each of these events, we
raised awareness and provided education about mental illness and the services NAMI provides. We also gave presentations to several different community organizations to
introduce them to NAMI Solano County and our programs
and services. We participated in our last Bay Area NAMI-
Walk, as this year we will be participating in Sacramento instead of San Francisco (see separate article on p. 2).
Our most exciting news for 2014 is that we have received
MHSA Grant money from Solano County, which will greatly
enhance our ability to increase the programs we can provide to
people living with mental illness and their families in Solano
County. In addition, this grant money has enabled us to rent
office space! Located at 1225 Travis Blvd., Ste. D in Fairfield, our new office gives us extra storage and provides a
place to hold our Board meetings. Come visit us at our Open
House on Saturday, February 21st, from 10:00 am to
3:00 pm. Watch for flyers to come later! Please see other
announcements below.
2015 is starting off with a bang with two new programs:
Peer-to-Peer, starting in Vallejo on February 5th, and a
new Family-to Family class in Napa beginning February 2.
Please sign up right away as classes begin very soon! (See
details and articles on page 3). We are very pleased to
announce that several people from Napa have joined our affiliate and will be working with us to provide some of NAMI’s
services, with the goal of eventually forming an affiliate in
Napa County. Welcome to our Napa Citizens for Mental
Health! To all our loyal membership, we greatly appreciate all
your support in 2014, and look for the same and more in 2015!
** ANNOUNCEMENTS **

Announcements/ 1, 5
Calendar of
Events
4
Board of
Directors
2
Meeting
Locations
2
Membership
Application
5
Dates to
Remember
5
How to Reach
Us
6
Resources
6
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NAMI Solano County — 2014 Year in Review
Family-to-Family 3
NAMI National
News
Q u a r t e r
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NAMI Solano County’s New Office!!
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
Our “End of Summer” Celebration last August
NAMI is a non-profit, 501 [c] (3) charitable organization.
NEW NAMI SOLANO COUNTY OFFICE OPEN HOUSE! Come see
our new home at 1225 Travis Blvd., Suite D, Fairfield. WHEN:
Saturday, February 21st, from 10 AM until 3 PM. Raffle for door
prizes! Light refreshments served! Free informational brochures!
Bring a friend!
NEW LOCATION!! CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, a new Consumer Wellness
and Recovery Center in Fairfield, has moved to a new home. Now
located at 349 Travis Blvd. in Fairfield, they will be open Monday
through Friday, and will still have a variety of self-help classes
available throughout the week. Transportation will be available for
those living outside of Fairfield. Circle of Friends replaces the
former Our Way Solano, which closed its doors last August. Director Susie Frank and her staff are dedicated to serving the
people living with mental illness in Solano County! For hours and
more information about Circle of Friends, call 707-694-5617.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED — NAMI Solano County is always looking
for willing volunteers! For a list of our many opportunities, send us
an email at namisolanocounty@sbcglobal.net.
NAMI Solano County is now on Facebook and Twitter!! Simply
search for “Nami Solano County” on either site for updates about
our meetings and events, and other mental health information and
resources, all current and up-to-date! “Like” us on FB, and let’s
hear some chatter! Also check out our newly revamped website,
www.namisolanocounty.org, for more detailed information about
upcoming events and resources.
Donations to NAMI are tax-deductible.
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NAMI-Solano County
Board Members
President
Dorothy Laney
teancum@aol.com
Vice President
Jeannette Goyetche
goyhoff@sbcglobal.net
Secretary
Maureen Brannon
maureenbrannon@gmail.com
Treasurer/Membership
Myra Binstock , 707-446-8557
myrabinstock5@gmail.com
Family to Family
Susan Reeve, Chair
riolibrarian@gmail.com
NAMI Liaison with Solano County
We have exciting news for our 2015 NAMI Walks! Our venue has changed, as we will no
longer be participating with the San Francisco Bay Area NAMI Walk, but will instead be moving to join with the Sacramento area NAMI Walk! This year’s walk will be held at Land Park
in Sacramento, on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015. So save the date and please come to our February 23rd General Meeting, where we will learn more about this year’s walk from the Sacramento Region’s Walk Director, Donna Wood. Our own NAMI Walks Chairperson, Yolanda Garcia-Martinez, and her able assistant Jeannette Goyetche, are very excited about this new
change of pace and are busy helping Donna get things all geared up for the walk! Not only is
this an important way for NAMI Solano County to raise funds for our programs and services;
it is also a fun day to come out with your loved ones, enjoy the fresh air and being with others without feeling the stigma of mental illness. It’s a day to celebrate wellness and hope for
recovery. For families with children, the location is ideal as Land Park is right next to the
Sacramento Zoo. If you are interested in forming a team, being a sponsor, or just participating in the walk, please contact Yolanda at ygarmar@aol.com, or 707-567-9130.
Kathy Blair, 707-553-5219
KDBlair@solanocounty.com
Warm Line—support and info.
707-422-7792
Local MH Board, NAMI members
Esmeralda Liberato
Fundraising/NAMI Walks
Yolanda Garcia-Martinez,
ygarmar@aol.com
Newsletter
Dorothy Laney
Giving Back to NAMI Solano County
teancum@aol.com
Family Support Group
Janet Flores, facilitator
NAMI-SOLANO
COUNTY
MISSION
STATEMENT
NAMI Solano County is very excited that we are able to
increase our offerings of FREE, much needed services and
programs to people living with mental illness and their families in our county. This is made possible by monies we receive from our generous sponsors or through fundraising
efforts, as well as people who volunteer their time and
talents. If you or your loved ones have benefitted in any
way from these services in the past, we encourage you to
consider giving back to our non-profit organization, either
through volunteering your time or contributing financially, so
that we can continue to provide these services in the future. We have accomplished much in 2014, but there is so
much more we hope to accomplish, and we are always in
need of volunteers to help in many ways. Please contact us
at namisolanocounty@sbcglobal.net for a list of current
volunteer opportunities. We also invite you to please send
your most generous, tax-deductible contribution to: NAMI
Solano County, P.O. Box 3334, Fairfield, CA, 94533.
NAMI –Solano County was incorporated under
California law in 1985. We are a support group
composed of people living with mental illness,
their families, and friends. We have a threefold mission:
1.
2.
3.
To educate families and other
interested parties about mental
illnesses through lectures, discussion
groups, literature, and videos about each
of the mental illnesses;
To support families and their mentally ill
loved ones through one-on-one help,
referrals, financial aid, scholarships and
the like;
To advocate for the rights of the
mentally ill and their families on the
local, state and national levels. Our
members participate in several
committees and boards to be sure that
the needs of each person are heard and
protected.
Our phone number is (707) 422-7792. See
meeting times and locations in the box to the
right.
S o l a n o
NAMI-Solano County General Meetings:
(Educational and Supportive)
4th Monday Monthly, 6:30 pm
(except May and December)
ALDEA Children and Family Services
470 Chadbourne Rd., Fairfield 94533
(First Floor)
Open to the Public — Bring a friend!!
C o u n t y ’ s
V o i c e
o n
M e n t a l
I l l n e s s
NAMI-Solano County Board
Meetings:
(Business Oriented)
1st Wednesday Monthly
5:30 p.m.
1225 Travis Blvd., Suite D
Fairfield
All Members are welcome
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Membership Application
Membership = $35.00 “ O pen Door ” membership = $1 ( paid by NAMI
Solano County for people living with mental illness )
Please detach and submit your annual membership fee to the
address on the back of this page: ( Please print )
NAME: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CITY: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S T: _ _ _ _ Z IP _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PHONE: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
EMAIL: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
* Membership benefits include: quarterly newsletters, access to “members only” section of nami.org, new friends
and support from others who understand mental illness, educational activities/classes, support groups and advocacy
opportunities to help raise awareness of mental illness and reduce stigma; education, help, hope and recovery.
(
) Membership
(
) Person Living with Mental Illness
(
) One Time Donation
Membership Notice
Annual membership dues are $35. (If you
are a person living with mental illness,
simply send in this form and NAMI-Solano
County will pay the $1 “open door” fee for
you.) This makes you a member of NAMI
National, NAMI California, NAMI Solano
County, and their accompanying benefits.*
If you are solicited for special donations
from the State or National organizations,
give generously if you can, but all such
donations are voluntary and funds do not
directly benefit NAMI Solano County.
Memberships are based on the calendar
year, January to December. Fees received
prior to October 1 are applied to the current year; on or after October 1 are applied to membership for the following year.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Meetings sponsored by NAMI Solano County:
 NAMI Solano County Family Support Group, MONTHLY, 2nd Mondays (February 9th, March 9th, April 13th) 490 Chadbourne Rd., Fairfield (Children’s Nurturing Project, upstairs), 6:30-8:30 pm. Open to the public.
 NAMI Solano County Board of Directors meeting, MONTHLY, 1st Wednesdays (February 4th, March 4th, April 1st).
Location: 1225 Travis Blvd, Suite D., Fairfield; 5:30-8:00 pm. All Members Welcome.
 NAMI Solano County General Meeting, January 26th, 4th Monday — ALDEA Children and Family Services Building, 470
Chadbourne Rd., 1st floor, Fairfield, CA; 6:30—8:00 p.m. Speaker: Andrew Williamson, Solano County Dept. of Rehabilitation. Bring a friend — Open to the Public.
 NAMI Solano County General Meeting, February 23rd, 4th Monday — ALDEA Children and Family Services Building, 470
Chadbourne Rd., 1st floor, Fairfield, CA; 6:30—8:00 p.m. Speaker: Donna Wood, NAMIWalks Sacramento. Bring a friend
— Open to the public.
 NAMI Solano County General Meeting, March 23rd, 4th Monday — ALDEA Children and Family Services Building, 470
Chadbourne Rd., 1st floor, Fairfield, CA; 6:30—8:00 p.m. Speaker: To Be Announced
Solano County Health & Social Services Recurring Meetings: (see contact information on back page)
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Fairfield Family Support Group — Wednesdays, 6:00—8:00 pm, 2101 Courage Dr., Fairfield; multi-purpose room.
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Rio Vista Family Support Group — 2nd Mondays, Rio Vista Library, 44 So. 2nd St, Rio Vista, 10 –11:30 am.
Bi-Polar/Depression Support Group — Wednesdays, 6:00—8:00 pm, 2101 Courage Dr., Fairfield; Oak Room.

Schizophrenia Support Group — 1st and 3rd Mondays, 1st United Methodist Church, 502 Virginia St., Vallejo;
9:30—11 am.
Hidden Moods, Emotions & Feelings Group — Mare Island, 2nd & 4th Wed., 9-10:30 am.
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CFAC — (Consumer/Family Advisory Committee meetings), 3rd Wed., 10—11:30 am. Contact Rachel Ford at (707)
553-5735, or: reford@solanocounty.com, for group meeting locations (or for more information about any of the
above groups). Rachel is our Consumer Liaison for Solano County.
Solano County Local Mental Health Board Meeting, Third Tuesdays monthly, 4:30-6:00 pm, (February 17th,
March 17th, April 21st), 2101 Courage Drive, Fairfield. Open to the public. Call Cindy Limerick for information at
(707) 784-8336.
QIC (Quality Improvement Committee), First Thursdays, 1:30—3:30 pm, every other month (Sept. 4th, Nov.
6th), 275 Beck, Rm. 1 or 2, Fairfield, CA. Open to the public. Call Sheila for more information, at (707) 784-8338.
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NAMI Solano County
is very excited to announce the beginning of a new Peer
-to-Peer class in Vallejo. Peer-to-Peer is a FREE, 10-week educational course on recovery, designed for any person living with a mental health issue who is interested in
establishing and maintaining wellness. The class is taught by two peer-mentors who
have personal experience living well with mental illness. Classes cover a variety of
topics, from education about various mental illnesses, to coping strategies and relapse
prevention planning. Taught in weekly two-hour sessions, each class builds on the one
before; therefore, attendance each week is required. Funding for this class is provided by Solano County through a grant from the Mental Health Services Act.
Peer-to-Peer
February 5, 2015 through April 9, 2015
Thursdays, 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Imani Fellowship
502 Virginia Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
Information: (See application on reverse of this page)
NAMI Solano County
P.O. Box 3334 Fairfield, CA 94533
www.namisolanocounty.org
E-mail: NamiSolanoCounty@sbcglobal.net
707-422-7792
If leaving a phone
message, please state that
you are applying for Peer
to Peer, leave your name,
number and a good time to
call you.
Peer-to-Peer In Short
The course is based on the idea that living with a mental health issue is, among other
things, an experience of trauma, and the recovery path occurs in predictable stages.
The course is designed to offer an opportunity for growth regardless of individual stage,
and diversity of experience; and it affords a lively dynamic that moves the course along.
Courses are taught by trained “mentors”, who are themselves experienced at living well
with mental health issues.
The course uses a combination of lecture, interactive exercises and structured group processes to promote awareness, provide information, and offer opportunities to reflect on the
impact of mental health issues as uniquely expressed through each participant’s life.
Relapse prevention plans are devised in the first six weeks of the program, in order that
participants gain knowledge, insight, and coping strategies for living with their disorders.
Practical wisdom is featured on topics as diverse as “the care and feeding of your psychiatrist” and “how to get a good night’s sleep.”
Each week builds upon the previous week’s explorations, bringing participants through a
progression of awareness that has its roots in the universals of experience associated with
the process of recovery with serious mental illness.
We are happy to announce another 12-week Family-to-Family course, beginning
February 2nd in NAPA! This is a FREE class for families with a loved one living
with mental illness. Classes meet once a week from 6:00—8:30 at Napa Valley
Community Foundation, 3299 Claremont Way, Suite 2, Napa, CA. The NAMI
Family-to-Family course is an educational program designed to help family
members understand and support their loved ones living with mental illnesses, such
as major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, borderline personality
disorder, and obsessive- compulsive disorder. Previous participants have been
extremely grateful for the information and support they have received. To sign up
for the Napa Family-to-Family course, please call Juanita at (707) 255-1624, or
email her at penaj1234@att.net. Juanita is part of Napa Citizens for Mental
Health, a group of community oriented people who share the common goal of
providing support to families or others affected by mental illness in Napa. Contact
Juanita (above) or Tony at newmatch30@hotmail.com for more information about
mental health services in Napa County.
If you would like information about upcoming Family to Family classes later this
year in Fairfield or in Rio Vista, contact our Family-to-Family coordinator, Susan
Reeve at: riolibrarian@gmail.com.
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Application for Peer-to-Peer Course
Why are you interested in taking this course?
Sponsored by NAMI Solano County
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________
Name: ___________________________________
Address: _________________________________
City: _____________________Zip: ___________
Phone: ________________Cell: ______________
Are you over 18 years of age? _______________
This class is for people with a mental illness. Do
you identify as having a mental illness? Yes__No__
Are you currently in recovery? Yes ____ No ____
Can you commit to a 10-week course? Yes__No__
GIFT BAGS SERVICE PROJECT IN DECEMBER
Our annual Christmas Gift Bags Service Project in
December was again a huge success! MANY
THANKS to to our new Gift Bag coordinator, Roxanne Melvin, for all her hard work putting this together, and to Lorraine Yount for her continued support. We were able to fill almost 350 bags this year!
The gift bags were delivered to people living with
mental illness
in Solano
County, and
for some of
them, it was
the only gift
they received
during the
Holiday
season.
Thanks to all of
you for your
donations and
help!
How did you hear about the course?
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Please mail application to:
NAMI Solano County, c/o Peer-to-Peer
P.O Box 3334, Fairfield, CA 94533
This course is offered free of charge.
Pre-registration is required.
NAMI State and National News
From NAMI National:
During 2014, NAMI worked closely with USA Today on its
nine-part “Cost of Not Caring: Mental Health in America”
series, which was syndicated to other media. They are now
working to assess the impact the series may have had on
stimulating public conversations about the need for reform. The first of this nine-part series, “Cost of Not Caring: Nowhere to Go,” can be found on the USA Today website at: http://www.usatoday.com/longform/news/
nation/2014/05/12/mental-health-systemcrisis/7746535/
The 2015 NAMI National convention will be held July 6-9th,
2015 in SAN FRANCISCO, CA! For details, go to:
http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=convention
From NAMI California:
The 2015 NAMI California Annual Conference will again be
held in Newport Beach, CA, on Friday and Saturday, August
21-22, 2015. There will be six tracks to choose from: Transitional-Aged Youth (TAY), Criminal Justice, Strengthening
NAMI, Consumer & Family Recovery Practices, Advocacy,
and Diversity. To take advantage of lower early-bird pricing, visit the NAMI California website at:
https://41339.thankyou4caring.org/2015-AnnualConference
Solano County’s Voice on Mental Illness
HOW TO REACH US:
P.O. Box 3334
Fairfield, CA 94533
Phone: 707-422-7792
E-mail: NamiSolanoCounty@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.namisolanocounty.org
NEW! Look for us on Facebook and Twitter!
NAMI California: www.namicalifornia.org
NAMI: www.nami.org
NAMI meetings are for members, nonmembers, consumers, mental health
professionals, families and friends.
Open to the public.
Please help us save money in postage.
If e-mail is easier for you than
receiving a hard copy--Let us know!!!!!!
NAMI is non-profit, 501 [c]
(3) charitable organization. All
donations are tax-deductible.
Resources:
CRISIS:

CSU (Crisis Stabilization Unit) (707) 428-1131 (crisis line) or 707-639-4675 (main line). The new Crisis Center is located at 2101 Courage Drive, Fairfield, CA 94533. Provides 23-hour stabilization for people with a mental health crisis.

NAMI Solano County WARM line (707) 422-7792 — Leave a message and our trained phone monitor will call you back.
(Provides support and direction about available services for mental illness as well as information about NAMI Solano County)

Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK (8255).
Self-Help:

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS — Fairfield Consumer Wellness and Recovery Center. NEW LOCATION!! 349 Travis Blvd., Fairfield.
Hours: 7:30 AM—3:30 pm, Monday—Friday. Director: Susie Frank. Call 707-694-5617 for more information.

Caminar — Vallejo Consumer Wellness and Recovery Center, 915 Toulomne St., Vallejo, CA 94590. Call 707) 980-7884 for
more information.

SCMH Access Team — 1-800-547-0495. Solano County Mental Health’s information line for those seeking new services
within the county, for persons living with mental illness, family members, and health care professionals. Se habla espanol.

Are you a Veteran? Unemployed? Check out Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, http://benefits.va.gov/vow/education.htm
NAMI Family Support Group (see p. 5 for times & locations):

NAMI Solano County Family Support Group. For family members, friends and advocates of those with mental illness. An ongoing, drop-in group focusing on skill building and support through shared experiences, resources and comfort. Facilitator:
Janet Flores. For more information, contact namisolanocounty@sbcglobal.net or call (707) 422-7792.
Support Groups Provided by Solano County Health and Social Services (see p. 5 for times & locations):

Fairfield Family Support Group — For family members of those with mental illness. Facilitator: Karen Smith, MS, MFTI,
(707) 784-2096; kasmith@solanocounty.com

Rio Vista Family Support Group — For family members of those with mental illness. Facilitator: Rachel Ford, (707) 5535735. NOTE: Rachel Ford is also Solano County’s Consumer Liaison.

Bi-Polar/Depression Support Group — For people living with bipolar illness or depression. Schizophrenia Support Group —
For people living with schizophrenia. Contact Rachel Ford, facilitator, (707) 553-5735 for information about either group.

Hidden Moods, Emotions & Feelings Group — For people living with any emotional issue. Facilitator: Curtis J. Cole, (707)
553-5550, or cjcole@solanocounty.com.