The Pulse - AZ Radio Show

03/26/2015

We need to do something about the failure of our prisons as a repository for the mentally ill. Through a series of unintended consequences we've sabotaged our mental health system and relegated the management of mental illness to a penal system desig...

03/21/2015

03/24/2015
Community Forums on the Health of Women and Children in Arizona ADHS wants to hear from you

The Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Women’s and Children’s Health cordially invites you to hear about the latest data and information on the health of women and children in Arizona. We want to hear from you about the most important needs in your community. Your input is important and will help determine the priorities of women’s and children’s health for the next five years. All meetings are open to the public. Some locations offer both an afternoon and evening meeting with the same agenda.

PHOENIX: Tuesday, March 24, 2 to 4 pm, Arizona State Lab- Auditorium, 250 N. 17th Ave.
TRIBAL CONSULTATION: Monday, March 30, 2 to 4 pm, Arizona State Lab- Auditorium, 250 N. 17th Ave.

Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter by contacting Kathy Levandowsky at 602.542.2528, 1.800.232.1676 (toll free), or 7-1-1 AZ Relay Service. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.

03/21/2015

03/24/2015
Free Community Forum About Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Hosted by the City of Mesa Human Relations Advisory Board
The City of Mesa Human Relations Advisory Board is coordinating a three-part series “Recovery and Resilience, Life after Diagnosis – Mental Health and Substance Abuse.” The first event will be held Tuesday, March 24 at 6 p.m. at Marc Community Resources, 924 N. Country Club Drive, Building 1.

The purpose of the series is to promote understanding and stigma reduction while celebrating our differences. Information and real life stories will be shared of recovery and resilience about people who have a mental illness and substance abuse who live in our community and lead fully productive lives. One primary goal of the series is to let family, friends and community members understand that there is life after a diagnosis. The program is for the general population, business community and elected and appointed officials.

The Mesa Human Relations Board is hosting the series in partnership with Marc Community Resources, Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care and the East Valley Firefighter Charities. Registration for the March 24 program begins at 5:30 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. The other meetings in the series have not yet been scheduled. For more information, contact City of Mesa Diversity and Outreach Administrator Ruth Giese at (480) 644-5033 or [email protected].

03/14/2015

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - The Tucson Police Department's Mental Health Investigative Support Team (MHST) visited Safe Park downtown Wednesday asking homeless individuals if they need referrals or immediate help from a crisis worker.

The visit came just days ahead of a Friday 6 p.m. deadline for the homeless campers to remove their gear including the so-called “dream pods.”

“The response has been really good,” says Sgt. Jason Winsky who oversees the TPD mental health team. “People are talking to us, they're engaging with us. Some people have asked for referrals to be contacted later by behavioral health professionals. Some people haven't wanted to talk to us, and we've respected that and left them alone.”

I spoke to one man who told me he needs a job—he needs an ID—but he's skeptical about this outreach.

James Wrigley is a homeless man who says he needs help finding a job, but first he needs an ID. He says the mental health team left a flyer with a list of resources. Wrigley says he's skeptical.

“I think it's all talk right now… because they don't want to have no hassle Friday,” says Wrigley.

“We're simply asking them how they're feeling,” says Winsky. “If they have any unmet needs, prescriptions that they might have run out of, and we're trying to connect them with the services they need.”

The City of Tucson Housing and Community Development department is also coordinating outside agencies to help those living on the streets with temporary housing, veterans services, and other necessities.http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/28399570/tpd-sends-mental-health-team-ahead-of-downtown-homeless-deadline

The Tucson Police Department's Mental Health Investigative Support Team (MHST) visited Safe Park downtown Wednesday asking homeless individuals if they need referrals or immediate help from a crisi...

03/14/2015

WE DID IT!! It took us for what seemed like a life time to get this step forward. I still have questions as to who will provide the training and if the local mental health crisis response team will be on each pick-up call? I will know soon. Fran Garrett Michelle's mother thanks the community. I thank everyone who continued to put pressure on Greg Stanton and our city Manger to make changes. This isn't everything we wanted , but it is a start for change. Which we are so thankful for. Matthew Kennedy, Thank you Cleo Daily, Gerald Richard, Deborah Mihalik Geesling, France Garrett, Renee Guydosh Moore, Trish Bleth, Victoria Ames, Mary Lou Brncik , Jana Spalding and Ron Friesen

The Phoenix Police Department has announced changes in the way its officers handle mental health cases.

03/05/2015

Each day we move forward to a more open discussion about Mental Illness. I wonder if this is the only road we are heading on. The data is in , people need treatment. No more studies or PSA's need to conducted to prove that. So this is were funding and cooperation from state governments and providers come into play. The dark shadow of Mental Illness is the fact we use our prisons for care, ER rooms for temporary treatment and the streets for housing.

First lady Michelle Obama launches the "Change Direction" campaign in Washington, DC.

03/04/2015

The left and right agree. This nation needs criminal-justice reform. Arizona needs it even more.

03/04/2015

The Maricopa Alliance for Housing and Shelter, a grassroots organization advocating for the homeless, is demanding conditions improve at the Men's Overflow Shelter and adjacent East Lot immediately. The group sent a clear and strong message in a formal letter to local, county, and state officials this afternoon.

Included in the list of demands are basic necessities and fundamental human rights like potable water and sanitary bathroom conditions. Currently, nine portable toilets--cleaned once a week--are available and expected to serve upwards to 300 individuals per night. There are no hand-washing stations, and the only water available is accessed through a garden hose attached to a spigot, a few feet away from the toilets. MASH is demanding more garbage cans be placed in the area, and that something be done about the rats, mice, and bedbug infestation.


http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2015/03/homeless_advocates_demand_immediate_improvements.php

The Maricopa Alliance for Housing and Shelter, a grassroots organization advocating for the homeless, is demanding conditions improve at the...

03/04/2015

Upcoming Event!!



We hope you can join David's Hope at the March 6, Arizona Mental Health & Criminal Justice Coalition meeting, which will be held from 9-11am. Our special guest will be Dave Wells Ph.D. Director of Research at the Grand Canyon Institute. You may call into the meeting by dialing 1-530-881-1000 and entering access code 977146 # Meeting location is DBHS,150 N.18th Ave Rm.215 A, Phoenix 85007. There is a multilevel parking deck directly across 18th Ave. Parking is free to the public on all levels of the deck.

We are excited to announce that we are now offering to our partners the opportunity to join the coalition as an official endorser. We invite you to ask your organization's authorized representative to complete the attached endorser form and submit to David's Hope. We would be honored to have your organization as an endorsing member of the coalition and will be listing endorsing agencies on our website, davidshopeaz.org



Thank you for helping us get the word out,as we formalize and build a lasting collaborative network of Arizona mental health and criminal justice stakeholders.

All my best,

Mary Lou Brncik
Founder, David's Hope
davidshopeaz.org
602-774-4382

02/26/2015

(Feb. 25, 2015) My son was a wrestler in high school. He loved to ride dirt bikes and horses, and was famous for standing up for the little guy.

02/24/2015

What if we tried something different? http://youtu.be/_66uT64YzbY?list=PLQ9B-p5Q-YOP2OVnCPdYKLSmPkqLA2igT

The "War on Drugs" has been a complete disaster since 1971. Now police have alternatives to incarceration that actually help people -and save money for the t...