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Rep. Gus Bilirakis Keynote Speaker at the NAMI Pasco County 9th Annual Mental Illness Awareness Week 2015
Tuesday, Oct 13, 2015 | On Target Page: Dade City, Greater Pasco County, Land O'Lakes, Trinity & West Pasco, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Health & Wellness
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The Pasco affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness deeply appreciates your support of our 9th Annual Mental Illness Awareness Week Education & Awards Banquet. Our work on behalf of people living with mental illness and their families in and around Pasco County could not sustain itself without the ongoing time, energy,and resources of our invaluable friends and community partners.For this we are deeply grateful. As you know, we have our work cut out for us. One in four adults, or about 61.5 million Americans, faces mental illness in a single year: Four million children and adolescents in this country suffer from a serious mental disorder that causes significant functional impairments at home, at school, and with peers. The World Health Organization confirms that mental and substance use disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide after heart disease. Thank you to Clerk of Courts Paula O'Neil, our Commissioners Mike Wells, Theodore Schrader, Jack Mariano, Kathryn Starkey, Mike Moore, and the entire Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County Florida for the issuance of our 2015 Resolution "declaring the week of October 5-11, 2015 as Mental Illness Awareness Week in Pasco County." Advocate: BayCare Behavioral Health, HCA (Medical Center of Trinity, Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point) Law Offices of Lucas Magazine, Magellan Complete Care, North Tampa Behavioral Health, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, Rotary Club of New Port Richey Steward: Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention Rotary Club of Port Richey, Vincent House, Wind moor Healthcare of Clearwater Friend: Bianco & Mansfield PA, Holladay Whitco Insurance, Hudson Manor Assisted Living Dr. Steven N. Kanakis, Proly, LaPorte & Mulligan, P.A., Stone, Parker & Company, CPA, P.A. Thomas B. Dobies Funeral Home & Crematory, Turning Point of Tampa, Inc. United Way of Pasco County
Right Here in Pasco In our own backyard there are 464,697 people in Pasco County, according to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau figures. If we apply to Pasco County the one in four adults' statistics, (which does not include youth), then approximately 116,172 or 25 of our residents could stand to benefit annually from NAMI Pasco's supports. Currently yve a're meeting only about 1.5 of this need, With your help tonight and throughout the coming year, we're hopeful we can increase this percentage. Barriers to treatment can result from lack of education and its accompanying stigma, which works to maintain misperceptions about what it means to live with a mental illness.' We know from evidence-based research and the professional, loving work of our community partner Vincent House and others, that sustained recovery is possible but requires a finely meshed safety net, We know without a doubt that illnesses of the brain-neurological conditions-are treatable in the same way cancer and diabetes is treatable. With this information and continued effort to expand and collaborate with people and organizations equally dedicated to the cause, NAMI Pasco keeps its collective heart and mind open to making a difference in our county. Creating Greater Protection To forge this tighter safety net in 2015 we have worked closely with Renee Ristow, System of Care Expansion Grant Coordinator for youth in Pasco County under the Department of Children and Families' Substance Abuse & Mental Health Programs Office. Our relationship with Monica Rousseau, Coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention and its community coalition that meets monthly, is a natural one for us given the high correlation between substance We understand that life with a mental illness represents only one facet of a human being's identity in the world. With your ongoing help, NAMI Pasco can continue the vitally important work of raising awareness, bringing truth into consciousness to inform key policy for the mentally ill, a precursor to critically important and perhaps life-saving change. abuse and mental illness. We are grateful for these community partners' genuine and pioneering interest in making important. sustainable change in and around our county. The awards give NAMI Pasco the perfect opportunity to acknowledge outstanding people and promote humanitarian values. We are grateful and extremely proud of all nominees who have helped to enrich the lives of those affected with mental illnesses. CIT Officer of the Year Award to Deputy Daniel Cobianco….. Deputy Cobianco participated in Crisis Intervention Team training in February 2015. Since then, he actively advocates and assists individuals who may be in crisis and need assistance. He has taken a lead in working with local emergency rooms to better serve those in Crisis under the Baker Act. He responds to crisis calls by de-escalating and calming the situation for the best outcome. As a Field Training Officer, he has also introduced the CIT model and philosophy to the new deputies he trains. He attends the monthly Pasco County Acute Care meeting to share information, partner with mental health providers, and gain more knowledge and resources for those he works with in the field. Media Award went to Carl Orth…Carl Orth of the Suncoast News provided an opportunity for NAMI Pasco to express the perspective of peers and family members living with mental illness in his article, "Awareness Month to Shine Light on Mental Health Issues." As Suncoast News' Assistant Editor, he exposed the challenges faced by those living with psychiatric conditions, elevated the platform of awareness, and helped to decrease stigma in our community. NAMI Advocate of the Year Award went to Ken Delaney... First finding his way to NAMI Pasco through his wife, Pat, who encouraged Ken to attend Family-to-Family classes, he learned about how to help a family member who was struggling. Sometime after that, Ken recognized and accepted his own psychiatric condition and started to attend the Connection Recovery Support Group. Peers in this group rated Ken at the top of their list for respected facilitators. Subsequently Ken took training for two signature programs, Peer-to-Peer end the Connection Recovery Support Group, and since then has been actively involved in both. Ken imparts tremendous hope to families that their loved ones have a chance at a productive life. He has touched countless people in a positive way. Humanitarian HOPE Award went to Patrick J. Bene… Bene's Career Academy. Patrick Bene is owner and president of Bene's Career Academy. Patrick, his wife Vicki, and their children and foster children are no strangers to the effects of anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges. They bought this school more than 10 years ago; in that time Patrick has gained and maintained credibility as a school leader Provider of the Year Award Dr. Raghu Devabhaktuni… Dr "De" sticks with his psychiatric patients through thick and thin and is never so detached as to be afraid to look into his patients' eyes. His insights into the mechanics of psychiatric disorders are invaluable to their recovery. With Dr. De retiring soon, people in his practice want him to know his life's work has been widely received, acknowledged, and appreciated by so many Pasco County residents. His compassion for his patients has never dimmed.
Right Here in Pasco In our own backyard there are 464,697 people in Pasco County, according to 2014 U.S. Census Bureau figures. If we apply to Pasco County the one in four adults' statistics, (which does not include youth), then approximately 116,172 or 25 of our residents could stand to benefit annually from NAMI Pasco's supports. Currently yve a're meeting only about 1.5 of this need, With your help tonight and throughout the coming year, we're hopeful we can increase this percentage. Barriers to treatment can result from lack of education and its accompanying stigma, which works to maintain misperceptions about what it means to live with a mental illness.' We know from evidence-based research and the professional, loving work of our community partner Vincent House and others, that sustained recovery is possible but requires a finely meshed safety net, We know without a doubt that illnesses of the brain-neurological conditions-are treatable in the same way cancer and diabetes is treatable. With this information and continued effort to expand and collaborate with people and organizations equally dedicated to the cause, NAMI Pasco keeps its collective heart and mind open to making a difference in our county. Creating Greater Protection To forge this tighter safety net in 2015 we have worked closely with Renee Ristow, System of Care Expansion Grant Coordinator for youth in Pasco County under the Department of Children and Families' Substance Abuse & Mental Health Programs Office. Our relationship with Monica Rousseau, Coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention and its community coalition that meets monthly, is a natural one for us given the high correlation between substance We understand that life with a mental illness represents only one facet of a human being's identity in the world. With your ongoing help, NAMI Pasco can continue the vitally important work of raising awareness, bringing truth into consciousness to inform key policy for the mentally ill, a precursor to critically important and perhaps life-saving change. abuse and mental illness. We are grateful for these community partners' genuine and pioneering interest in making important. sustainable change in and around our county. The awards give NAMI Pasco the perfect opportunity to acknowledge outstanding people and promote humanitarian values. We are grateful and extremely proud of all nominees who have helped to enrich the lives of those affected with mental illnesses. CIT Officer of the Year Award to Deputy Daniel Cobianco….. Deputy Cobianco participated in Crisis Intervention Team training in February 2015. Since then, he actively advocates and assists individuals who may be in crisis and need assistance. He has taken a lead in working with local emergency rooms to better serve those in Crisis under the Baker Act. He responds to crisis calls by de-escalating and calming the situation for the best outcome. As a Field Training Officer, he has also introduced the CIT model and philosophy to the new deputies he trains. He attends the monthly Pasco County Acute Care meeting to share information, partner with mental health providers, and gain more knowledge and resources for those he works with in the field. Media Award went to Carl Orth…Carl Orth of the Suncoast News provided an opportunity for NAMI Pasco to express the perspective of peers and family members living with mental illness in his article, "Awareness Month to Shine Light on Mental Health Issues." As Suncoast News' Assistant Editor, he exposed the challenges faced by those living with psychiatric conditions, elevated the platform of awareness, and helped to decrease stigma in our community. NAMI Advocate of the Year Award went to Ken Delaney... First finding his way to NAMI Pasco through his wife, Pat, who encouraged Ken to attend Family-to-Family classes, he learned about how to help a family member who was struggling. Sometime after that, Ken recognized and accepted his own psychiatric condition and started to attend the Connection Recovery Support Group. Peers in this group rated Ken at the top of their list for respected facilitators. Subsequently Ken took training for two signature programs, Peer-to-Peer end the Connection Recovery Support Group, and since then has been actively involved in both. Ken imparts tremendous hope to families that their loved ones have a chance at a productive life. He has touched countless people in a positive way. Humanitarian HOPE Award went to Patrick J. Bene… Bene's Career Academy. Patrick Bene is owner and president of Bene's Career Academy. Patrick, his wife Vicki, and their children and foster children are no strangers to the effects of anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges. They bought this school more than 10 years ago; in that time Patrick has gained and maintained credibility as a school leader Provider of the Year Award Dr. Raghu Devabhaktuni… Dr "De" sticks with his psychiatric patients through thick and thin and is never so detached as to be afraid to look into his patients' eyes. His insights into the mechanics of psychiatric disorders are invaluable to their recovery. With Dr. De retiring soon, people in his practice want him to know his life's work has been widely received, acknowledged, and appreciated by so many Pasco County residents. His compassion for his patients has never dimmed.
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