Nevada Peer Leadership Advisory Council
Quarterly meeting August 12, 2015
9:00 am to 11:00 am via adobe connect
The meeting started at 9:13 am
Attendees: Daniel Fred, Skip Farley, Ali McCurdy, Nancy Snyder, Crystal Hallock, Alyce Thomas, Lorna Lizotte, Roxy Johnson, Autumn Smith, Steve Burt, Jeanyne Ward
Members Absent: Nick Matlavage, Jo Anna Rios, Barbara Jackson, Camille Jones
Ad Hoc Members Absent: Luana Ritch, Michelle Berry, Denna Atkinson, Mike McMahon
Agenda Item #1
Luana Ritch was set to join the meeting today to give an update on the Peer Certification for Organizations in the State. She was unable to attend. We will add this to next quarter’s meeting agenda.
Agenda Item #2
Website subcommittee update (Skip)
The website is up and running https://nvpps.com/
All of the content has been approved with county access to services located on the website as well as videos. Esmerelda County was the only County Skip could not find services for. Skip asked the council to send him any updates for the website. Nancy is going to send some private practitioner information for Skip to add to the services on the website. Per Skip, as of July 31, 2015 the website software has been funded for another year. Unless someone else wants to take over the website, Skip will continue to update it himself.
Agenda item #3
Code of Ethics subcommittee update (Daniel)
Daniel is still pulling together information for the Ethics webinar that he will be recording for the online peer continuing education curriculum. Tis online training should be complete by the next NPLAC meeting. He mentioned an upcoming CCAR training on Ethics that he might attend. Daniel to send Alyce and Crystal the details. Skip asked for a copy too.
Nancy mentioned she attended the PAN peer training and it had a piece on Ethics. She suggested Daniel contact Robyn Priest to get info from her on the Ethics piece of that training. Daniel agreed.
Agenda Item #4
Listserv committee update (Nancy)
Nancy has complied a lot of e-mails, she wants clarification from the group what the council will do with the e-mails. Do we use it for advertising, to disseminate information? Do we want people to be able to communicate with each other in the listserv? Do we want one general e-mail list or break it up for mental health and substance use disorders? How do we organize the info we send? Via state or countywide info? The council expressed interest in a quarterly newsletter about our progress, housing, seniors, general information, training, state news, etc. to send to the listserv and keep it statewide for now. The council also like the idea of adding a listserv button to the website where folks can add themselves to the listserv without Skip having to add them. Nancy will work on a way to get the e-mails she has into a listserv and then onto the website.
Daniel has to leave the meeting early for a class so the council decided to vote on the new member Roxy Johnson before he left. About Roxy Johnson: I am Roxie Johnson a Certified Peer Support Specialist (CPSS) with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Behavioral Health. I am a combat veteran who retired after 24 years of honorable service with the United States Air Force. Two years ago President Obama signed an Executive Order to have 800 Peer Support Specialist in every VA by the end of 2013. In order to fill this position a peer must 1) be a Veteran and 2) have a mental health and/or co-occurring condition who has been trained to help others identify and achieve specific life and recovery goals.
As CPSS I am actively engaged in my own recovery and am able to help other engage in mental health treatment. I have accepted my mental health condition and dealt with the stigma that society imposes on people with disabilities. Yes, my co-workers know I have a mental health condition but only to the point with what I chose to share. I have sources of knowledge and strength which some providers cannot provide.
I am able to talk about my conditions openly and offer helpful tools and resources I have used to manage my affairs in everyday living. I facilitate and co-facilitate several different groups, PTSD Support Group, Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), Self Esteem groups to help Veterans manage their mental health conditions. The main goal for myself and other Veterans is to manage symptoms as not to interfere with daily life activities. That does not mean to stop taking medication or seeing a therapist, it’s about recovery and recovery tools to utilize when one is triggered by life events.
I am very interested in being part of the Peer Leadership Advisory Counsel. I have witnessed first-hand what peers can do for one another as well for the community in terms of recovery oriented language, advocacy, self-support, psycho-social rehabilitation and education.
Daniel motioned to accept her nomination and everyone on the council agreed to accept her nomination. Roxy is now a member of the NPLAC serving the South and the Vet seat.
Lorna Lizotte joined the call and introduced herself as well. Lorna works with the Medicaid population through the Healthcare Guidance Program. She supervises 5 Peer Specialists throughout the State. Nancy asked if she is coming to Elko anytime soon and if so, they could meet. Lorna is also an Army vet with a Masters in Psychology and she is a certified peer specialist through the VA. She also knows Roxy and used to work with Roxy. Skip motioned to approve her nomination and all council members agreed. Lorna is now a member of NPLAC serving the South.
Jeanyne will send both Lorna and Roxy the NPLAC Bylaws.
Agenda Item #5
Community Outreach subcommittee (Autumn)
Autumn has been e-mailing groups about NPLAC, going to NAMI meetings, putting flyers at Libraries, advertising through Facebook, and PAN trainings. Skip invited Autumn to the Peer Center at Foundations for Recovery so he could give her flyers. Skip will also e-mail the flyers about the Peer Center at FFR to the group for anyone to print and disseminate.
Jeanyne mentioned organizing committees to put together the flyers for NPLAC as well as the newsletter. Nancy and Autumn said they would help. Jeanyne to e-mail the group to see if anyone else wants to join the marketing committee. There is no budget for marketing so it is going to be difficult. Skip mentioned FFR attends Health Fairs and Jeanyne mentioned Daniel Fred could hand out info at NRAP on campus at UNR.
Agenda Item #6
Paper application – Skip created a paper application that NPLAC can use going forward to send to potential members. A few edits were suggested to the application. Jeanyne will make the edits and send back to council for final approval. Jeanyne will keep track of all applications.
Agenda Item #7
Online continuing education training for Peers. Jeanyne talked about three new online training classes for Peers available at https://training.casat.org/products/online_video
Discovering Pathways to Recovery
Leveraging Technology to Engage Students in Recovery
Mindfulness and its Role in Recovery
Peers can earn 1 CEH per class. These are part of continuing education for Peers. Use the coupon code (PEERRECOVERY) when you register to get the classes for FREE.
Agenda Item #8
New Business (Steve Burt)
Steve would like to add an ongoing agenda item to work on the Peer Certification for individuals. Steve was a part of the original BRSS TACS that was tasked to create this individual Cert. It had to be put through a board so the LADC board adopted it. The bill had to be written and submitted by June of 2014 and NPLAC was not formed yet so that’s why the council was not part of the bill planning process. Steve would like to form a subcommittee to start working on the new bill ASAP that will come from NPLAC. The subcommittee will develop a new strategy that will follow the nationwide movement for individual peer certification that will have unique oversight and training. The council agreed this is a major priority and the following people agreed to be on the subcommittee to represent all sectors of the council: Skip (substance Use South) Steve (Substance Use North), Roxy (VA), Nancy (Mental Health) Alyce (mental Health). The subcommittee will meet Wed Sept 2 from 9-11. Jeanyne will set up the conf call and send out invites and reminders. Steve asked Jeanyne to invite Michelle Berry as well.
Our next quarterly meeting will be Wed Nov 18 from 9-11 via adobe connect webinar. Jeanyne will send out today’s notes and will send an invitation to Nov meeting soon. Agenda TBD
Motion to adjourn meeting at 10:34 am. Motioned carried. Meeting adjourned.
