The holidays can be extra difficult for folk living with mental illness. And, yes, mental illness is a real illness. Most everyone knows someone dealing with it in a very real way everyday. So, let’s attempt to raise our awareness to the subtleties of mental illness and attempt to “be there” for our friends, family, and neighbors. Here’s a great article to help us get started!

https://www.bphope.com/blog/when-friends-and-family-dont-understand-bipolar-disorder/

DBSA Jackson provides a weekly support group meeting for people living with mood disorders. The group facilitators are volunteers with problems of their own. For the past 15 years, these facilitators have proven themselves to be among the "strongest people".

I am strong but still . . .

This is a new campaign launched by national DBSA. Remember, "I'm here. "

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153744595606122&id=95920556121

Mother Teresa practiced what she preached, serving her neighbors in great need. In contrast, every year Americans feel they must leave their suffering children "next door" to fly off to an exotic land to do God's work. Personally, I try to follow these words of the person who epitomized service and devotion to God.

I say, thank you, Mother Teresa, for leaving these words of wisdom and guidance.

http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2015/05/locating-the-brains-sad-center/

I was raised appreciating my family. However, in 1993, I met a personal health challenge that put me in great need of help and support. My family rose to the occasion with love and support I desperately needed. So, I learned anew the meaning of family in my midlife. Since that time I've worked to be there for my biological family and to be "family" to others with a similar need as mine.

Tragic California Case Exposes Failings in Our Mental Health Care System

CareforYouMind Feb 10,'15

Rusty Selix
Executive Director, Legislative Advocate
California Council of Community Mental Health

In April 2012, Fred Paroutaud, a California man with no history of mental illness, experienced a psychotic episode. Mr. Paroutaud was hospitalized and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Just 72 hours after he was admitted, and despite the fact that he was still experiencing hallucinations, he was discharged and referred to outpatient group therapy. Because his condition remained unstable he requested alternate therapy and one-on-one sessions with a psychiatrist. He was denied both by his health plan and his condition deteriorated.

Concerned by his worsening depression, his wife appealed to the health plan again and again. She pleaded that her husband required more supervised and personalized treatment. While waiting for an appointment with his psychiatrist, and just two months after his first psychosis, he died by suicide.

Mr. Paroutaud’s widow is convinced that if more intensive and timely care had been available, her husband would still be alive. In October 2013, she and two other plaintiffs filed a class-action lawsuit against the health plan claiming they were harmed by its systemic denial of timely access to mental health services.

Why this story sounds familiar
While Mr. Paroutaud’s story is unique, his circumstances were not. Upon his release from the hospital, he needed intensive, monitored care. That’s not what he got. Generally speaking, commercial health plans limit coverage to two levels of care: level one is a once a week therapy visit for mild to moderate problems and medication management; and level two is hospitalization.

Those two narrow levels of care are appropriate for many people, but not all, and certainly not for all stages of mental illness. The absence of those critical, in-between levels of care is one of the ways that our mental health system falls short and where it fails people like Fred Paroutaud and his family.

When someone is in the midst of a manic episode or considering suicide, hospitalization can provide the opportunity to stabilize the condition. Upon discharge, many patients require medically monitored care in a residential facility or highly personalized care in a medically-monitored outpatient setting. Unfortunately, that level and type of care is almost impossible to find in commercial health plans.

There is another way
My hope for a health system that offers comprehensive mental health services to better address the needs of individuals with a mental health condition is not pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking. In fact, this model of care, with multiple levels and degrees of intensity, already exists within the California Medicaid system. In our public programs, care ranges from community-based health management through low-intensity community-based services, high-intensity community-based services, medically-monitored non-residential services, medically-monitored residential services, and medically-managed residential services (i.e., inpatient treatment).

This structure, with six levels of care, is the backbone of the mental health system under California’s Medicaid system, and it provides a complete, stepped approach to rehabilitation.

This type of care should not be exclusive to the Medicaid population. One of the 10 essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act is rehabilitation; another is mental health care. This means that rehabilitation for mental health care isan essential benefit, and all Americans in commercial health plans are entitled to more rehabilitation-focused mental health services.

What you can do now
Fred Paroutaud was denied access to stepped treatment and his story is tragic. It is thanks to his widow and her persistence that we know about it at all. Unfortunately, many people suffer similar situations and denials of care, but we do not hear about them.

With increased national attention on access to mental health care, now is the time to tell us about the problems you are having in accessing the care you need. We want to know what services you were denied and the barriers you faced, such as unaffordable out-of-pocket costs, transportation issues, or lack of trained providers in your plan’s network, etc.  We also need to know what you did or didn’t do in response and how this impacted your or your family member’s recovery. As advocates and advocacy organizations, we are positioned and prepared to knock on the door of government regulators and health plans and point out the disparity in care and demand access to appropriate rehabilitative services.

Many commercial insurers don’t cover rehabilitation services because they don’t believe they have to. And if no one demands otherwise, they are unlikely to ever change. Share your story. Don’t take ‘no’ as the only answer. Let’s realize the parity we deserve.

Questions

• How have you been denied equal insurance coverage for a mental health condition? Tell us your story.
• What levels of treatment are available to you under your health plan? Are they sufficient?

Bio

Rusty has been Executive Director and Legislative Advocate for CCCMHA since 1987. He is co-author of California’s Mental Health Services Act, a tax on personal incomes over $1 million to expand community mental health care. At CCMHA, he has been instrumental in moving forward a variety of critical mental health-related initiatives, including ensuring the implementation of the federal Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program to serve children with severe emotional disturbances. He also serves as Executive Director of the Mental Health Association in California.

Allen Reflects on Thriving in 2014

As DBSA’s 2014: The Year of Thriving comes to a close, it seems appropriate to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this past year, and to think about what’s yet to come.

At the beginning of 2014, we outlined our vision of a future where every adult and child living with a mood disorder has the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive. To some, this was a message of hope; to others, it seemed a goal almost impossible to imagine. I completely understand how some of my peers might find total wellness to be an unattainable goal. Indeed, I too have experienced times in my life when the only reality I could imagine was the intense pain of depression. In fact, I experienced times this very year when thriving seemed so very far away for me personally. But amidst messages about the danger and drain of people with mental health conditions, and my own concurrent thoughts of self-loathing and self-stigma, to know that there was a community that would hope for the return of my best self was a blessing. To hold hope when we cannot carry it ourselves: this has always seemed, to me, the fundamental purpose of peer support. DBSA was founded on a model of peer support, and DBSA will always be about creating opportunities for peer support, and through peer support—the thousands of people meeting in communities across the country—we are creating a world in which all of us may be reminded of our potential, our strength, and our best selves.

For me to return to a place of thriving took a lot of time and work and collaboration. It also took some luck. For I have been very lucky: to have found clinicians that do not put limitations on what my life can be; to have the support of loved ones and colleagues who remind me of who I am, not what condition I live with; to have insurance that gives me access to quality health care that covers both my physical and mental health; and to find inspiration in my work and the amazing people I have the privilege of working with, and for, in my role at DBSA.

Such good fortune—in clinical collaboration, in supportive community, in access to resources, in meaningful work—are what I, and the DBSA Board and staff, want for everyone, not just the very lucky.

So in 2014, we asked our peers, families, clinicians, researchers, politicians, and the public to expect more. We asked our community to promote and seek full wellness—because better is not well, and everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive. 

I am proud of the work DBSA accomplished in 2014, and I encourage you to review our 2014: Year of Thriving programs. I believe that we did open minds—and even a few doors—to the possibility of thriving. A few highlights include:

• In January, DBSA welcomed the Balanced Mind Parent Network into our family of programs to enable us to provide critical support for parents and to create a thriving future for children living with mood disorders.
• In April, Target Zero to Thrive asked clinicians and peers to set zero, not just reduced, symptoms as a new standard for successful treatment. 
• In May, DBSA kicked off our six-month Positive Six: Thrive campaign, challenging us to make a small change each month to support our health.
• In June, DBSA completed a third contract with the VA to train their Veteran peer specialist workforce.
• In August, DBSA joined forces with DBSA New Jersey to host the From Surviving to Thriving weekend of public and chapter educational events featuring a special interview with Demi Lovato.
• In September, DBSA hosted Better Is Not Well—a peer and professional panel that explored ways to elevate mental health treatment to complete wellness.
• This fall, DBSA hosted a series of webinars on Treatment Choices, Health Care Reform, and Restoring Intimacy.
  
• In November, DBSA issued the WHO-Five Challenge to mental health professionals to integrate wellness measurements, like the WHO-Five, into their practice.

But so much more must be done. So we ask,

“What needs to happen for us to have wellness change from being a possibility for some to a probability for most?”

It will require:

• Better Treatments: DBSA will continue to work with our esteemed Scientific Advisory Board to integrate peers into the development of new and better treatments— medical and non-medical. And, to connect our peers and parents to studies that hold the promise of a brighter future for ourselves, our children, and our peers.
• New Measurements: DSBSA will continue to promote widening the definition of treatment success to include not just elimination of symptoms, but presence of wellness.
• Access to Quality Mental Health Care: DBSA will continue to advocate for the rights of all adults and children living with mood disorders to receive access to quality mental and physical health care.
• Increased Expectations: DBSA will continue to spread the message that better is not good enough. That wellness IS possible. That everyone deserves the opportunity to not just survive, but thrive.
• Peer Support: DBSA is committed to continuing, and increasing both the availability and quality of, life-saving in-person and online peer support for people who have diagnoses, parents, family, and friends.
• Inspired, Imperfect Action: DBSA will continue to ask ourselves, our peers, our parents, our clinicians, our legislators, and our communities to take action. It may be small. It most certainly will not be perfect. But it will be progress—action inspires action, which in turn inspires more action.

We made some significant strides this past year, but we do not fool ourselves by believing that these first steps have produced monumental change. That will take persistence. That will take courage. That will take time. That will take hope. That will take ALL of us.

It is through thousands, indeed millions, of inspired, imperfect actions that we will slowly transform these small steps into big changes and create a future where wellness is no longer a possibility for only some lucky few, but a probability for all.

Thank you for joining us on this journey,

– Allen

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is the leading patient-directed national organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder. The organization fosters an environment of understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date,

scientifically-based tools and information. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. The organization works to ensure that people living with mood disorders are treated equitably. Assisted by a scientific advisory board comprised of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field of mood disorders, DBSA has more than 750 peer-run support groups across the country. Nearly two million people request and receive information and assistance each year. DBSA’s mission is to improve the lives of people living with mood disorders. For more information about DBSA or depression and bipolar disorder, please visit www.DBSAlliance.org or call (800) 826-3632.

Allen Doederlein, President, DBSA

Nelly Piraja

Steve Brannon, State Director, DBSA Tennessee

Thanks for the support
by Larry Drain, hopeworkscommunity

The following organizations have offered support of "Dear Governor Haslam".  They have put links to this site or printed the letters on their websites.  I really appreciate it.  I invite you or your organization to do the same.


Tennessee Health Care Campaign.
Tennessee Citizen Action.
Tennessee Disability Coalition.
Tennessee Chapter Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.

AGAIN THANKS.

WRITE GOVERNOR HASLAM TODAY

hopeworkscommunity | June 1, 2014 

It is unacceptable that people who are suffering from and struggling with mental health issues in their life be at risk of injury, trauma, assault or even death in their interactions with police officers whose only training as "being a good police officer"  leads them to a course of action that produces tragedy.  There is ample evidence that CIT training (Crisis Intervention Training) makes a difference. The "Memphis Model" has made an impact in many communities both large and small. Tragedies may continue to happen, but to expect and accept them as the cost of doing business as normal is simply and deeply wrong.

A few days ago I talked with a man whose 39-year-old "mentally ill" son had been attacked, beaten up and tasered by police in this community who "were doing their job."  Over the last few days I have spent a lot of time thinking about other incidents I either have direct knowledge of  or I have heard about.  And it has left me deeply troubled.

There are lots of people to blame and many people seem intent on solving the problem by trying to figure out who to blame.  I hear people talk about needing more psychiatric hospitals, more coercive treatment options etc.  I dont think there are really going to be an appreciable increase in psychiatric beds regardless of where you stand on the argument, rather you think it is a good idea or not.  Financially it simply not an option.  Arguments that vastly increasing AOT (assisted outpatient treatment) can solve the problem are not honest or realistic.

Someone will be the next Kelly Thomas.  Someone will be the next person a police officer faces on the street corner or in their home or in the jail.  It is happening right now.  It will be happening in a few minutes.  It will be happening tomorrow.  And what stops it from being someone you know, someone you care about, or even you.

It is pointless to bemoan the fact that police are being asked to do things they are not trained to do and then do absolutely nothing about providing them that training.  It is as unfair to the officer who is trying to do the best he can as it is to the person he is trying to deal with.

As far as I know the decision to implement CIT training is a local decision and depends very much on the financial resources of that community as well as the commitment to training that local officials may have.  Many communities, like the one I live in, have gotten officers involved in a piecemeal fashion but they are largely at the mercy of who offers the training and when.

Again, no one should be the victim of where they live.  I have been following in recent days the effort of New York state to deal with the same issue.  The proposal that is currently being fought over is whether or not to include in the state budget funds for what they are calling a "center of excellence for CIT training."  The idea, as I understand it, is for the state to establish a resource that could help communities access CIT training in a way they can afford and in a way that is most effective to them.  It shifts the burden of the argument from "is it practical?  Can we afford to do it?" to "Can we afford to not do it?"

It is too late for anything like that to happen in Tennessee this year, but is not to late to start the conversation.  Several other states already have chosen to establish something like "a center of excellence for CIT."  Some have found access to federal funding.  Others have found grants from other sources.

In the end, it not only saves lives but also saves money because of the injuries and traumas it prevents.

A couple of days I had a post which included a video of the beating of Kelly Thomas.  I made myself watch the video several days before the post and was horrified.  If you havent watched the video and still doubt the importance of what I am talking about watch the video yourself.  I have also seen videos of other beatings from virtually all over the country.  It is more than a Tennessee problem but it is a Tennessee problem.

In the days and weeks that follow I will be revisiting this conversation over and over.  I am by no means anywhere close to an expert.  If you think you know more than me on the subject there is a good chance you are correct.  My goal is to start a conversation, a widespread conversation, in Tennessee that prepares the ground to talk about this issue not as one that affects isolated localities but every person in this state.

It is a conversation I hope you will join.

Larry Drain, hope works community blog

Mental health issues topic of presentations

By Linda Braden Albert | [email protected] | Posted 14 hours ago

A series of presentations on mental health issues will begin Thursday at the Blount County Public Library. The first presentation is by Sita Diehl, past executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Tennessee and currently national director of state advocacy for NAMI National.

Larry Drain, recently named president of NAMI Maryville, said, “When they asked me to take the job, I really wanted to figure out a way not only to help NAMI but to help the community. Every day, nowadays, when you read the paper or watch TV or whatever, in one way or another, mental health issues are there. There’s a lot of bad information, misinformation, so the idea I had was that if we could bring a series of people to Maryville to talk about mental health issues, that would be a real, real positive thing for this community.”

Diehl’s current position entails her traveling from state to state, organizing efforts to make outcomes for mental health possible in each state, Drain said. “I’ve known her for years, and she was the very first person I asked. Her topic will be about finding support, whether you’re a family member, whether you’re somebody with a mental illness. She will talk a lot about NAMI, some about the mental health system in Tennessee. There will be a question and answer period after she gets through talking. Anybody who comes will be enriched by her.”

On April 24, Doug Varney, commissioner of mental health and substance abuse services for the state of Tennessee, will speak on mental health and drug addiction. Drain said, “I think he will talk some about prescription drugs and meth, what the state is trying to do to deal with some of these things. Especially in Blount County, it is such a live issue. ... He knows the topic inside out.”

Additional speakers in upcoming months include Ben Harrington, executive director, East Tennessee Mental Health Association; Scott Ridgeway, director, Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network; Allen Doderlain, national president, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance; Pam Binkley, recovery coordinator, Optum Health, who will talk about emotional first aid; Lisa Ragan, director, Office of Consumer Affairs, Tennessee Department of Mental Health, who will speak on peer support, recovery, etc.; and Elizabeth Power, a nationally known expert on post-traumatic stress disorder. Mental health professionals from Blount Memorial Hospital have also been invited to speak.

Drain said, “I think this will be a quality addition to the Maryville community and I hope lots of folks will come. ... For a lot of folks here, the whole area of mental health, mental health treatment, the resources involved and things like that are so confusing. My hope is that all these speakers can shed some light, bring some facts and really help people in the Blount County area.”

Larry Drain, hopeworkscommunity

ACA Enrollment Ending Soon -

 

Hi folks, we just want to remind everyone that the enrollment period for Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is drawing to a close for this season. The last day to enroll will be March 31st. To be covered by April 1st, the last day to enroll is even earlier - March 15. Enrollment will start up again November 15th and go through January 15th.

  

Below are links to Tennessee events and resources you might contact for enrollment assistance. Please forward this email to anyone and everyone you know who needs assistance or needs to hurry up and get covered already! 

 

• Get Covered Tennessee Event Calendar: Click Here
• Find Help on Healthcare.gov: Click Here

 

If you've already enrolled we'd love to hear from you. Click here to share your story and tell us about your enrollment experience.

 

 

Thanks everyone and best of health to you from all of us at THCC

By: Tennessee Health Care Campaign

 

 

Greetings, everyone. This April training course in Milwaukee is open to Veterans not currently employed in VA peer support positions who are interested in qualifying for such employment. To access the application, either click on the link below, or see the attached document. Please note the March 25, 2014 application deadline, and thank you in advance for circulating this to interested Veterans as appropriate.

Application link:  http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=8300

 Best, Lisa Goodale
Lisa C. Goodale, MSW, LSW
Vice President, Peer Support Services
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance / DBSA

 or 

Fax: 

www.DBSAlliance.org

Veteran peer specialist training:

www.DBSAlliance.org/Veterans

 

Larry Drain, Legislative Liaison for DBSA Tennessee, published the flowing blog on his Hope Works Community blog site this evening. He is responsible for DBSA Tennessee's advocacy effort beginning with his Nov. 25, 2013 blog to bring attention to the crisis. Larry wrote:
 "Now word has come that funding for peer support centers is to be totally stopped. The fate of 45 centers and all the people they serve is uncertain at best. The department has managed to find the smallest possible cut that affects the most possible people."

At Larry's recommendations, DBSA Tennessee became the first statewide consumer organization to take action; first, with a Christmas card to the Governor Campaign and, later, an online petition to urge Governor Haslam to cancel plans to close the centers. Recruiting organizational leadership, Larry was the first to post an "Open Letter to the Governor" from the State Director, DBSA Tennessee. 

Additionally, Larry's strong desire to save the peer support centers led him to write numerous blogs, place numerous phone calls, and speak directly to leaders and advocates representing peer service organizations. He can take pleasure in the fact that his efforts were fruitful. And he can be comforted that thousands of the most vulnerable of our brother and sister consumers can enjoy the safe haven of 45 peer support centers in the days to come. 

We applaud Larry for his work and perseverance. Thanks, Larry.
Steve

Peer Support lives
February 3, 2014 
hopeworkscommunity blog


It was announced tonight in Governor Haslam’s 2014 budget for the state of Tennessee that proposed budget cuts that would have closed all 45 peer support centers in Tennessee has been rescinded and all peer support centers will be fully funded. 

Thanks to a governor who listened and to so many who spoke out.

It has been a good night for all of us. 

Much to be thankful for.  Glad to have some good news to share.

Spirituality And A Wellness Based Lifestyle With Those Who Live With Bipolar Disorder. Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - 09:00 to 10:00

Reverend Cheryl T. Magrini, MS.ED, MTS, Ph.D.

Why should we be talking about spirituality and mental illness? Many individuals understand the essence of what it means to be a human being through their spirituality, and I find that this is even more so for those who struggle, ones living purposeful life, and those who embrace their resiliency, all the while living with bipolar disorder. When living with a mental illness, it can be too easy to think one is weak, unworthy, deserves to be abandoned by “God– or a sacred source” or that the episode could have been controlled, or the individual healed of the behaviors of the mental illness if religious codes, or other sacred norms, were not violated. Is relying on the sacred – whether ultimate truth or transcendence – being strong or not being strong enough? At the center of these questions lies the way that an individual living with bipolar disorder defines their own spirituality, and there are persons who struggle with what this means at all. How then does spirituality inform and influence decisions and specific wellness practices? With spirituality being a central point of living with purpose, meaning, and resiliency, how and when is this integrated into the therapeutic treatment? These questions on spirituality and wellness were asked of twenty-two individuals in a one hour interview. Out of these interviews, through common themes and evaluating the differences as well, five insights have been identified that will be presented in the webinar, including quotes and comments from the individuals in the interviews. This research leads to additional questions to explore.

Reverend Cheryl T. Magrini, MS.Ed, MTS, Ph.D.​ is a United Methodist clergy, serving the Chicago metro area since 1998, currently with the First United Methodist Church in Chicago, an urban and diverse church. Cheryl publishes, researches, and speaks nationally in the religious education and congregational change fields; and since 2011 specializes in consulting with faith communities to develop comprehensive mental health programs in partnership with community resources. Her current research on resiliency is an extension of her spirituality and wellness study. The resiliency research focuses on identifying resilient qualities, how these can be developed, and the ways that individuals living with bipolar disorder draw on and rely upon resiliency to live with purpose, meaning, power, and strength. Individuals share their personal story of resiliency as the basis of the research. Cheryl is chair, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, and on the IBPF Consumer Advisory Council, on the IBPF Consumer Advisory Council and President of the DBSA Chicago Loop Chapter.

Space is limited.Reserve your Webinar seat now at:https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/299258710 

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

- See more at: http://www.ibpf.org/event/spirituality-and-wellness-based-lifestyle-those-who-live-bipolar-disorder#sthash.4fM898CK.dpuf

The attached document contains  a ‘pairing’ of PSC’s with their area’s Senator & Representative. For those of you planning on attending Mental Health Day on the Hill, this year, I’m hoping you can take some consumers with you. It would be great if you can use this document,  early on,& go ahead & call your area legislators for appointment times. M H ‘Day on the Hill is March 18ththis year.

I would like to know when you set appointments, so I can try to be with you. Obviously, the huge issue for Mental Health Consumers is the matter of Governor Haslam’s desire to eliminate funding for the Peer Centers. Let’s all in regions VI, & VII  “put it together”, & influence our Legislators as to how important pro-mental health legislation is. And particularly how very important it is to keep our Peer Support Centers running. You can let me hear from you by, or by my cell #:

PEER SUPPORT CENTERS IN TENNESSEE

 

REGION I

 

FRONTIER HEALTH SERVICES
Host Agency Contact: Mary Fultineer
26 Midway Street
Bristol TN 37620

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RON RAMSEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JON LUNDBERG--

​​

 

Open Arms
Coordinator: Angela Prater

1400 Windsor Avenue
Bristol, TN 37620
Open: Monday-Thursday 8:30 am - 6:30 pm
Counties Covered: Sullivan

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RON RAMSEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JON LUNDBERG--

​​

 

 

Friendship House
Coordinator: Glenda Edwards

805 West Walnut Street
Johnson City, TN 37604
Open: Tuesday-Thursday 8 am – 5 pm
Counties Covered: Unicoi, Washington, Carter

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RUSTY CROWE--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE MATTHEW HILL--

​​

 

Friendship Connection
Coordinator: Melissa Frazier

117 Wexler Street
Kingsport, TN 37660
Open: Monday-Thursday 9 am-6 pm
Counties Covered: Sullivan

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RON RAMSEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE TONY SHIPLEY--

​​

 

Freedom Peer Support Center – Greeneville
Coordinator: Charles McLain

616 East Church Street
Greenville, TN 37743
Open: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 11 am-5 pm
Counties Covered: Greene, Hawkins

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STEVE SOUTHERLAND--

​​

​​

​​REPRESENTATIVE DAVID HAWK--

​​

 

Higher Ground
Coordinator: Charles Justice

1404 Crossroads Drive
Mountain City, TN 37683
Open: Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri 9 am-5 pm
Counties Covered: Johnson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RON RAMSEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE TIMOTHY HILL--

​​

 

 

New Start - Sneedville
Coordinator: Charles McLain

119 Nora Alder Drive
Sneedville, TN 37689
Open: Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri 12-5 pm
Counties Covered: Hancock

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR FRANK NICELEY--(615)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE MIKE HARRISON--(423)

​​

 

 

REGION II

 

CHEROKEE HEALTH SYSTEMS
Host Agency Contact: Stella Melton
or
215 Hedrick Drive
Newport, TN 37821

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STEVE SOUTHERLAND--(423)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JEREMY FAISON--(615)

​​

 

 

Health Recovery Group-Morristown
Peer Counselor: Mike Clayton

815 W 5th North Street
Morristown, TN 37814
Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 1-4 pm
Counties covered: Hamblen, Cocke

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STEVE SOUTHERLAND---(423)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE TILMAN GOINS--(423)

​​

 

 

 

Health Recovery Group-Newport
Peer Counselor: Mike Clayton
or
215 Hedrick Drive
Newport, TN 37821
Hours: Tues &Thurs 1-4 pm
Counties covered: Hamblen, Cocke

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STEVE SOUTHERLAND--(423)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JEREMY FAISON--(615)

​​

 

 

 

RIDGEVIEW PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL & CENTER
Host Agency Contact: Sharon Stratton

240 West Tyrone Road
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RANDY MCNALLY--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOHN RAGAN--(865)

​​

 

 

Friendship Place
Coordinator: Linda King

201 Sewanee Street #100
Harriman, TN 37748
Open: Tues – Fri 12 PM to 5:30 PM
Counties Covered: Morgan

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR KEN YAGER--(865)

​​

 

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE KENT CALFEE--(615)

​​

 

 

Horizons
Coordinator: Linda White

11 Joel Lane
Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Open: Wed – Sat 12 PM to 5:30 PM
Counties Covered: Anderson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR RANDY MCNALLY--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOHN RAGAN--(865)

​​

 

 

Wings
Coordinator: Barbara Smith

1327 East Central Avenue, Suite 5
Lafollette, TN 37766
Open: Wed – Thurs, 11 AM - 6; Fri, 11 AM – 7 PM Sat, 10 AM – 6 PM
Counties Covered: Campbell

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR KEN YAGER--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE DENNIS POWERS--(615)

​​

 

 

HELEN ROSS MCNABB CENTER
Host Agency Contact: Jana Morgan

526 Lamar Street
Knoxville, TN 37917

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STACY CAMPFIELD--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE GLORIA JOHNSON--(865)

​​

 

 

Friendship House

Coordinator: Michelle Palmer

526 Lamar Street
Knoxville, TN 37917
Open: Tues., Thurs. & Sat. 10 AM to 2 PM
Wed. & Fri. 10 AM to 6 PM
Counties Covered: Knox

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STACY CAMPFIELD--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE GLORIA JOHNSON--(865)

​​

 

 

PENINSULA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
Host Agency Contact: Mary Nelle Osborne

1451 Dowell Springs Blvd Suite 101
Knoxville, TN 37909-2451

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STACY CAMPFIELD--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE STEVE HALL--

​​

 

 

Maryville Wellness Recovery Center
Coordinator: Joey Amason

532 E. Broadway Avenue
Box 9
Maryville, TN 37804
Open: Mon – Thus, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Counties Covered: Blount

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DOUG OVERBEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE ART SWANN--

​​

 

 

 

Sevierville Wellness Recovery Center
Coordinator: Marjorie Diefenbach

509 High Street
Sevierville, TN 37862
Open: Mon – Thur, 11 am – 6 pm
Counties Covered: Sevier

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DOUG OVERBEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE DALE CARR--

​​

 

 

Knox Wellness Recovery Center
Interim Coordinator: Leslie Judson

1451 Dowell Spring Road
Knoxville, TN 37919
Open: Tuesday- Thursday 3-7
Counties Covered: Knox

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR STACY CAMPFIELD--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE STEVE HALL--

​​

 

 

REGION III

 

FORTWOOD CENTER
Host Agency Contact: Dot Stephens

1028 East 3rd Street
Chattanooga, TN 37403

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR TODD GARDENHIRE--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOANNE FAVORS--

​​

 

Lighthouse Peer Support Center
Coordinator: Marty Davis

509 South Highland Park
Chattanooga, TN 37403-4116
Open: Monday – Thursday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday – 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Counties Covered: Hamilton

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR TODD GARDENHIRE--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOANNE FAVORS--

​​

 

 

VOLUNTEER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Host Agency Contact: Vicki Harden

 

 

The Cottage
Coordinator: Paul Turney

112 College Street
Jasper, TN 37347
Open: Mon, Wed, Fri 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM
Tues &Thurs 10:30 AM – 7:00 pm
Counties Covered: Marion, Grundy

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JANICE BOWLING--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE BILLY SPIVEY--

​​

 

 

Dakoda Place - Athens
Coordinator: Tina Gesolgon

PO Box 685
424 Old Riceville Road
Athens, TN 37303
Open: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Counties Covered: McMinn

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR MIKE BELL--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOHN FORGETY--

​​

 

 

Dakoda Place - Cleveland
Coordinator: Tina Gesolgon

940 South Ocoee Street
Cleveland, TN 37311
Open: Tues & Thurs 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Counties Covered: Bradley

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR MIKE BELL--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN BROOKS--

​​

 

 

Friends & Company
Coordinator: Angela Smithers
or
1200 S. Willow Avenue
Cookeville, TN 38503
Open: Tues 12-5; Wed - Fri 9-5
Counties Covered: Putnam, White

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR CHARLOTTE BURKS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE RYAN WILLIAMS--

​​

 

 

Friendship Circle
Coordinator: Becky Porter

412 Delaware Avenue
Dayton, TN 37321
Open: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Counties Covered: Rhea

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR KEN YAGER--(865)

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE RON TRAVIS--

​​

 

 

My Friends House
Coordinator: Linda Joan Smith

209 B South Church Street
Livingston, TN 38570
Open: Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Counties Covered: Overton, Clay, Pickett

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR CHARLOTTE BURKS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOHN MARK WINDLE--

​​

 

 

 

PREPS Center
Coordinator: Sandra Crabtree

47 Willow Street
Crossville, TN 38555
Open: Mon - Fri 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
2nd Friday 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
2nd Saturday 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Counties Covered: Cumberland

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR CHARLOTTE BURKS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE CAMERON SEXTON--

​​

 

 

Harmony House
Coordinator: Mary Webb

107 Lyon Street Suite 3
McMinnville, TN 37110
Open: Monday - Thursday, 8 am to 2 pm
Counties covered: Warren

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JANICE BOWLING--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE CHARLES CURTISS--

​​

 

 

 

REGION IV

 

CENTERSTONE

Host Agency Contact: Mary Moran

1101 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37208

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR THELMA HARPER--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER--

​​

 

 

ReConnect Nashville
Coordinator: Greg Bennett
or
1101 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37208
Open: Monday – Friday 10 – 4 open one Saturday per month
Counties Covered: Davidson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR THELMA HARPER--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER--

​​

 

REGION V

 

CENTERSTONE
Host Agency Contact: Mary Moran

1101 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37208

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR THELMA HARPER--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER--

​​

 

 

ReConnect Clarksville
Regional Coordinator: Carla Sanders
or
611 8th St.
Clarksville, TN 37040
Open: Mon – Fri 10 – 4; open one Saturday per month
Counties Covered: Montgomery, Robertson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR MARK GREEN--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOE PITTS--

​​

 

 

ReConnect Dickson
Regional Coordinator: Carla Sanders
or
224 N Main ST
Dickson, TN 37055-1802
Open: Mon – Fri 10 – 4; open one Saturday per month
Counties Covered: Dickson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JIM SUMMERVILLE--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE DAVID SHEPARD--

​​

 

 

ReConnect Tullahoma
Regional Coordinator: Brenda Hargrove

709 North Davidson St
Tullahoma, TN 37388
Open: Mon – Fri 10 – 4; open one Saturday per month
Counties Covered: Coffee, Lincoln

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JANICE BOWLING--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JUDD MATHENY--

​​

 

 

ReConnect Columbia
Regional Coordinator: Wanda Yeager
or
6011 Trotwood Avenue
Columbia, TN 38401
Open: Mon – Fri 10 – 4; open one Saturday per month
Counties Covered: Maury, Lawrence

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JOEY HENSLEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVVE SHEILA BUTT--

​​

 

 

ReConnect Shelbyville
Contact Person: Brenda Hargrove
or
1110 Woodbury Street
Shelbyville, TN 37160
Open: Mon – Fri 10 – 4; open one Saturday per month
Counties Covered: Bedford

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JIM TRACY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE PAT MARSH--

​​

 

 

VOLUNTEER BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
Host Agency Contact: Vicki Harden

 

 

Enrichment House
Coordinator: Effie Cates

538 East Main Street
Gallatin, TN 37066
Open: Tues – Fri 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Counties Covered: Sumner, Wilson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR FERRELL HAILE—(

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM LAMBERTH--

​​

 

 

Our Place
Coordinator: Lyndi Shupp

120 S. Hancock Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
Open: Mon – Thurs & Sat 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Counties Covered: Rutherford

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR BILL KETRON--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE RICK WOMICK--

​​

 

 

REGION VI

 

CAREY COUNSELING CENTER
Host Agency Contact:
Sherri Sedgebear

PO Box 793
Huntingdon, TN 38344

 

 

Liberty Place
Coordinator: Priscilla Johnson

111 East Eaton St
Trenton, TN 38382
Open: Tues – Fri 10-8; Sat 8-4
Counties Covered: Gibson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JOHN STEVENS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE CURTIS HALFORD--

​​

 

 

Outreach Center
Coordinator: Kathy Graham

1539 Hwy 69 North
Paris, TN 38242
Open: Tues- Fri 10-6; Sat 8-4
Counties Covered: Henry

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JOHN STEVENS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE TIM WIRGAU--

​​

 

 

C.A.R.E.S. Center
Coordinator: Teresa Madison

946 Flatwoods Road
Camden, TN 38320
Open: Thurs – Fri 9-4; Sat 9-3
Counties Covered: Benton

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JOHN STEVENS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE TIM WIRGAU--

​​

 

 

Sunrise Outreach Center
Coordinator: Shawna Williams

110 East Church Street
Union City, TN 38261
Open: Tues – Fri 10-6; Sat 8-4
Counties Covered: Obion

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JOHN STEVENS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE ANDY HOLT--

​​

 

 

PATHWAYS
Host Agency Contact: Pat Taylor

238 Summar Dr
Jackson, TN 38301

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR LOWE FINNEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTIVE JOHNNY SHAW--

​​

 

The Hope Center
Coordinator: Debbi Young

222 E. Court St. Suite A
Dyersburg, TN 38024
Open: Tues – Thurs 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Counties Covered: Crockett, Dyer, Lake

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR LOWE FINNEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE BILL SANDERSON--

​​

 

 

Rainbow Center
Coordinator: Thomas Byars

67 American Drive
Jackson, TN 38301
Open: Tue, Wed & Thurs 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Counties Covered: Madison, Haywood

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR LOWE FINNEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JIMMY ELDRIDGE--

​​

 

Comfort Center
Coordinator: Kim Buckley

300 Holly Street
Lexington, TN 38351
Open: Mon - Fri 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
Counties Covered: Henderson

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DELORES GRESHAM--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE STEVE MCDANIEL--

​​

 

 

PROFESSIONAL CARE SERVICES
Host Agency Contact: Jimmie Jackson

1997 Hwy 51 S
Covington, TN 38019

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR MARK NORRIS--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE DEBRA MOODY--

​​

 

 

Hearts in Hands
Coordinator: Brenda Robbins

12615 S. Main
Somerville, TN 38068
Open: Mon, Tues, Thurs, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wed 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Counties Covered: Fayette

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DELORES GRESHAM--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE BARRETT RICH--

​​

 

 

Togetherness House
Coordinator: Melissa Belair

477-B South Washington
Ripley, TN 38063
Open: Mon, Wed, Fri, 8:30 – 5; Tues, 9 – 5; Thurs, 1-5
Counties Covered: Lauderdale, Tipton

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR LOWE FINNEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE CRAIG FITZHUGH--

​​

 

QUINCO MENTAL HEALTH CENTER
Host Agency Contact: Heather King

10710 Old Hwy 64
Bolivar, TN 38008

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DELORES GRESHAM--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTIVE JOHNNY SHAW--

​​

 

 

Horizon of Bolivar
Coordinator: Shirley Kelley

428 W. Market St.
Bolivar, TN 38008-2606
Open Tues-Fri, 8 am – 4 pm
Counties Covered: Hardeman, Chester

 

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DELORES GRESHAM--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTIVE JOHNNY SHAW--

​​

 

 

Horizon of Savannah
Coordinator: Jana James

430 Pinhook Drive
Savannah, TN 38372
Open: Wednesday – Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Counties Covered: Hardin, McNairy

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR DELORES GRESHAM--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE VANCE DENNIS--

​​

 

 

REGION VII

 

SOUTHEAST MENTAL HEALTH CENTER
Host Agency Contact:
Debra Dillon

135 N. Pauline
Memphis, TN 38104

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JIM KYLE--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DEBERRY--

​​

 

 

Turning Point
Coordinator: Zoe Simpson

4088 Summer Ave
Memphis, TN 38122
Open: Mon., Thurs. & Fri. 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Counties Covered: Shelby

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR BRIAN KELSEY--

​​

 

​​REPRESENTATIVE G. A. HARDAWAY--

​​

 

 

Tennessee Mental Health Consumers’ Association
Host Agency Contact: Lori Rash

 

The Beers-Van Gogh Peer Center
Coordinator: Megan Hoffmann

669 Madison Ave
Memphis, TN 38103
Open: Mon – Fri 12 PM to 5 PM
Counties Covered: Shelby

 

 

CONTACT:​SENATOR JIM KYLE--

​​

 

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN DEBERRY--

​​

 

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News of our heros makes the front page of USA Today!

A large number of these men and women suffer from mental health challenges. They are our special brothers and sisters. Let's ask why they are without adequate treatment.