2012 Annual Meeting

Strengths: (What do we do well; what unique resources can we draw on; what do others see as our strengths?)…

1.  Commitment of people at NAMI Arizona, volunteers and grassroots
2.  Confidence in peers and strengths of programs
3.  Grass roots advocacy throughout the whole state
4.  Guidance and resources we provide to family members and peers
5.  Educational Programs support groups, advocacy, and state organization/office focal point for state of Arizona.
6.  Wonderful relationship with NAU work well with professors in health care and volunteer students
7.  Signature programs…very important to foster new membership
8.  Lived experience which can help other people.
9.  Free signature programs
10.  Bringing education and awareness to behavioral health issues in a positive light
11.  Our voice is sought out for advocacy, we are approached…
12.  Ditto
13.  Most amazing board/connection/everyone has part not lazy board (NAMI flagstaff)
14.  Really good relationship with local RBHA
15.  Connections to legislature policy committee, advocacy in mission statement, well planned executed meeting, connection to national
16.  Allows us as individuals to be part of something that has some meaning unavailable to just individual
17.  Terrific resource library
18.  Passionate membership
19.  Signature programs emerging as best practice
20.  Not a service provider given freedom to provide full advocacy and to monitor

Weaknesses: (What could we improve; where do we have fewer resources than others; what are others likely to see as weaknesses?)…

1.  Communication…starts at national to state to affiliate to members…
2.  Lack of knowledge of NAMI Arizona of all the RBHA, GSA, failure of NAMI AZ to look at comparative pay scales to other state offices
3.  Greater transparency between state and affiliates more voice and share decision-making.
4.  Lack of trainers for signature programs.
5.  NAMI Arizona biggest gap is lack of supervision of executive director.
6.  Lack to be able to draw and retain active membership and participation.
7.  Disempowering that we don’t have more say in executive director role, executive committee…lack of collaboration.
8.  “Greed is Good”…equalize income to outcome on a monthly basis…
9.  Lack of stable funding, lack of formal structure to determine role of state and affiliates…current board structure
10.  Not enough public awareness and advertising of NAMI Arizona to public.
11.  Our personal lives affect how much we can commit to.
12.  Not as prepared for advocacy as we need to be.
13.  No state newsletter print, electronic…
14.  No “contribute” button
15.  Policies and procedures manual not updated in over two years…impacting ex. Director.
16.  Lack of cooperation or flexibility within each other
17. Lack of funds all together
18.  Conflict of interest if board member also on affiliate board.
19.  Stigma
20.  Network of volunteers isn’t extensive enough
21.  Not enough age or ethnic diversity
22.  Meeting between state and affiliates
23.  Lack of dissemination of Spanish language program throughout state
24.  No support staff in NAMI state office to support Jim going forward
25.  State and some affiliate boards lack diversity of skills
26.  No consistency in how each affiliate operate
27.  No strategic plan
28.  Sense of entitlement
29.  Free programs can at least ask for donations

Opportunities: (What opportunities are open to us; what trends can we take advantage of; how can we turn our strengths into opportunities?)…

1.  Advertising
2.  Board retreat to talk to each other, socialize, hammer out strategic plan
3.  Down economy…people coming forward not usual clientele
4.  Morbidity rate…one issue put energy, focus on that can change the face of NAMI…other diseases demonstrate negative impact and address…how can we do nothing
5.  Northern Arizona tried to integrate into one another, attend each other’s board meetings, reach out to each other…baby steps
6.  Documentaries on TV, afterward phone number to call
7.  New ex. Dir. Expand NAMI bikes…RBHA provider education part of routine training
8.  Ability to outreach throughout our community ala Faithnet, colleges, community centers, primary schools…educate at earlier level…reach parents witnessing behaviors
9.  Great opportunity for integration of peer and family relation to each support each other, general acceptance vs. treating family separate from individual
10.  Healthcare reform, RBHA re-bid, stability of NAMI can rise to top of leadership position
11.  OIFA offices hope peer and family at all levels providers, states, etc participate in decision-making process…not getting much NAMI support for trainings
12.  Hopes new board structure and membership result in one voice…embrace theme of NAMI SEV empower peers, families and inclusiveness.
13.  Reach out to governor, grant money, non-traditional funding mechanisms, aggressively pursue non-traditional funding sources
14.  Lead recovery system transformation re integrative health
15.  Cooperation…northern, Maricopa…offer better services throughout Maricopa county
16.  Children’s area…youth transition…early identification…educational system doesn’t understand our program “parents and teachers as allies’…
17.  Create an endowment fund as we age…fund for future
18.  Purchase housing
19.  Join together and form partnerships with other advocacy groups
20.  Get together as state office affiliate leaderships to work together
21.  Look back at educational material…f2f more useful than p2p…
22.  Ability to make tax deductible donation…lost due to requirement that food, money, clothing or transportation to low income families or children…
23.  Develop signature program education training calendar
24.  Going forward local affiliates help state organization/state organization help affiliates to speak as one voice, forget personalities, issues. Speak as force.

Threats: (What threats could harm us; what is our competition doing; what threats do our weaknesses expose us to?)…

1. Lack of understanding of role and function of state office
2. Organizational instability
3. Not having stable funding stream
4. Conflicts of interest depending on profession
5. Economy in Arizona, scientologist pressure to eliminate behavioral health, DBHS implementing policies without NAMI consult
6. If we accept gifts it will threaten organization, weakens us
7. Lure for NAMI to become a provider organization/CSA
8. Stigma around it, what it keeps us out of
9. AZ legislature focus on “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” and not support within community
10. Social Darwinism
11. Lack of diversified funding source
12. Unenlightened masses…stigma, uneducated, uncertainty
13. Fewer volunteers to carry on our programs
14. Economic and political climate difficult
15. Connection of mental illness with violence portrayed in media
16. NAMI not well known organization as resource
17. Negative media attitudes/bad publicity
18. More training on trauma informed care, role in integrated healthcare
19. Failure to address those involved in criminal justice system…where’s NAMI?
20. Private insurance do not recognize peer and family billing as viable option
21. Essential benefits!

NAMI Arizona is incredibly grateful to all our sponsors, helpers, and affiliates for their generous support of this weekend’s “United in Transforming Arizona Integrated Health Outcomes” activities and wish to recognize them below:

“Premier Sponsor”
Magellan Health Services

“Platinum Sponsors”
Mercy Care Plan
OPTUMHealth

“Gold Sponsor”
Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc.

“Silver Sponsors”
STAR – Stand Together and Recover Centers
Rose Hill Center

“Bronze Sponsors”
Arizona Council of Human Service Providers
ASU Center for Applied Behavioral Policy
Valle Del Sol

“Tireless Workers”
Gloria Abril and her All Volunteer Crew…

…Bill Schwartz, Bev Carling, Barb Bartell, Carrie Beaver, Jim Frost, Robin Weber, Carol Cronlund, Rose Boerner, Gwen Calhoun, Hannis Latham, Mike Chunowitz, David Covington, Cheryl Fanning, Mike Fronske, Kathy Bashor, Helga Wilson, Charlotte Webb, Nicholas Love, Clarke Romans, Karen Smith, Carolyn Hinkle, Jeffrey Brown, Billie Hayes, Liz Smithhart, Edward Dee, Laura Shirling, and way too many others to completely mention here…

Thanks, Jim