Donations Requested

Donations Requested

Send to: NAMI Santa Cruz County,
P.O. Box 360
Santa Cruz, CA. 95061 USA

Bonnie Schell, director of the Santa Cruz Mental Health Client Action Network, said she has gotten calls all weekend because money that was available to help students buy textbooks at Cabrillo College seems to have dried up and to be uncertain. Please call Sarah Peck at College Connection and see what the score is about texts 479-6512.

Bonnie stated that the MHCAN driver, himself a client, ventured into his first college class, one on cultural diversity. He could only afford to buy 1 book out of 5 and it was a paperback for $62.

One student signed up for the CISCO training, which would get her a job. Then she found out there is no help for books, and has dropped the classes.

Bonnie said, "You know there aren't jobs for all mental health clients in Santa Cruz, but going back to school builds people's self esteem, helps them meet other adults in Santa Cruz, and helps them find an area of strength."

If you can, help please send your donation to NAMI Board and note on it that you want to designate the money to support client education needs.

Another area, in which assistance is needed is in the area of hospice. Many clients have no family whatsoever. A big problem is that clients aren't getting proper care from their primary care physician--some have never seen one. The new atypical medications make it imperative that clients be checked for heart problems, diabetes, lipid levels, etc. It would be great if family health care advocates could be paid for their time and perhaps car fare to see that people get good general health care. We're dying too early.

Again, if you can donate to help such services, please send us a note, designating your donation for this purpose.

Finally, it would be very helpful for consumers to have talks arranged to provide valuable information.

"Some good speakers to come to MHCAN to talk to family members and clients on Weds (when we are closed; we can easily set up tables and chairs for 50 folks) would be good too. Really knowledgeable people about meds, diet, nutrition, light exercise, time planning. Community experts, not mental health care providers who see us in a certain way. It would help break down stigma in the community too for the wider community to meet with clients and family members," Bonnie said.

Opinions expressed in this web site do not necessarily reflect the views of NAMI Santa Cruz County, NAMI California or any affiliated organizations. We attempt to present a balanced perspective on issues by presenting multiple viewpoints.

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