A Note from Wayne Clark 

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals have embraced Each Mind Matters: California’s Mental Health Movement, and during Pride Month across California, Each Mind Matters is showcasing stories of LGBTQ Californians who are empowering communities with mental health. People who identify as LGBTQ are two and a half times more likely to experience a mental health challenge in their lifetime, and often report limited access to mental health services. LGBTQ Californians can also unfortunately experience high levels of stigma and discrimination related to both their mental health challenge and sexual orientation or gender identity.
 
Each of us was touched by the unimaginable violence in Orlando this past month, but members of our LGBTQ community have been particularly affected. As our communities work toward healing, it is even more important that our California counties and communities are coming together to ensure appropriate services and support are available for LGBTQ Californians statewide. Through EachMindMatters.org, you can share resources that promote personal recovery, and promote first-person stories from LGBTQ Californians coming forward to confront mental health challenges.

Each Mind Matters Helps Californians Embrace Mental Wellness

• Each Mind Matters recently joined hundreds of thousands of celebrants at this year's "San Francisco LGBT Pride for Racial and Economic Justice" to promote LGBTQ mental health. The Each Mind Matters lime green resource tent was up in the Civic Center Plaza for the weekend, and volunteers from the National Alliance on Mental Illness San Francisco, Mental Health America – San Francisco and Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS) provided hundreds of individuals each day with mental health resources. On Sunday, the Each Mind Matters team and volunteers from across the state donned special Each Mind Matters Pride t-shirts to represent California's Mental Health Movement in the annual parade. Each Mind Matters’ blog will have an announcement on how you can get one of the limited edition Pride "Lime Green Rainbow" shirts before they are gone! Contact: Joseph Robinson at Joseph.Robinson@calmhsa.org.
• Each Mind Matters also tabled at Comic Con in Sacramento to raise awareness of young people about California’s mental health movement, provide mental health resources to, and grow Each Mind Matters’ social media follower base. The team collected about 215 new sign-ups for the newsletter, 208 page likes on Facebook, 14 new Twitter followers, and 117 new followers on Instagram! Contact: Jeanine Gaines at jgaines@rs-e.com.

NAMI Homefront Honors Veteran and Military Families 

NAMI Homefront, a six class educational program for caregivers and friends of military service members and veterans with mental health conditions, will be launched soon by the National Alliance on Mental Illness California (NAMI CA). NAMI CA is partnering with NAMI Santa Clara, NAMI Sonoma, NAMI San Diego, and NAMI Fresno to train teachers in this program and conduct the first Homefront classes this summer. Once class sessions are scheduled, NAMI CA will provide a list of class dates and locations. Individuals interested in taking the class should contact their local affiliate to learn more and register. More information on NAMI Homefront is available here. Contact: Melen Vue at melen@namica.org.  

New Answers for Common Questions on Federal Law 

Disability Rights California has released a new publication, Excellence in Mental Health Act. The resource answers questions on the 2014 federal law aimed at expanding community mental health services, including: what is the Excellence in Mental Health Act? What is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic? What is the Excellence Act’s Demonstration Program?  Did California get an Excellence Act Planning Grant? What is a prospective payment system? And, Is the Act a step toward mental health parity? See Disability Rights California’s Mental Health Resource page for additional resources. Contact: Margaret Johnson at Margaret.Jakobson-Johnson@disabilityrightsca.org.

Diversity in Focus with New NAMI Training 

NAMI California recently kicked off its first In-Person Presenter Training for Mental Health 101. Mental Health 101 teaches individuals about mental health challenges and addresses the stigma associated with mental illness through an informative presentation, short videos and personal testimonies that represents a variety of cultures, beliefs, and values. The presenter training offered participants the opportunity to provide messages of hope and recovery while respecting different cultures, traditions and customs. Participants drew connections on how different cultures would impact their own role as a presenter. Contact: Melen Vue at melen@namica.org.

Save the Date for Student Mental Health Conference