NAMI-KC’s programs and services are based on the nationally known self-help models entitled: Journey of Hope, Visions for Tomorrow, Breaking the Silence and Family-to-Family Educational Program, and Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for law enforcement professionals.  Descriptions of these programs follow.

 

1.      Family and Public Education Program.  The priority of this program is to educate families and the public regarding issues of importance to persons with mental illness and their families.  The goals include: (1) improve the quality and dissemination of educational information regarding mental illness;   (2) enlighten the public regarding the latest in research findings on the causes and effects of mental illness;  (3) increase access to and development of services for those with mental illness; and (4) reduce stigma and discrimination.

 

2.      Family-to-Family Educational Program.  The Family-to-Family Education Program has become a familiar phrase as more caregivers are demanding to benefit from this 12-week course which covers all aspects of mental illness, including basics of brain biology, research and theory; diagnosis and characteristic features of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and mood disorders; family needs and emotional response; medications, resources, new principles of rehabilitation, and advocacy.   NAMI- KC has 29 trained teachers from various cultural backgrounds.

 

3.      Culturally Competent Outreach.  NAMI-KC has joined with culturally diverse churches and community organizations to provide culturally competent outreach services to the citizens of greater Kansas City.   Programs will be held at Swope Parkway Heath Services for African Americans, Latinos and other diverse populations.  NAMI-KC will continue to reach out to the Swope Parkway Church of Christ and the Paseo Baptist Church, Don Bosco Center and Mattie Rhodes Counseling Center.  With the addition of diverse governing and advisory board members, it is expected that NAMI-KC’s contact with culturally diverse communities will increase.

 

4.      Young Families Program.   Young families are defined as families that have a young child or adolescent who suffers from a mental illness.  Often young families are in need of a greater array of assistance than those already experienced in obtaining services for their family member with a brain disorder.  An estimated 5% of adolescents between the ages of 14-18 suffer from active disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, however; only one-fifth of them are diagnosed or given treatment.  Schizophrenia develops primarily between the ages of 16-25 which means many adolescents may be showing early symptoms of this illness while in high school but do not receive a diagnosis or treatment for an average of one year.  There are currently three young families support groups operating in Jackson County.  Visions for Tomorrow is a ten-week educational program geared to families with children or adolescents who suffer from a mental illness.  The program covers all aspects of mental illness and is the psycho-educational portion of the Young Families Program.   NAMI of Greater Kansas City currently has seven trained teachers from various cultural backgrounds.  Breaking the Silence is another program utilized by NAMI-KC to increase awareness about mental illness in Upper Elementary, Middle Schools and High Schools.  The curriculum focuses on knowledge, attitudes and dispelling the myths that surround mental illness.   The target populations are students, teachers and counselors.  The curriculum is designed to be expanded into a full semester of activities and presentations but can be shortened if needed.  In 2004, Breaking the Silence was introduced to Crittenton Center for Children.  The program continues to be used at that facility with NAMI-KC providing educational materials, instructors and speakers and any other requested resources.  Many of those families have become active members in NAMI-KC and attend ongoing support groups that are offered in the community.

 

5.      Consumer Education Program – Peer to Peer and NAMI C.A.R.E. Support Groups. The primary focus of the Consumer Education Program is to educate and support consumers in their journey to recovery and wellness. The Peer- to-Peer Education Program is one of the key components of this program.  The first Peer- to-Peer Education Program continues with great success by providing educational programs to consumers such as Choices in Recovery and Legislative Advocacy meetings. Various activities will continue throughout the year.  Two NAMI-C.A.R.E. Support Groups have been functioning with great success since July 2004.  NAMI-KC will continue to recruit for additional NAMI C.A.R.E. Support Groups during 2006.

 

6.      Help-Line.   The Help-Line is supervised by the Assistant Director for Programs and operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Calls range from requests for educational materials, referrals for legal services, referrals for direct mental health care services, information regarding support groups, reading materials, medication information and much more.  Demographic information, presenting problems and problem resolution information is maintained on a computerized database that is reviewed monthly by a volunteer who is a licensed Master’s level counselor. 

 

7.      The Mental Health Training for Professionals Program (based on the Family-to-Family model).  Provides education to mental health professionals in the clinical bases of three major mental illnesses, types and subtypes of Mood Disorders, medications; responding effectively to families; and advocacy.   Plans are being made to introduce this program to students currently enrolled in mental health related areas; i.e., School of Social Work, Nursing, Psychology and Counseling, at local universities.

 

8.      Self-Help Support Group (based on the Journey of Hope model).  Provides support to hundreds of family members and caretakers each year through the understanding and support provided by their peers at the monthly support group meetings held throughout metropolitan Kansas City.  Support Group facilitator training is available, free of charge, to any family member who wishes to facilitate a support group.  The curriculum includes goals, structure, and membership; facilitator training, meeting format and guidelines; communication and facilitation skills; problem-solving; and responding to crisis.

 

9.      On-Site Lending Library. A mental health lending library, including current books, professional journals, video and audio tapes and Internet capabilities for information search is available to the public.  Materials are available in many languages.

 

10.  Educational Seminars. Educational seminars are provided monthly to wide audiences on a multitude of topics, such as medication overview, alternative treatment options, advocacy training, HIPPA, EMTALA, Civil Commitment and Guardianship, legislative issues and many others as defined by our constituency.  Four seminars will be held during 2006.

 

11.  Newsletter. NAMI-KC publishes a quarterly, 10-page newsletter, which covers the most current information on research, medications, mental illness, family & consumer experiences, and legislation to the Greater Kansas City area.  In 2004, the quality of the newsletter was greatly improved when we went to a quarterly newsletter and were able to print in color.  In 2006, the newsletter will be available on-line, free of charge to all citizens.

 

12.  Law Enforcement Training. Law Enforcement Training ranges from a one hour presentation to the Kansas City Police Academy to a forty-hour curriculum for Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT), a 24-hour curriculum for Advanced CITand a 8-hour curriculum for CIT Civilian Training to various law enforcement agencies is also available.  The CIT Civilian Training is new this year and will focus on providing education to civilian law enforcement personnel such as; desk clerks, detention officers and dispatchers.  The one-hour presentation focuses on mental illness awareness.  The CIT Training courses focuses on many aspects of mental illness that are outlined below:

 

1. Module 1: Mental Illnesses and the Police Response

2. Module 2: Understanding Mental Illness/A Problem-Solving Response to People with Mental Illness

3. Module 3: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Police Response to Calls and Incidents

4. Module 4: Non-custodial Police Options: Counseling, Release and Referral and Voluntary Emergency Evaluation

5. Module 5: Custodial Police Options: Arrest, Involuntary Emergency Evaluation and Involuntary Commitment Orders

6. Module 6: A Community Policing Response to People with Mental Illness

 

It is expected that there will be four, 40-hour Basic CIT Training courses; two, 24-hour Advanced CIT courses; 2 8-hour CIT Civilian Training courses; and, three, one-hour Academy presentations in 2006.

 

13.   Detention Officer Teams Training (DOTT) and Judicial Systems Training.  Training will be provided to drug court and municipal court judges as well as detention and correctional officers operating at KCPD Detention Center, Lee’s Summit Detention Center, Municipal Corrections Institute and any other detention centers requesting services.  Participation for judges will be voluntary while the training for detention/correctional officers will be mandatory.   The 5-6 hour training block for judicial staff is based on the CIT training curriculum that is currently being used for the training of law enforcement officers.  The topics addressed are: 

 

a.       Module 1: Overview of Mental Illness

b.      Module 2: Overview of Psychotropic Medications

c.       Module 3: Community Resource Availability

d.      Module 4: Living with a Mental Illness (consumer and family perspectives)

e.       Module 5: Crisis Intervention Techniques

 

The DOTT Program – is a 24-hour program that is based on the CIT training curriculum but is geared toward the situations Detention Officers face on a daily basis.  The topics addressed are the same as above with the following additions:

 

a.       Module 1: Mental Illnesses and the Detention Officer’s Response

b.      Module 2: Understanding Mental Illness/A Problem-Solving Response to People with Mental Illness

c.       Module 3:   Substance Abuse and the Detention Officer’s Response

d.      Module 4:   Living with Mental Illness (consumer and family perspectives)

e.       Module 5: Detention Officer Crisis Intervention Techniques

f.        Module 6: Assessing Treatment Needs and Community Resources

g.       Module 7: Understanding Psychotropic Medications

h.       Module 8: Suicide Risks

i.         Module 9: Inmate Culture

j.        Module 10: Active Listening

k.      Module 11: Role Playing

 

14.  Education to the Public through Speaker’s Bureau.  Public presentations to large and diverse audiences, including college students, faith congregations, mental health professionals and many other groups throughout the area strengthen public education in Kansas City.

 

15.  Advocacy to Legislators and Mental Health Care Providers. NAMI-KC monitors the quality of inpatient and community-based care provided by the Department of Mental Health and is active in such forums as the State Advisory Councils of the Division of Comprehensive Psychiatric Services.  Legislators are educated through an effective and growing legislative network and by participation in events that assist legislators in making informed decisions to benefit mental health care delivery.