Trauma Informed Care Programs

When a person is involved in a traumatic event, like a car crash, a team of surgeons work to fix the physical damage that may have been caused. But how is the emotional and mental damage caused by the event resolved? Scott Carlson, a mental health professional and Director of Heartland School says that like any other wound left untreated, trauma will continue to fester in a person and can show up in acting out behaviors like ADHD and oppositional defiance disorder, or depression.

C&A Walks for NAMI

Sunny skies and beautiful weather greeted the nearly 300 walkers at the 2011 NAMI Walk (Nebraska Alliance on Mental Illness), held on Saturday, June 11 at Elmwood Park in Omaha. More than 20 people walked with the C&A team, which raised nearly $5,300 for the cause! C&A was honored to be at the front of [...]

Ted E. Bear Hollow Adds New Youth Program

Since 2001, Ted E. Bear Hollow has provided a safe place to express emotions, to remember loved ones openly, and to learn ways to care for themselves in the sad times. Through support groups, day camps, retreats and a variety of programs, Ted E. Bear Holllow has helped thousands of children and their loved ones move beyond their grief of the loss of a loved one to death toward healing. Today, Ted E. Bear Hollow is the premier resource for grieving children, teens, and their families in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area.

C&A Industries Health Fair

The Kim Foundation was excited to participate in the 7th Annual C&A Industries Health Fair on March 22. We enjoyed the opporuntity to visit with nearly 250 employees on the various mental health services available to them in Nebraska.

Heartland Family Service Assessment, Support and Prevention Program

Law enforcement officers and medical personnel are called into situations every day where they are asked to make decisions regarding the needs of individuals experiencing crisis – some of these crisis involve individuals suffering from mental illness. The Assessment, Support and Prevent Program (ASAP) offered through Heartland Family Service is a team of volunteer, on-call licensed therapists trained in crisis intervention and communication who respond to Sarpy County Law Enforcement Officials in crisis situations.

From Rights to Reality: A Plan for Parent Advocacy and Family-Centered Child Welfare Reform

From Rights to Reality is designed to unite parents and parent advocacy around a common set of goals. It identifies 15 rights for parents affected by the child welfare system. Most parents do not yet have these rights in child welfare proceedings. From Rights to Reality represents a commitment to working in our communities and nationwide to make these rights a reality.

Not Alone Radio Program, Jan. 18: Author Leslie Byers

Not Alone welcomed special guest, author Leslie Byers recently. In Byers book, “Heather’s Rage: A Mother’s Faith Reflected in Her Daughter’s Mental Illness” she chronicles years of frustration experienced as she and her husband struggled to find answers to their daughter’s manic-induced rages and suicidal depressions brought on by bipolar disorder.

Veteran Affairs Expands Services for Women

In 2009 and 2010 post traumatic stress disorder, hypertension, and depression were the top three diagnoses for women Veterans treated by the VA. Cindy Niemack-Brown, Women Veteran Program Manager feels these issues are high in women because females versus males have a tendency to delay their health care over others, often complicating the underlying health care issue.

“As a licensed mental health practitioner and a woman myself, I know that women pride themselves on taking care of others rather than themselves. Often, women who have been deployed have higher readjustment issues and cases of depression because it can be challenging adjusting and integrating back into the role of mother, care giver, or wife,” Niemack-Brown said. “We hear women say that when they come back after being deployed they don’t get the same kind of support or acknowledgement that men receive and they feel isolated.”

OneWorld Community Health Center Starts Youth Navigator Program to Reach Foster Care Youth in Transition

A new program offered at OneWorld Community Health Center, The Youth Navigator Program, is now available to assist youth making the transition out of the foster care system to living independently within the community. The program, funded with a two-year grant, helps to develop a plan for participants to create and/or maintain a healthy lifestyle as well as guide them in attaining their personal goals for the future.

Not Alone Radio Program, Dec. 7: Behavioral Health Information Technology

In the wake of the second annual Health Information Technology Summit, Susan Boust, M.D., Medical Director for the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN, pronounced BEACON) joined Not Alone recently to discuss how information technology solutions are revolutionizing the reach of medicine and enhancing health care education opportunities; she will also explore potential challenges to using technology.