National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Tuesday, Feb 7th is National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Blacks represent only 14% of the U.S. population, yet account for 44% of new HIV infections each year. Blacks represent 46% of people living with HIV. SHOUT Outreach offers free and confidential HIV oral swab testing. For more information contact: Gaudenzia SHOUT Outreach, Steve, Maicha or Hilda at 814.459.4755.

~ CDC Information ~

Memorial Service to be held Feb 8th

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:30AM at the Mental Health Association, first floor, 1101 Peach St., Erie, PA. We will celebrate the lives of members, family and friends who have passed on since the November 2011 service.

Enjoy an hour of song and guitar

Come and enjoy music by Ms. Ingrid on Monday, February 13, 2011from 1:30PM-2:30PM. Ms. Ingrid plays the guitar, writes her own songs and sings in English, Spanish and German. Join us on the first floor, Mental Health Association, 1101 Peach St., Erie, PA.

Learn About Millcreek Hospital Behavioral Health Services

Come and learn about the behavioral health services on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 11:30AM. Ms. Karleigh from Millcreek Community Hospital will offer information and answer questions about services. We will gather on the first floor, Mental Health Association, 1101 Peach St., Erie, PA.

Prescription Drug Coverage and Medical Assistance Update Feb 16th

Brian, a benefits counselor from Northwest Legal Services will speak on the January 2012 changes in prescription coverage and Medical Assistance. There will be a brief presentation and time for discussion. Join us on Thursday, February 16 , 2012 from 1:00PM-3:00PM on the first floor of the Mental Health Association, 1101 Peach St., Erie, PA.

Treatment Court Graduation

Erie County Treament Court conducted the twenty-second graduation ceremony on Thursday, December 15, 2011 at the Erie County Court House, Erie, PA.

The Mental Health Association of Northwestern PA congratulates the graduates of the Erie County Treatment Court. One person received an early discharge from the program.

Best wishes to each on your journey.

~ Program Details ~

World Aids Day: Success

On Wednesday, December 7 at 11:30 a.m., at the Mental Health Association, a World AIDS Day program took place. There were 25 people in attendance. It was a very inspirational program, and very touching. The theme this year was "Universal Access and Human Rights: Act Aware." The World AIDS Day Program promoted awareness, and recovery in every sense of the word. Reverend Rhodes was very inspiring, and brought with him a very uplifting message. The music played by Ms. Anoia was also very inspirational and uplifting. It really fit the theme of the program well. Between the guest speaker, Reverend Rhodes, and Ms. Anoia's beautiful music, the day was a great success!

~ Program Highlights ~

Warm Line: How a fellow CPS Made all the Difference

Brian McLaughlin discusses his use of the Warm Line (1.877.550.4007) to help resolve personal issues.

~ Full essay. ~

Rep. Harkins Helps Secure funds for the Warming Center at MHA

Thanks go out once again to State Representative Pat Harkins for helping MHA get a $10,000 grant from the Pa. Dept. of Community and Economic Development. This grant will provide support for at least 20 Warming Nights at MHA. These funds were not easily secured and took quite a bit of extra effort on the part of Rep. Harkins and Christine Rush at his local office. We are very grateful for their help both in crafting the funding request and making contacts with the DCED to make sure the funds were eventually released.

We are very pleased that DCED found our request worthy of support but the request could not have been made without the help of Rep. Harkin's office.

Invitation to Join MHA in "Celebrating Hope, Encouragement, Recovery"

MHA is proud to announce that we have partnered with the I'm the Evidence/Mental Health Campaign (ITE/MH), a grassroots initiative to increase awareness that people recover from mental illness and to celebrate individuals who are living examples of recovery, as well as those who support them.

The campaign officially launched this month after a year of planning led by the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania (MHAPA) and Support the Journey. The MHAPA works on behalf of the mental health of citizens of Pennsylvania instilling principles that facilitate recovery and resiliency of individuals and their families. Support The Journey provides products and services that help people understand, embrace, and support the human potential for growth, discovery, and recovery. At the heart of the Campaign is a poem expressing the Campaign's values - belief, hope, giving, connectedness, action, example, encouragement, and possibility. (Read the entire poem at www.itecampaign.org.)

Becoming a partner in the ITE/MH campaign is a natural fit for MHA. Celebrating the recovery accomplishments of mental health consumers and the roles of families, professionals and organizations in helping consumers in the pursuit of their dreams has been a part of what we do since the MHA came into being in 1993. Those of you receiving this message have also shown a commitment to mental health recovery and we invite you to become a part of this powerful and positive statewide initiative by becoming an ITE/MH partner (organization) or ambassador (individual)

As a Partner, we will spread the messages of the Campaign by helping consumers share their recovery stories, hosting ITE/MH events, recruiting more partners and ambassadors for the campaign, and by being true to the campaign mission.

Join us! Be part of the Campaign. Learn more or get involved at www.itecampaign.org or call me or Rita Wheeler at 814-452-4462 to honor the Evidence in you or someone you know.

Thanks

Bill Grove, CEO

"Telling Our Stories" on YouTube

MHA TV production crew has been working on the "Telling Our Stories" Project during the past year. The project is designed to spotlight mental health Recovery stories of consumers in Erie County. We have videotaped numerous Recovery stories that show the power of hope in a person’s life. Hope, Personal Responsibility, Self-Advocacy, Education and Support are the common attributes found in each of these stories. Please visit this YouTube site to see one of our Recovery stories.

Recovery Stories Needed for CATV Production

The Mental Health Association is recruiting volunteers to tell their personal Recovery stories. A Community Access TV Video is being produced to provide these stories to interested organizations. This message by Kate Bender gives more detail.

The Internship Experience at the MHA

Several college seniors from universities within the tri state area have spent a semester at the MHA. We have asked our recent interns to express their impression of their experience with us.