This month, our Book Club discussed Miss Hazel and the Rosa Parks League by Jonathan Odell. The book has two main themes, racism in the Deep South and mental health. 

Trigger Warnings: Racism, Graphic Violence, Deaths, Anxiety, Alcohol Use, and Depression 

Kay King, Community Educator at NAMI Minnesota, facilitated this Book Club discussion and provided discussion questions to guide the conversation.

One question prompted the group to discuss how many people still believe that people living with mental illnesses should just “snap out of it” and “pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” The causes of mental illnesses are not simple ones. Kay and the group discussed that we don’t know what causes a mental illness. We know environment, genetics, biology, brain chemistry, life experiences, and trauma can be factors. The present theory is that some of us are born with a predisposition and something puts it into motion (a second hit). That trigger could be something like trauma, poverty, deaths in the family, war, losses, other illnesses, the birth of a child, a lack of sunlight, major long- and short-term life stresses, etc. The group discussed what some of the triggers may have been for Hazel in the book.

Another question highlighted how Hazel’s husband, Floyd, could have been more supportive of her recovery from depression and alcohol-use disorder. In the book, Floyd is often saying something about thinking positively. After Hazel loses her son Davie, she becomes very depressed and turns to alcohol. Floyd thinks that Hazel can cure herself from her depression and alcohol-use disorder by positive thinking.

The group continued to discuss Floyd's response to Hazel's illness. Hazel is hospitalized in a place called Whitfield for her co-occurring disorder. Toward the end of the book, Floyd says to Hazel, “Do you want me to send you back to Whitfield? You know I could have you committed again.” The group discussed how Floyd could have been more supportive toward Hazel and some of the other things that he could have said to her. One of the things that Floyd could have said was, “I am worried about you. How can I help?” instead of threatening to send her back to Whitfield.

Miss Hazel in the Rosa Parks League is a very complex book, and the group enjoyed discussing it.

Join us on Thursday, August 19th for another rousing discussion. It will be on the book, Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman. We hope to see you there!

https://www.namiramseycounty.org/bookclub.html 

Dear County Commissioner:

As you look ahead to a new year, NAMI Ramsey County (National Alliance on Mental Illness) hopes you are preparing to meet the needs of people with mental illnesses and their families.

As you know, the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing both the number and severity of mental illnesses for people in Ramsey County, and the M-Health Fairview system is closing the St. Joseph’s emergency room and is likely to close the entire hospital at the end of 2021. This will be a 16% decrease in the number of inpatient psychiatric beds in the metro area. It is crucial for Ramsey County to consider all options to reduce the strain on scarce inpatient psychiatric beds.

Toward that end, we urge you to support a promising new law to intervene early and prevent hospitalizations for people with mental illnesses called Services for Engagement in Treatment. NAMI Minnesota joined with other key stakeholders-–including the Association of Minnesota Counties–-to pass this comprehensive update of Minnesota’s civil commitment law, including adding this new option.

Services for Engagement in Treatment is voluntary for counties. Each county must opt-in to offer this intervention. We urge you to adopt this new service and prevent the unnecessary hospitalization, incarceration, or commitment of people with serious mental illnesses. This new intervention is designed to voluntarily engage a person in treatment early in the process, when someone is either exhibiting the symptoms of a serious mental illness for the first time or exhibiting the patterns or behaviors that have previously led to hospitalization, incarceration, or a civil commitment.

We could give you many examples in Ramsey County where family members are told that they must watch their child or loved one decompensate until they meet the criteria for a civil commitment.

Services for Engagement in Treatment is a new law to break this cycle.
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If Ramsey County opts in, families and others could contact pre-petition screening at the county and ask for help. Engagement services include assertive attempts to engage the individual in mental health treatment, engaging the person’s support network (family) including educating them on available services and suicide prevention, and meeting the person’s immediate needs for food, housing, medication, income, disability verification and treatment for medical conditions.  Engagement services must consider a person’s personal preferences and can last for up to 90 days. Engagement services must be person-centered and can be provided to people who are in jail. Services end if the person meets the criteria for civil commitment or if the person agrees to voluntary treatment. 

The needs of the mental health community are increasing while the number of hospital beds is decreasing. We urge Ramsey County to do whatever it can to divert people from hospitalization. High on that list is offering Services for Engagement in Treatment to better serve people with mental illnesses. Thank you for your time and consideration. Our board would be happy to answer your questions.
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Sincerely,
Mindy Greiling, President
Board of Directors NAMI Ramsey County