Railbelt Mental Health & Addictions

Nenana Wellness Coalition
Minutes for Tues Feb 28th

Minutes taken by Miles Martin

Meeting started 12:20 pm

Present were Kat McElroy, Bonnie and Blain Reed, Tim Horn, Don Charlie, Miles Martin

Mission statement was recited from memory By Tim

Prayer by Don

The Pledge was recited

Reports
Tim Horn saw Jay Moore in Fairbanks informally. Jay is in charge of the community garden project and has been working to get a grant to start an experimental fruit tree farm in Nenana. The grant came through and there will be a full time ‘expert’ here in Nenana for 2 months this summer and more activity in Nenana then previously expected as other communities selected were cut back by the grant. Some comments from the group were to invite Jay to a Wellness meeting to give an update and work together to find housing and help needed. Miles is emailing Jay for an invitation.

Kat tells us there is a sober dance Saturday night (tripod weekend) at George hall. There will be a DJ playing music.

Don mentioned the Iditarod starts the same day as Tripod Days. This came up as we informally reviewed a few events taking place over Tripod Days weekend. No one had a schedule but 3 people had one in their pocket and took it out before coming to the meeting, (very thrilling news I’m sure)

Miles gave a Chamber report. The Chamber hopes there will be some help from an ‘Alaska Grown’ group to encourage the growing farmers aspect of the open market held each weekend through the summer. The Chamber is sending 2 people to the annual Highways Companion meeting. Miles reviewed again what that meeting is about, reminding the group Nenana will host this meeting in ‘07. This is a meeting of communities up and down the highway discussing tourism and working together to help each other with tourism. Present as well are various guest speakers and heads of aspects of tourism, like the railroad, the park, cruise ships, Princess, and major hotels, as well as visitor centers like Tok- where all driving tourists pass through. If tourism matters for Nenana this is the single most important contribution we can make to help this happen.

Kat gave a report on her trip last week to Juneau. She attended the Mental Health Consumer Consortium meeting, the Mental Health Board meeting, and the Advisory Board for Alcohol and Drug Abuse meeting. She explained about the Mental Health Consumer Consortium. I tried to write MHCC but Kat made me spell it out. Moving right along—- it sounds very interesting and important. This group started primarily through the efforts of IONIA, which is a group of people in a community living for the mentally challenged that got together in the 70’s. They came to Alaska from Massachusetts. Their concept is to stay away from formal treatment, and deal with their mental health symptoms by living a simple life, eating organic foods, working communally to meet their basic needs, in a living environment with other people in the same situation. This group is now in its second generation, where children were born in the community and stay on themselves. They have a community garden and group meetings each day. Interesting and of note, it has been 17 years since there has been a psychotic incident within the group. Kat talked about IONIA being one of many ‘consumer driven’ alternatives to traditional treatment approaches. Other projects represented at the Consortium involved programs for homeless, drop-in centers for people with mental health issues, sober housing groups, and groups providing outreach to youth-at-risk. Kat noted from the meetings that there was very little representation from rural/remote Alaska. She felt it is important for people from village Alaska to attend these meetings so that Rural needs can be addressed. Kat was invited to speak to Hess committee where she testified to the need for funding for prevention, intervention, and treatment in Alaska.
Kat sat in on the state senate finance sub-committee meeting. She noticed lots of funding cuts going on, emphasizing how we need to look outside the box for funding. Donald interjected some thoughts regarding the integration of mental health and substance abuse services into the newly formed Division of Behavioral Health which has combined these services. The process has created some

Kat also spoke about her concept of a River Boat Recovery. This would be a boat that goes up and down the river providing community-based recovery support services including AA and Alanon meetings, Narcotics Anonymous meetings, Talking Circle, steam bath and other traditional healing ceremonies to the river communities. She has done this previously just funded out of the pockets of the participants. She is writing a grant for further funding as part of a course she is taking. She discussed some of the problems of finding funding, particularly liability risks. Open discussion followed exchanging ideas and asking questions of Kat. Don suggested contacting the Native Council. Miles thought there might still be an environmental department with funding (Gary Erwin’s old job description). There had been a project involving going to the villages by boat to take water samples and deal with the physical environment. The boat’s objectives could serve two purposes maybe. Also talk to Endil about a barge Miles knows about that is not being used that might be donated or sold cheap as a way to travel. A survey crew lives on such a barge all summer going up and down the river surveying.
A brief discussion on Bushmama’s project took place when Miles asked for an update. They received a small projects mental health trust grant. The project has 2 parts. One is to help women in recovery create a cottage type industry to provide self-employment from the home. The second part has to do with setting up a web site to offer an outlet for such cottage industries and to provide advocacy for other women by highlighting each Bushmama’s personal recovery journey. The intent of both would also to be a situation where troubled women could turn for help with–or from–others in a similar situation. This sounds like help through work rather then drugs and interviews. The web address for Bush Momma’s is www.bushmamas.com

Don gave a report and it sounds like he is making good headway with his goals. We all felt inspired and it was nice to get such positive news. The opening of the Native Leap program is scheduled for March 13th but still tentatively. This will be open to people from Healy and Cantwell as well as Nenana. Both Anchorage and Fairbanks has such a program but nothing for communities in between. Don is still taking University classes. He has applied to go to Washington DC for a ‘Returning Home Veterans Conference’ Don expects to be going on various projects between April 18th and May 5th

Bonnie gave a senior report. There was an annual board election meeting on the 22nd of February. Marge Riley is the new member on the board. Jack Coghill is president, Endil is vice, Nancy is secretary, and Bonnie is treasure (or is that treasurer) probably both. A grant got sent in to get a brand new senior bus! Yes!

Bonnie wore another hat and gave a church report. It is Ayyam-i-ha time for the Bahai’s in the community. It was explained this is the time of year to celebrate and recognize a special 5 day period when the Bahai calendar is adjusted because….um…because… it is like a leap year. The important thing is everyone is invited to have fun and food and celebrate life at Virginia’s ! (Miles tends to forget the details—“Forgive me Lord- and bless this chili and cake”)

Kat rounded out the meeting saying she sat in on a ‘Drug Court’ down in Juneau and was amazed how the judge handled it. Smooth, fast, efficient, and effective. It set an example of how it could and should be done, she thought. 7 people were handled in 33 minutes. The judge had all the records and had reviewed the cases beforehand. One case was a man who had been given a program to follow to keep him sober. The judge asked for a report from him on his progress. The guy had nothing specific till the judge asked “How is your child?” The man replied that she had a birthday and this was the first time he was at her birthday and sober, and how rewarding that is. It was a very touching example of how the new concepts in Drug Court are working, keeping people out of jail but yet supervised and offering an answer that is not punishment- maybe more cost effective. A perfect example of what we at WIN talk about.

Meeting ends at –Rats I forgot to write that down. “At the normal time—close to 2pm- give or take half an hour.”