Tagged With "Health"

By Maureen O'Hagan, Kaiser Health News, September 23, 2019 On Kimberly Repp’s office wall is a sign in Latin: Hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae. This is a place where the dead delight in helping the living. For medical examiners, it’s a mission. Their job is to investigate deaths and learn from them, for the benefit of us all. Repp, however, isn’t a medical examiner; she’s a Ph.D. microbiologist. And as the Washington County epidemiologist, she was most accustomed to studying...

By Ben Botkin, The Lund Report, August 31, 2020 A forum for current and former youth in foster care has called for sweeping changes to help children who have suffered trauma, are entering adulthood or belong to communities of color. The recommendations are the product of the Oregon Foster Youth Connection Policy Conference, a biennial forum for lawmakers, state agency officials, advocates and others interested in the state safety net. The conference, sponsored by the advocacy group Our...

Starting a conversation with someone about mental health can be uncomfortable. The reality is, taking the time & having the courage to interact with someone can make ALL the difference. This fantastic website, Seize the Awkward , is filled with information, helpful how-to's, & hot lines designed to equip us with better ways to have those chats. If you haven’t checked out their website yet, it’s well worth a look! Head over to https://seizetheawkward.org/. “Anything that’s human is...

Mental health affects all of us. There are different avenues that can be taken to find healing from trauma and to pursue the life we dream of. With mental health, there are a myriad of ways to heal & a "one size fits all approach" doesn't apply. Some of us find healing and meaning in yoga, interpretive dance, art, creative writing, support groups, exercise, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavior therapy, and so much more! I recently had the pleasure of...

Eugene, OR: CAHOOTS 32 years ago the City of Eugene, Oregon developed an innovative community-based public safety system to provide mental health first response for crises involving mental illness, homelessness, and addiction. White Bird Clinic started CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) as a community policing initiative in 1989 (White Bird Clinic).* The CAHOOTS model has been in the spotlight recently as the USA struggles to reimagine public safety. From the CAHOOTS...

This July, Mental Health America is celebrating BIPOC Mental Health Month, formally recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and we want YOU to join us! Go to mhanational.org/july to download the full toolkit, shareable images, and resources list. In this toolkit, you can also find actionable ways to support BIPOC communities and honor the legacy of Bebe Moore Campbell, the pioneer whose advocacy and visionary work first led to July’s formal...

A recent article from Oregon Public Broadcasting is highlighting the research from a study out Monday from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The study examined children's wellness and uses data from the National Survey of Children’s Health . It found that in Oregon from 2016 to 2020, the number of children reporting depression and anxiety actually increased by a staggering 40%. As a mental health professional, I can only imagine that that percentage increased during the subsequent years of an...

Salem Keizer's June City Council meeting featured an incredible presentation on ways to create suicide prevention in our communities from Dr. Satya Chandragiri. There are so many resources to help prevent suicide and create thriving communities; one of my key takeaways from this is that in order to accomplish this, we must all work together! Increasing education by providing mental health first aid (like Question, Persuade, & Refer classes) training to people in our communities is an...

Thank you, Michael, for bringing this to my attention!

Great to hear about this!

Find ways to stay active, despite the rainy days. Local gyms often have sign up deals this time of year, and some insurances will pay for part of (or all) of your gym fee. Going on a hike with friends is a great way to get active and enjoy some of our amazing nature here in Oregon. Take the time to embrace the slow down. As the seasons change, reassess what is important to you. If something is stressing you out, this is a wonderful season to take stock of what your priorities are. By doing...