Updates and Announcements
- Club Service positions available:
- Sergeant-at-Arms for June & July - Join the fun at the Tuesday morning meeting by welcoming members!!
- WebMaster - If you would like to be the webmaster, please email Diana P. for information.
- Diana: MRC is offering day camp in June, so rotary can’t meet in its current location that month. We need suggestions for alternate locations for June.
- Stan: Provided update on International Peace Conference: Rotary sponsors about 100 master’s degree fellowships for peace fellows at universities around the world. He’ll send an email with details. Dr. Bernice King and Jennifer Jones spoke.
- Charlotte: Thank you to everyone who helped at the Health Fair on Saturday. She provided an update on the logistics and outcomes of the event. There were approximately 160 attendees. Next year’s location may be Elk Creek Elementary
- Ann: Ann and Tim need volunteers for Rotary Wildfire Ready for three events this summer in Conifer and Bailey.
Upcoming Events
- Rotary Social - May 20 is a social at Tim’s house from 4-8 p.m. Bring Italian food to share and donations for Backpack Project in honor of Yvonne’s birthday.
- Bailey Days - June 24 and 25; Tim is in charge.
- Conifer Elevation Celebration - July 29 and 30; Tim is in charge.
- ConiferFest - Aug. 12; Ann is in charge of volunteers; please contact Ann or Tim to help.
- Wildfire Training - If you need information about wildfire or want training, there are two events coming up:
- May 23 at Evergreen High School at 6 p.m., there will be a wildfire forum and questions will be answered.
- June 3 at 9 a.m. at Evergreen Fire on Bergen parkway, Jess Moore will explain defensible space and home hardening.
Meeting program
Mental Health First Aid Services, Sara Bass of Jefferson Center for Mental Health
sarahgr@jcmh.org; 303-425-0300; www.jcmh.org
OVERVIEW:
We are a nonprofit covering Gilpin, Clear Creek and Jeffco counties, 23 locations, office or school based. We serve anyone and everyone. Also have mobile kiosks and crisis response.
Mental health first aid: Teaches community members to identify and react. Training options include 8 hour all day sessions, which is an internationally recognized certification. Includes 2 hours of pre-work at home. We get grants so it is free to the community; offered monthly. There is a 15-person minimum for a private course. Mostly virtual now. It’s very skills-based. It is quite useful.
Also offer community trainings 1-1.5 hours; topics include de-escalation, trauma care.
Online information at Jefferson County Mental Health First Aid Training link: https://www.jcmh.org/mental-health-first-aid
Q&A:
Q: How do I know the mobile clinic is coming?
A: Usually find out from school or office clinician or doctor.
Q: What services do you offer?
A: Medication management and therapy, counseling. Preventative care through community engagement etc.
Q: There are lots of people who don’t have a physician. How do you reach those communities, for people who don’t get referrals, and don’t have insurance?
A: We are not for the private sector mostly. We are partnered with hundreds of organizations including Mountain Resource Center. Our navigation team will explore funding for people with no insurance, no Medicaid, etc. Rarely do we have someone who doesn’t get enrolled using Medicaid or something.
Q: Who pays?
A: Several huge fund-raising events and grant funding. 60% of our patients are on Medicaid.
Q: What are the biggest challenges? For example, a mentally ill New York man was killed in the subway. It sounds like this training is one of the solutions.
A: Yes. There is a lot of fear in interacting with persons with mental health issues, and a lot of fear of asking for help. The average age for first aid trainings is 22-30; other programs skew older.
After the pandemic: People are really reactive. People want language for how to handle escalated situations.
We partner with Red Rocks Community College.
The training talks about how to have the person call us. The person may be suicidal.
Comment from audience: I have taken mental health training. You might see someone flaring out, and not know what to do. It will help you recognize the symptoms before the flaring out. It is really good program, the equivalent of stopping the bleeding.
Q: How do you help people cope with normal life?
A: I think that is therapy at its finest.
Q: What do you think of this name for our mental health fair in February? “Mindfest: Living your best life.”
A: Members really liked that name.