Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Eugene, Oregon, Police Chief: Sending Unarmed Crisis Specialists On Mental Health Calls Saves Lives

    The police chief in Eugene, Ore., home of the CAHOOTS program, which other communities see as the model for finding alternatives to policing, supports the program because it saves lives and saves the city money. Sending unarmed medics and social workers on calls involving behavioral health problems, mental health crises, and substance-use psychotic episodes automatically de-escalates many situations because of the lack of a police presence.

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  • Lummi Nation Creates a Community to Support Families

    The Lummi Tribal council created Sche'lang'en Village to provide a supportive community for Native families that have been torn apart by the foster system, drugs, or domestic violence. The more than 30 families accepted to the low-cost housing project receive a host of services to help them recover and build better futures. A disproportionate number of Native children are taken from their families into foster care, which damages not only families but the Native culture.

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  • Can ‘Bad Men' Ever Change?

    Among the many restorative justice programs in the U.S., the Domestic Violence Safe Dialogue program was one of the few to arrange face-to-face dialogue between survivors and men who had violently abused women. This form of surrogate dialogue – the pairings are between strangers – helps two people who want to change but can't do it alone. After extensive preparation and led by a facilitator, the meeting gives survivors a way to hear they were not to blame for the harm done to them, and for the men to admit responsibility and help someone else in ways that traditional punitive justice often cannot.

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  • For girls with mothers in prison, a summer camp offers much-needed support

    For three days each summer, the Girls Embracing Mothers (GEM) camp near Dallas gives girls an escape from their daily reality of being denied a normal relationship with their incarcerated mothers. Founded by a lawyer whose own mother was incarcerated, GEM combines typical summer-camp fun with trust-building exercises. During camp and afterward, the girls become part of a community of peers who understand each other's trauma – which puts them at higher risk of dropping out of school, mental health problems, and homelessness – in a place where they need not feel shame for their mothers' status.

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  • Mental health support in preschool may help lower sky-high expulsion rates

    Project PLAY, the third of Arkansas’ three-tiered mental health consultation system, has reduced high expulsion and suspension rates for children in child care settings. The program provides consultants who go into classrooms for several months of weekly visits to observe children and then work with staff and parents to address behavioral and mental health issues. The consultations can lead to earlier diagnoses of sensory disorders and increase the confidence and empowerment of child care providers. Lower expulsion rates have a long-term impact on children’s social, emotional, and educational development.

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  • VigilanS, le dispositif anti-suicide qui résiste au Covid

    Depuis 2015 dans le Nord-Pas-de-Calais, des infirmières et des psychologues assurent un suivi pendant six mois des personnes ayant commis une tentative de suicide. Cet outil de recontact a été étendu à l’ensemble de la France en raison de ses très bons résultats. Les tentatives de suicides ont baissé de l’ordre de 10 à 12 % en trois ans.

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  • How Mental Health First Responders in an Oregon City 'De-escalate' Conflict and Save Lives

    CAHOOTS has become a national model because of its uncommon partnership with the Eugene Police Department. The police chief says CAHOOTS' unarmed first responders to mental health crises can de-escalate crises before crimes occur or someone gets hurt. That's the idea behind the decades-old agency that takes calls where police can sometimes cause worse outcomes. The crisis intervention workers and medics treat people on the scene or transport them to places where they can get the help they need. Police are available but rarely needed for safety on those calls.

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  • 'I am not alone:' How a California county is helping Hispanic family caregivers find peace

    La Buena Vida connects caregivers from Latino households with respite care, training, and support groups. Using federal funding, the program serves as the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging’s resource center for Spanish-speaking family caregivers. The program also provides safety equipment, like ramps and railings. In addition to much needed emotional and physical breaks from their responsibilities, the group connects caregivers to Spanish-speaking professionals who offer counseling and support. The program staff regularly checks in with its 66 clients to see how they are doing and assess their needs.

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  • He's 11. By his mom's count, he's had 30+ interactions with armed officers at school.

    Denver's school board responded to the 2020 racial justice protests by removing the police officers who were stationed in certain middle and high schools. But the police or the district's growing force of armed guards get called thousands of times per year to the schools, including "child in crisis" calls. Their response can escalate tensions and unnecessarily criminalize behavioral problems that could be helped through other means. The schools are exploring ways to use the money they saved on "school resource officers" to improve counseling services and give teachers realistic alternatives.

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  • Kathy Friedman and InkWell Workshops offer struggling writers a chance to turn the page

    InkWell Workshops offers a safe space for writers who have experienced mental health and addiction issues. In addition to mentorships and other professional development guidance, the group offers free weekly drop-in workshops led by professional writers, all of whom have lived with mental illness. The weekly schedule provides routine, while the drop-in structure allows needed flexibility for those managing the ups and downs of their mental health. The group has made a point of reflecting participant diversity in their instructors. Participants have published work created in Inkwell’s workshops.

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