Catholic Charities Celebrates 85 Years of Service

Since 1926, Catholic Charities has worked endlessly to serve and advocate for more than 75,000 voiceless, hungry, addicted, abused, and forgotten individuals annually throughout the Omaha area. Through its 11 main programs, and the efforts of nearly 400 amazing volunteers, staff, and board members, Catholic Charities works to feed the hungry, give shelter and safety to battered women and children, support individuals with mental illness, offer recovery and hope to those suffering from addiction, teach new skills to young and old, unite adoptive families, and so much more. In September, Catholic Charities celebrated 85 years of service to Omaha.

Not Alone Radio Program, Aug. 2: Behaven Day Center

Our August 2 program welcomed friends from the Behaven Day Center. Boy, was it fun to be transported back into the mind and behaviors of a child for just a little while. Being a little kid can be lots of fun: moments filled with energy, excitement, creativity, and wonder!

But what about the little ones who are psychologically vulnerable, or who have behaviors that are challenging for parents and day care providers to successfully manage?

Not Alone Radio Program, July 26: RSAFE Program

In response to requests from listeners, our July 26 program addressed the topic of sexual abuse in children, including treatment for children who had become sexual perpetrators. We began discussion for this program last February, not realizing at the time how much this topic would be in the news by our broadcast date.

Not Alone Radio Program, June 28: Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative

There is a new program in Omaha called Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, or JDAI. Douglas County Commissioner Chris Rogers learned about this program through the Annie E. Casey Foundation about ten years ago, and established the local support needed to bring the opportunity to Omaha. Recognizing that juvenile offenders need to be held accountable for their actions, and that communities do need assurances of safety and protection, JDAI is a reform process addressing the efficiency and effectiveness of juvenile detention.

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.

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.

Not Alone Radio Program, Feb. 8: Nebraska Families Collaborative

The Child Welfare System has long been a source of grave concern to Nebraskans. We see more and more families living in ways that are detrimental to the health and well being of children; sometimes the safety of the child is of such serious concern that children are removed from their homes. In other circumstances, children need to receive mental health care, and the only option available for parents so that their child may receive this care, is to ask that their child be made a ward of the State, in essence terminating their own parental rights, and having the child removed from their home.

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.

KVC Health Systems

An on going struggle for Nebraska families with children requiring mental health care is locating qualified treatment and finding ways to pay for the services. In an effort to address this struggle, Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services recently ‘privatized’ behavioral health care for children’s services by awarding contracts for comprehensive care to five lead agency providers. Three of the lead agencies have since terminated their contract with DHHS; the two remaining are Boys Town and KVC Health Systems. Priorities of these lead agencies include providing a single resource responsible for that family’s care, then coordinating recovery services and reunification for the family through that lead agency.