Consumer Network ewsThe Quarterly Newsletter of On Our Own of Maryland, Inc. VOLUME TWENTY NSIX t NUMBER TWO t SUMMER 2019 Inside This Issue... 2019 Annual Conference: Mindfulness in Recovery Communities: The Science and the Magic 1 u n i SAVE THESE DATES! 2019Recover Annual Communities: Conference: On Our Own of Maryland’s Mindfulness in Recovery Communities: Annual Conference June 4 & 5, 2020 4 The Science and the Magic Keynote Presentations “A Wand-erful Time Was Had By All” Ali Smith & Dr. Nev Jones 5 by Mike Finkle 2019 Annual Conference Snapshots 8 n Our Own of Maryland held its 27th annual statewide conference on Thurs- The Power of the Media: How day and Friday, June 6 & 7, 2019 at the beautiful Princess Royale Hotel in News and Entertainment OOcean City, MD. The Princess Royale is located on the white sandy beaches Affect Mental Health Stigma 10 of Ocean City. The title of this year’s conference was: “Mindfulness in Recovery Communities: The Science and The Magic,” which was the major focus of the confer- “A Creative Approach to the ence on the opening day. On the second day, we explored the expansion of the peer Eight Dimensions of Wellness” 11 specialist profession through career ladders and how peer support is being woven into 7th Annual Young Adult Peer various systems and settings. Support & Leadership Retreat 12 We had over 430 folks registered for this year’s conference, making this one of our largest conferences to date. We had a wonderful opening reception for conference SUMMER 2019 WRAP® 13 attendees at noon on Thursday in the hotel’s large exhibit hall, which was hosted by The Light and the Dark Side Beacon Health Options–Maryland, the Maryland Association of Behavioral Health of the Moon 14 Authorities, and Affiliated Santé on the Eastern Shore. Becoming the Author of My We had two keynote speakers. Ali Smith, Executive Director of the Holistic Life Life: An Interview with Ciara Foundation and Dr. Nev Jones, assistant professor at the University of South Florida, Lynn 16 Department of Mental Health Law & Policy gave dynamic presentations. See the Keynote article for a full description of their presentations. Hearts & Ears: A Safe Haven for the LGBTQ+ Community We were also delighted to have special guest presenters including Rabbi Seth Ber- in Recovery 20 nstein; Phil Holmes, former Vice-President of Goodwill Industries of the Chesa- peake, Brendan Welsh, Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Maryland In The News... 22 Behavioral Health Administration; Tamara Van Newkirk, LCSW, Luciene Parsley, Legal Director of Disability Rights Maryland, Tricia Christensen, Policy Manager 2019 Annual Conference continued from page 1 of Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, Dr. Erik Ro- Director with On Our Own, Inc. skes, and several other excellent workshop presenters. and Peer Support Specialist with These presentations covered topics including spiritual- People Encouraging People. She ity, nonprofit board development, Maryland’s Certified was honored for her leadership, Peer Recovery Specialist credential, trauma-informed dedication, compassion for oth- mindfulness, legal rights, harm reduction and social ers, and courage in sharing her justice, LGBTQ+ identities, and many more. recovery journey. Today she is making a difference in the lives Annual Awards Dinner of peers with addiction chal- On Our Own of Maryland and our Anti-Stigma Project Sherica Dilworth lenges, breaking down stigma, hosted our annual Awards Dinner on the first evening and empowering people to see their worth. She has of the conference, June 6th. become a role model and an inspiration for behavioral The evening began with the pre- health advocates everywhere. sentation of 2019 Michele Dear Two new special awards were Advocacy Award to Jim Raley, presented to Wellness & Recov- former Executive Director of the ery centers. The Phoenix Awards Office of Consumer Advocates, were given to On Our Own of Inc. We recognized Jim for his Prince George’s County and On extensive advocacy work in the Our Own of Frederick County, three Western Maryland coun- which made remarkable trans- ties of Washington, Allegany, Jim Raley formations this year – literally and Garrett. Jim was a pioneer and metaphorically rising from in establishing partnerships between his organization Matt Ratz the ashes. These awards were and the Washington County substance use community, created in recognition of both as well as homeless shelters, psychiatric rehabilitation organizations’ ability to respond programs, and local food banks. to difficult situations and re- The Gus Retalis Exemplary Ser- emerge as new, stronger peer-run vice Award was presented to Dan programs. Kudos to Matt Ratz, Snyder, Program Coordinator of Executive Director of OOOPG, the HOPE Station Wellness and for working tirelessly to reopen Recovery Center in Cumberland, that center following a devastat- MD. Dan was honored for his ing fire, as well as to the board of Christy Kehlbeck longstanding commitment to all directors of OOOFC for working the peers at HOPE Station. Dan to improve the center after some internal challenges and leadership turnover. Christy Kehlbeck, Board has been a fixture there for 19 Dan Snyder years, providing peer support to President, accepted the award with new executive di- members, conducting outreach to the community, and rector Lacy Kimble. advocating for better overall services in rural areas. This year’s President’s Award was presented to Bren- Dan was not able to attend this year’s conference, and dan Welsh, Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs will be presented with this award at our annual meeting at the Behavioral Health Administration. Brendan has in October. been a great partner to On Our Own of Maryland and The 2019 Lou Ann Townsend Courage Award was pre- our network of Wellness and Recovery Centers and sented to Sherica Dilworth, former Assistant Executive has demonstrated his commitment to peer support and Page 2 Consumer Network News s Volume 26, Number 2 s Summer 2019 2019 Annual Conference continued from page 2 peer-run programs. Many thanks University of Maryland School to Brendan for all his support and of Medicine Evidence-Based guidance these past few years. Practices Center. He has as- sisted state and county leaders On Our Own of Maryland’s 2019 in diverse social service systems Award of Special Recognition toward the development of inte- was presented to Jennifer LaMa- grated services for individuals de, Director of Planning, Quality with co-occurring mental health, and Core Services at the Worces- Brendan Welsh substance use disorders and other ter County Health Department. Tom Godwin complex needs for many years. We recognized Jennifer for her many accomplishments Tom has also been a strong supporter for On Our Own over her career on behalf of people with psychiatric of Maryland and our network of Wellness and Recov- disabilities including her work as the Director of the ery Centers throughout his career. Worcester County Core Service Agency and her spe- cial support for On Our Own of The Visionary Award is given Maryland and our local Well- every year by the Anti-Stigma ness and Recovery Centers in the Project to someone who has con- Lower Eastern Shore area and tributed in a significant way to throughout the state. Bunky Ster- reducing the stigma associated ling, Jennifer Sexauer, and others with behavioral health condi- from the Worcester County Lo- tions. The 2019 Visionary Award cal Behavioral Health Authority was presented to Mr. Tom Hill, accepted the award on Jennifer’s Vice President of Practice Im- Jennifer LaMade Tom Hill behalf. provement for the National Council for Behavioral Health, in recognition of his Our 2019 Distinguished Service visionary leadership, advocacy to promote positive Award was presented to Crista change, and efforts to reduce stigma associated with Taylor, CEO and President of behavioral health challenges. Behavioral Health System Bal- timore and Co-President of the Evening Activities Maryland Association of Behav- Following dinner on Thursday evening there were sev- ioral Health Authorities. Crista eral activities including swimming in the indoor pool, was recognized for her visionary board games, and our annual karaoke and dance with a Crista Taylor leadership in the improvement of Harry Potter-themed costume contest. Many attendees the behavioral health system, and dressed up as various characters from the Harry Potter for spearheading many new innovative programs on movies. “Moaning Myrtle” won the prize for best cos- behalf of people with mental health and substance use disorders. Crista was also recognized for her support of the local peer-run Wellness and Recovery Centers in Baltimore City and throughout Maryland. Thank you Crista for all your support! On Our Own of Maryland’s 2019 Lifetime Achieve- ment Award was presented to Tom Godwin, Co-Oc- curring Disorders Consultant/Training Specialist for the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration at the Harry Potter-themed costume contest participants. Consumer Network News s Volume 26, Number 2 s Summer 2019 Page 3 2019 Annual Conference continued from page 3 tume, and the folks from the Consumer Quality Team We also are deeply grateful to Beacon Health Options– looked great in their coordinated costumes. We all had Maryland, the Maryland Association of Behavioral a “wanderful” time! Health Authorities, and Affiliated Santé on the Eastern Shore, for sponsoring a wonderful opening reception. Friday General Session Many thanks to the Conference Planning Commit- Following Dr. Jones’ keynote speech on Friday, Bren- tee members: Bunky Sterling, Lydia Brown, Patrice dan Welsh, Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs O’Toole, Mike Finkle, Jennifer Brown, Denise Camp, for the Maryland Behavioral Health Administration, Lauren Grimes, Rowan Powell, Lydia Aimone, Kait- gave an overview of the Governor’s new Commis- lyn Gough, and Ken Wireman for all their hard work in sion to Study the Mental Health and Behavioral Health planning and coordinating the conference.