NAMI Pomona Valley Newsletter
July News 2021
Updates
Continue to check out our website below for upcoming
Events and Announcements.


Feel Free to utilize and join in the NAMI PV Support Groups
this month and every month. We are here to help support,
encourage and lift each other up in our time of need!!!



?Need Information?
NAMI Pomona Valley Helpline
Is here for YOU!!
(909) 399-0305

Support Groups

Everything is still up and running and on the same schedule; Classes, Support Groups, and General Meetings. It’s all just Virtual, online via the Video conferencing platform called Zoom. You can also contact the office for more info.


Connection Support Group Online

Connections Support Via Zoom
1st Tuesday of the month 6:16 - 7:30 PM
Thursdays 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Every Friday at 6:30 – 8:00 PM


Family Support Group Online
1st Tuesday of every month at 6:15 – 7:30 PM

Spanish/Español Family Support Group
1st Tuesday of every month at 6:15 – 7:30 PM

If you have any questions please feel free
to call the NAMI Pomona Valley Helpline: (909) 399-0305


Bebe Moore Campbell was an author, advocate, co-founder of NAMI Urban Los Angeles and national spokesperson, who worked tirelessly to advocate for mental health education and eliminate stigma among diverse communities, until she passed away in 2006. In 2005, inspired by Campbell’s charge to end stigma and provide mental health information, longtime friend Linda Wharton-Boyd suggested dedicating a month to the effort. The duo got to work, outlining the concept of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and what it would entail. After Campbell’s passing, Wharton-Boyd, friends, family and allied advocates reignited their cause. In 2008, July was designated as the Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month by the U.S. House of Representatives. There have been recent attempts to change the month’s name, but NAMI continues to recognize the importance of honoring Bebe Moore Campbell’s incredible legacy and groundbreaking work.

Additional Support Resources


A toolkit for Schizophrenia and Related Disorders. The Alliance of America (SARDAA), has helpful information and resources. They also have virtual support groups:
Families and Friends for Care (FFFC) is a support group for families of diagnosed individuals with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related brain illness.

To register for the conference support calls,
Groups are available Tuesdays at 4pm,
Wednesdays at 3 pm,
Sundays at 3pm and in Spanish on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of the month at 6pm.



NAMI Membership Dues:
Are you Current? Donations and membership are actually tax deductible!





Membership benefits include:

  • Our flagship magazine, The NAMI Advocate
  • Membership with NAMI National, NAMI California, and our Pomona Valley Affiliate
  • Voting privileges 
  • Discounts at the NAMI Store and on registration at the NAMI National Convention
  • Access to all the information and features on the NAMI.org website and more



NAMI education classes and training programs are held throughout the year. Class seating is limited and fill quickly. Training programs are offered upon availability. Please fill out this contact form to be notified when registration for classes become available or for training program availability.


Support groups will continue as scheduled and info can be
found on our website. 

**New Family 2 Family Classes coming soon, call us to get more info!!**

For more information on any class, please contact our office:
Phone: (909) 625-2383 Email: admin@namipv.org


If you Need Help Reach out

Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

Other Resources Check the link below



Public Policy & Advocacy
Sign-UP

NAMI champions better care and better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental health conditions. Join our movement!

Sign up to get Text Alerts on current petitions and stay connected with whats going on.


What's new in advocacy in California?
Why Sleep is the Best Protection for Health,
Memory & Mood
June 30, 2021
By: Kimberly Key

Sleep deprivation is dangerous. While I have heard that before and have even worked with clients through the years on strategies to help them improve their sleep, I have been guilty of falsely believing my own decreased sleep was normal and even somewhat noble. As a mother, I went without sleep to tend to my child in her first year of feedings which was subsequently followed by years of decreased sleep to get work done while she slept. Yet this culturally reinforced work-over-sleep mentality has now been shown to be more dangerous than many other negative health habits, which makes sense when realizing that sleeping is the body’s time to repair, heal, and assimilate learning and long-term memory. In other words, it’s not just for beauty, although that smooth skin glow is a nice free benefit.

Matt Walker gives a powerful TedTalk that challenges norms about sleep, citing sleep deprivation as a public health crisis and urging sleep as the first line of defense against disease and mental illness. Limited sleep impairs memory, attention, and cellular repair, and increases inflammation, and stress response, and has been implicated in shortened lifespans and diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease. Because sleep is regulated by the body’s circadian rhythm (which is tuned into light and a 24-hour cycle of sleep-wake stages), alterations in sleep patterns can negatively affect the body’s natural melatonin and serotonin production (further impacting sleep and mood) and shift the body’s hunger hormones. (Yes, lack of sleep can ruin your diet. The same is true for too much sleep. Goldilocks was on to something with wanting things just right.)

Source: Psychology Today
People of Color and Mental Health Care:
The Double Bind
June 30, 2021
By: Monica T. Williams Ph.D

Mental health disparities are an issue often overlooked and misunderstood. Just as we see in other areas of medicine, people of color suffer mental health consequences to a greater degree than White Americans. Not only are people of color limited in their access to effective mental health care, but they are also subject to discrimination and social disadvantage that can be invisible to White individuals, making existing problems worse.

Racism Contributes to Mental Health Problems
American racial ideology and its interaction with psychological processes help us understand the mental health division between groups. Racial ideology is an unwritten system of ideas and beliefs that apply to racialized groups and dictate how people of color are perceived or treated by society. We operate by these rules without consciously thinking about or considering them. The prevalence of covert racism in the form of microaggressions, combined with the toll of everyday racism, can cause anxiety, psychological distress, depression, and even suicidal thoughts in people of color.

Racial biases cause some to express skepticism toward people of color in need of psychological help. For example, it is a common opinion that people of color are “overly sensitive” in regard to racialized issues, leading to dismissal and invalidation when they seek support for the emotional suffering that results from racism, such as workplace discrimination or racial profiling by law enforcement. Sometimes, when the toll of racism is too much to bear, people of color break down emotionally – they may express anger, abuse substances, or engage in reckless behavior. They may be perceived as criminals rather than an individual in need of mental health care. Compassion often takes a back seat when judging individuals of color; society does not use the same yardstick for every person.

Source: Psychology Today

 Legislation Spotlight

Help Support


Letter of Support Assembly Bill 1331
To the California State Senate

NAMI California supports Assembly Bill 1331 to establish a new position at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to improve our crisis care system. You can help support this legislation by signing the support letter. Do you have a personal reason for supporting this legislation?

To focus on establishing and monitoring a comprehensive crisis care system and ensure that individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. California has never had a comprehensive, integrated network of services on which people in a mental health or substance use disorder crisis can rely and this position. It’s time for California to ensure that people experiencing a behavioral health crisis receive the care they deserve in the most expedient way possible.



Here is your opportunity to contribute and donate to
NAMI!

When making Amazon purchases, use Amazon Smile. Simply click through our Amazon Smile link and shop like you normally would. It costs you absolutely nothing extra, and a portion of your purchase price is donated to us.
You can also designate a Charity to contribute towards.
Choose NAMI Pomona Valley!


NAMI Wish List:

• Copy Paper (color and black & white)
• Water Bottles
• ½“ white binders with clear view front
• Laptops (used is fine) & projectors
• Gift Cards to Staples or Costco

THANK YOU!!!

You can bring donated items to the office during business hours or to our monthly event.
You can also choose to donate through the links on our homepage!
NAMI POMONA VALLEY | 3115 N. Garey Avenue, Pomona, CA 91767
Office (909) 625-2383 | Helpline (909) 399-0305 | Email: admin@namipv.org