Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
INVISIBLE JOURNEY 16
This
journey is lifelong helping ourselves and each other all around the world to be
all that we can be. We can all accomplish
our dreams for freedom and opportunities.
That includes aiding our immigrant brothers and sisters in pursuit of
freedom, peace, happiness, and opportunities as well. Nobody should be forbidden to enter America
or excluded from making positives contributions to this nation. When immigrants from around the world live
amongst drug wars, lack of job opportunities, religious prejudices, socialisms,
they long to live in the land of the free. America is historically that land of the free
and that is true still today.
In
our journey to become small business owners, we can stay in a position to
support Immigration Reform and understand what immigrants are enduring in order
to become United States’ citizens. In
“The Christian Post” newsletter, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, of the
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), started a 40-day fast intending to gain enough supporters to
end what is currently a broken immigration system. The Forty-Day Fast Campaign Fast4Families needs all of our help to fix the broken Immigration
Reform with the passage of new legislation in Congress. There are many events planned around the
nation to keep this Campaign spreading.
Please visit the Newsletter and support Immigration
Reform. Sign up for the Newsletter to
stay current on the legislation and ways you can continue to stay involved.
Remember
that participating in this fast may be very challenging for many due to the
side effects of anti psychotropic medications.
These may increase your appetite.
Maybe adjusting your eating with fresh fruits and then one healthy and
balanced meal will be alright. However,
you should check in with your doctor before attempting a full fast. Let’s definitely help spread the word on
social media that we support Immigration Reform!
We
having been working hard with Obamacare and it is really progressing well! As we continue with enrollment efforts, we have to
also outreach to immigrants in America more.
Persons and families who came from nations stifled by extreme poverty, devastated
by drug wars, religious prejudices, and /or socialism, desire and deserve to make
his/her/their dreams come true. As we pursue our
dreams, we must support them in reaching theirs. It begins with Immigration Reform.
Remember
the talents, skills, knowledge, wisdoms, and traditions of our grandparents and
theirs that contributed to building America.
We each have a dream in this land of the free and opportunity. This recovery opportunity is for everyone past, present,
and future. We can do this!
Lastly,
many college students in America already are immigrants. They have studied hard in order to contribute
to America. They also need healthcare
because they fall into the age bracket of 18 to 34. A mixed population of young adults in this
category are required by the Affordable Care Act to purchase health insurance
if they do not already have it. I read
in a recent article that an immigrant student discussed the possibility of
returning to her native ‘home’ if she becomes seriously ill. Immigrants should not have to feel this
way. Immigrants should feel that America
is their home. In this regard, home
should be the place where you can receive citizenship, affordable healthcare, a
job with opportunity to advance, live without religious persecution, and obtain
a good education. These will become the stepping stones to middle-class. The middle-class has always been the strength
of strengthening America. Immigration
Reform supports the recovery of America’s economy.
Now,
when we consider that this mixed population is also a high risk population for
developing a mental illness, we especially want to encourage reducing
unnecessary stressors for them while raising awareness about purchasing health
insurance. College students, including
Immigrants, take on a lot of responsibility as they mature and go into their
careers that will contribute to building a strong America. We even have to encourage students in high
school as they plan to attend college or a vocational school, the students already
in college, and the students about to exit college, etc.), that their
investment in having a good education should lead them to also invest in their
health by purchasing healthcare.
Immigration Reform is an assurance that America appreciates their
investment and desire to become recognized as a legal citizen who can feel free
to receive affordable healthcare and that includes mental healthcare as well.
This
is the best season to have these types of talks with college students
returning home for the holidays. It is a
grand opportunity to consider how important Immigration Reform is needed in
America. College students are focused on
hanging out with friends and having that much needed break from studies. We understand that, but as parents and
leaders developing into business owners, we must, must ensure that they enroll
in Obamacare if they are uninsured.
Remember, progress has been made with website glitches so allow a
morning to enroll before the hustle-bustle begins. Another suggestion is to complete the paper
application and mail it in as soon as possible to avoid deadlines. Applications can be downloaded from
Healthcare.gov. They can be mailed to
Health Insurance Market Place, The Department of Health & Human Services,
465 Industrial Boulevard, London, KY
40750-0001 after completion. A
Healthcare Community Counselor can be located by calling (855) 642-8572 to
assist with completing enrollment forms.
Another
wonderful thing about Obamacare that many immigrants (persons and families) may
not know or understand is the Bronze Plan option that is recommended at a
projected cost of $50.00 per month after subsidies. The Bronze Plan is available in over 30
states. According to the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Medicaid is also an option for anyone eligible.
So,
we all want to continue to promote the enrollment into Obamacare and we want to
encourage the Fast4Families Campaign in supporting Immigration Reform. The partisan efforts of obstructionisms
(blockades, barriers, etc.) cause confusion and anxiety for uninsured young
adults. We have to stand together against
these strategies and stay focused on strengthening America and embracing mixed populations which is what H.R. 15 will do!
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
The Invisible Journey 15
This
journey that winds around a long day or week stretches you in many areas and
especially during so much stress with the Healthcare Exchange criticisms
DAILY! We did it, though. We wrapped up another call with the Team and
President Obama took time to speak to us.
He offered words of encouragement and appreciation and who could help
but notice that warm smile of his? I
loved the little pearl pin, too.
So,
we are grateful for Obama For America (OFA) for realizing that we can be a
part of building towards this nation’s success in our own unique ways to
support the President’s agenda. In
return, this supports our dreams. Our
dream years ago, was to overcome what we faced in the healthcare industry and
then help others overcome, too. We did
not accomplish that overnight we know and enrolling every American in one day
won’t happen. However, we keep helping
each other one by one get enrolled and we use alternative means to do so. When we advocate, we divide up and work
towards that one thing we all want for all mankind and not just a few. This mission of brotherly love spreads into
every corner of the country. Let me
digress long enough to say that when I began to see life through the eyes of my
disabled son, and other children, it was scary.
Through my youngest son’s eyes, there were ‘safety net’ programs that
assisted in many ways with medical costs.
However, our family still was forced into bankruptcy because of
‘pre-existing condition and 'caps.'’ My other
children and myself skipped over healthcare because there was no insurance to
help and we had no money for prescriptions anyway. These barriers are no longer distractions to living healthy and prosperous with Obamacare.
Now,
fast forward and understand why we all pulled together from various corners of
the nation and worked very hard to get the Affordable Care Act passed into
law. The church community prayed and
encouraged Believers not to give up and the Lord heard us and blessed us with the
ACA. It’s not evil, as I read somewhere. When we receive a car for a blessing, we
still have to wash it, gas it up, keep up the maintenance, etc. The same with a home. We do not throw our hands up and walk
away. Amen, Amen? I am trying to keep this all in context,
too. We went from a society of using
name brand drugs to generic brands because we understood what we could and
could not afford. We have to transfer
those same principles to enrolling our family members, seniors, church members,
co-workers, etc. into affordable healthcare. We share information
with them at events, parties, dinners, fellowship and remind them about mailing
applications in. The internet is still
frightening too many people. When they
hear about all the criticisms (night/day, etc.). They put off enrolling. We want to help ease the anxiety of those
people, particularly, and remind them, “You can mail an application in like you
would have 5 years ago.” Then tell them
how. Show them how. Applications can be downloaded from
Healthcare.gov. They can be mailed to
Health Insurance Market Place, The Department of Health & Human Services,
465 Industrial Boulevard, London, KY
40750-0001 after completion. A
Healthcare Community Counselor can be located by calling (855) 642-8572 to
assist with completing enrollment forms.
Many, many churches have healthcare ambassadors or healthcare fairs and
they are opportunities to enroll into the Healthcare Exchange with assistance
for all members who do not have health insurance. If you do not need health insurance, let
these experts tell you that. Relax.
The
goal is to encourage the uninsured that Healthcare Insurance is necessary and
it is not a punishment. It is ideal. It is wonderful! It will be a blessing! This is wisdom from those who testified about
living without affordable health insurance.
Prayed about it. Cried about it
long before the media grabbed hold and then the political mud-slinging began. The testimony of those who experienced a mental
health crisis without health insurance and were financially devastated with no
means to buy prescriptions, food, repair credit, etc. one way or another. This is about a population of persons who
wanted and needed to the end the shuffle from institutions or thrown into
homeless situations. The real concern is
not; ‘Oh, no, another kink so I do not need it.”
The real concern is that people, families, friends, desire better and
deserve to get what they need and fought for.
So,
we can do this in our communities by taking advantage of what is working and build
it up. We have to push because many families still do not have computers in the home as well. Invite people over for dinner and Healthcare Enrollment. Make a visit to the local library, or the Community Healthcare Locator office. What about if a church in your neighborhood is having a health fair including enrollment, but it is not your home church? Trust me, God will forgive you ... just get enrolled!!! Smile. Create solutions through partnering in your community to enroll young adults, uninsured adults, and families. Sponsor enrollment tournaments. Include Obamacare enrollment at your holiday charitable events and always remember the homeless. Oh, the possibilities are endless. amen, Amen.
Now,
there are many changes coming up and the holidays are basically upon us
already. The holidays are
stressful. The change in daylight is
stressful. Building a business is
stressful. These are all triggers of
starting your own business that throws brain chemicals off balance. Naps, rest, healthy eating, quiet time, a confidante, and exercise are all key to balance in a storm. You have to focus and push and remember you are not alone in the storm.
Learning
social media is wonderful! I actually
learned it several months ago at BSU with Pam Perry and I am now applying it. ‘Follow
Me’ as they say. Smile. Eventually, we will all be tweeting
together. I am already meeting some
great like-minded people. WOW! Remember I talked about continuous learning in our industry a while back? Well, if we cannot afford attending conferences,, workshops, etc., just yet, there are lots of online solutions. Currently, I am reading and about to enroll in an academy to further development of my business while attorneys go over the bylaws, articles of incorporation, etc. We never give up!
So,
if you are not tweeting yet, go to Twitter.com and open your account. The instructions are simple as far as
selecting a user name and a password.
Then you get your own little bird!
You can upload an image of yourself or business brand. Type in key words to find people, places,
and causes. Invite friends from your e-mail contacts/address book (be selective). This should include, of
course, the industry of your business.
Don’t forget your friends so information can be ‘retweeted’ which is
like forwarding mail as usual. Some main
information resource pages include: The
White House, NAMI-MD, and Bipolar/Depression communities. Bring national topics of your industry down to your community level in your unique way! Tip: Promote
yourself and business in social media by taking time to read other tweets, blogs, and articles. Then reply and retweet. This builds your relationships for connections and support and vice versa. You can link your blog to your Tweets. If you use FB to promote your business,
etc., do NOT mingle it with your normal FB page that we all started and invited
millions of people we did not know. Keep
it small and unique to your business brand.
We want to build intimate business relationships. I’ll be looking for you all, too.
Smile!
Last thing, I am going to be blogging just once a week for that reason and taking other needed steps. I am still using the alarm thingy M-F, but freelancing on weekends/holidays. And this Christmas, will be...a very special Christmas.......for me;)
Monday, October 21, 2013
INVISIBLE JOURNEY 14
Oh
my, God! I could not wait to tell
everyone near and far about the terrific, informative, very encouraging NAMI-MD
State Conference this past weekend!
There was sooo much good information that I hardly know where to begin
…. Let me see.… oh, I know. I’ll start
from the beginning.
First
and foremost, NAMI-MD is definitely living up to its reputation to provide the
best education for persons and families affected by a mental illness without
discrimination, stigma, or stereotyping.
NAMI-MD continues to be an advocate grass-roots organization even though
it is soo huge. I say this because some,
not all, but some huge grass-roots organizations lose that warm and cozy
feel. NAMI(MD) is a leadership training
and development organization all around Maryland for positive changes
continuously and it was great to see old and new faces. The theme of joining communities and
RECOVERY SUCCESS brought tears to my eyes.
Really!
Of
course, NAMI welcomes all persons to join and volunteer and you can locate an
affiliate anyway in the nation by visiting NAMI
and locating your state. I cannot
emphasize enough that we have a moral obligations to reach back and help the
next brother or sister affected by a mental illness whenever we can. There are so many opportunities to do this
and if you contact your affiliate or local NAMI, someone can help you become a
participant and/or volunteer any way you can.
Another thing is that because we are becoming small business owners
especially, we have to attend
conferences and workshops like every other “professional.” Amen?
Second,
the Conference started began with speakers who provided insight into the role
our government plays in mental illness, treatment, recovery, healthcare, and
bringing communities together. On that
note, the workshops that followed underscored so many different aspects of
living with a mental illness successfully.
This included ways to get involved and stay involved whether you are a
person affected with a mental illness, a friend, family member, service
provider, clergy, member, volunteer, business owner, or advocate. I cannot express enough that FAMILY must
always get involved and stay involved as well.
There has to be a change from the attitude of, “oh, he/she is just
crazy” and then turn the other way.
ANYBODY can be affected by mental illness and each person is unique to
how treatment helps him/her achieve stability and RECOVERY! Persons with a mental illness fight
internalized stigma’s impact daily in the community, workplace, church, and
family and it must end. Education and
knowledge ensures continual positive changes all around the nation in this
journey of life and mental illnesses.
Ok,
now there was also a film shown that highlighted people and family members
telling his/her own story about life with a mental illness or how he/she was
affected by a member with a mental illness.
It even left me speechless. One
can never know the extent of pain a person lives with because of a mental
illness on so many fronts. IMMHO, the
film should be shown on public television and movie theaters because it would
definitely improve attitudes to prevent judging, stereotyping, stigmatizing,
hurting and harming persons trying to manage mental illness.
Oh,
I wish I could have attended all the workshops, but, of course, I could
not. However, the ones I attended (did I
mention the food and snacks were delicious?
Ok, the food and snacks were delicious!
Third,
alright, I have to tell you about the Person-Centered-Plan. Briefly, this is the PCP that focuses on the
person. It involves a team of supporters
and especially if you are entering into the mental health system. The Plan is drawn up (should be) based on the
needs and goals of the person. The idea
is to assist that person meet those goals in every positive way possible. Decisions regarding the persons must always
include the person in the decision-making process. Now, I have done 23 years of PCP’s so it was
encouraging to know that it is still key to the success of a person to live
successfully in the community and that includes recovery. So, in a nutshell, it works like this, if a
person wants to live in the community and attend college so they can reach live
independently, work, support themselves as much as possible, then that is what
the PCP should look like barring any extreme mental disorders, etc. The doctor is part of the Team. Now if the person has three goals in that
PCP, that is what everyone is cheering (supporting) the person to
accomplish. Nobody on the team should
decide a goal is not worthwhile and remove it from the PCP and keep getting
up. Nobody/People. A good example discussed in the workshop was
a college student who drank coffee in the evening. The Team decided to prevent him from having
coffee in after a certain hour. Nobody
included the person in that decision and as it turned out, the person had
coffee to aide him to stay alert to do his studies to counter the drowsy
medication. We see how important such a
small thing makes a big difference. The
PCP must be delivered by service providers, caretakers, and the like. It matters.
I
have come to realize that when people are ready for a life with mental illness,
they have realistic goals that should not be taken away from him/her. This leads to a quality life, productive
life, contributing to taxes, and mental stability, wholistic healing,
spirituality, and recovery. Shucks, it
leads to owning a small business if given the opportunity.
I
could not run fast enough to tell you about the Road Map to Better Services
workshop. It was truly after my own
heart if I may say so myself. Here’s
why: I was a parent of a severely
multiple-disabled child for 23 years before God called him home. It was challenging and I entered our family
of persons affected with a mental illness when he was about seven. Fast forward, NAMI was very, very
instrumental n helping me to manage my mental
health when other just did not understand the struggle. Well, this Road Map is like déjà vu. It is a step-by-step guide o working smarter
with agencies, insurers, doctors, family, and how to navigate systems that will
never go away without GOING CRAZY! If
you are a parent of a family member with special needs, GET THE BOOK! The author is Wendy Besmann. (I actually got to shake her hand. I will never wash that hand againJ
….).
Building
NAMI Partnerships was another great workshop.
This workshop discussed the many ways persons, families, clergy,
care-takers, etc. can get involved with NAMI and stay involved. There are countless volunteer opportunities,
training classes, donating through the workplace gift campaign, participating
in distributing flyers, posters, ADVOCATING, and on and on. Contact your local NAMI affiliate and sign
up. When that phone rings, please commit
to do whatever you can. No thing is too
small.
Did
you know that veterans who are affected by a mental illness are so much like
us, but different, too? They face
stigma, stereotypes, and often homelessness.
They deal with obstacles to employment, discrimination, and you
name. These are men and women who served
our country so we can have our ‘liberty.’
Their families make sacrifices as well.
They desire to live a quality life and have hopes and dreams as
well. So, let me share some ways I
discovered we can help them and especially if we have family, community, church
member who have served our country. (1)
The Veterans Administration has outreach to veterans and it can be accessed in
several ways: by calling (800) 273-8255
or (800) 463-6295; by visiting VETERANS Enrollment/, or accessing services from any ER.
Supports and services include coaching, healthcare, preventive care,
shelter. Did you know that Veterans can
apply for HUDVASH? HUDVASH is a
unique housing voucher program specifically for Veterans. It is similar to the Section 8 program except
it only takes up to six (6) months for housing rather than 8 years on the wait
list. God is good! I learned that because many Veterans suffer
from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, they may not reach out for help because of
lack of trust. Also, there is a crisis
line just for Veterans: ((800) 273-8255
and press “1.” Families and loved ones
can reach out to Veterans on his/her behalf.
This always ends that overwhelming feeling that can lead to
depression. Amen, Amen? AMEN!
Thank
goodness the furlough drama is over.
Let’s giddy up to make sure it does not happen again on our watch as
they say. Smile. Oh, last thing, a friend of mine who is an
immigrant told me he was informed that it would cost him $8,000.00 up front to
purchase health insurance in the healthcare marketplace!!!! OMG!
Who would say such a thing? Please, please, do not forget to assist our
immigrant friends to purchase affordable healthcare. Last I checked, about 400,000 persons
enrolled. WOW! Let’s get the numbers moving upward….J
See ya next week,
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
INVISIBLE JOURNEY TO INDEPENDENCE 13
There
is no way to turn back the hands of time and that is a wonderful thing! Even when the bad days come to pass and the
strife seems unbearable, we hold on to what the future holds. Now we celebrate a major victory of finally
opening the doors of Obamacare and the GOP slams (partially) the government
doors shut! Oh, the irony of it all as
somebody once said.
So,
we know the trickle-down effect of shutting down the government. Many persons will be adversely affected. Should we be starting our own business in
this season? Absolutely! We do not turn back. We will not be bullied. We have waited far too long and we followed
the rules when The Affordable Care Act was passed and when the U.S. Supreme
Court upheld it!
We
extend compassion, hope, and outreach to those affected by the government shut down without regard to
race, religion, creed, disability, etc. because we are still all in this
together. We stay the course because
this is our test of faith. There will be
bumps, but they smooth out. When Food
Stamps first started a million years ago, there were bumps and resentment, etc. Nobody likes welfare and handouts. Everybody likes to feel self-worthy. Having our own business is our opportunity to
shine because we know a Savior who turned our lives around with recovery. Our Creator has the glory and it cannot be
taken from Him by bad politics.
So,
be sure to view the SBA Small Business video scheduled for Thursday, October 3,
2013, at 2:00 p.m., EST. There are so many
thoughts and emotions running through my mind right now, but the one prevailing
thought is to also attend the NAMI-MD State Conference (great workshops scheduled on
recovery), celebrate Mental Illness Awareness week, and to provide whatever
feedback we can to keep the Obamacare Market Place as bump-less as possible in
the next few weeks. Did you know you can apply for a scholarship to attend the State Conference! We need the continuing education so we need to be there every year. I cannot wait to see everybody!
Please
lift up our brothers and sisters or fellowman or neighbors, whatever you want
to call them who have been furloughed.
This is a very painful and emotionally frightening time for many
persons who have homes, families, bills, etc.
This shut down must end as soon as possible! We have to push the GOP with Action Alerts!!! A sudden loss of a job can be the onset of a
mental health condition. Having said
that, review the symptoms mental illness to refresh yourselves so that if you notice these
symptoms in family members or friends, you can be of help:
Depression/Chronic Depression if not treated can lead to a more serious mental illness;
The lack of energy, sudden change in appetite
(eat more/eat less), sudden periods of crying for no reason; reckless
behaviors, unexplainable pain, sudden use in recreational drugs/alcohol, anger,
fear, worry, debt, hopelessness, or increase in same; sexual promiscuity, isolating
oneself that last for two weeks or more are reasons to make an appointment with
your doctor and be seen for a mental wellness check-up! Comments/drawings and thoughts of suicide should be taken seriously! When this is happening with someone in your family, household, community, church, etc., contact Suicide Prevention Lifeline immediately! 1 (800) 273-8255.
See ya next week,
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