This poem was shared by its writer at a meeting hosted by NC TASH in the autumn. It is shared here with Ms. Jones' permission:

Where Do We Go From Here?

Where do we go from here?
Every thing is changing yet again
how do I keep from becoming invisible?
A crisis case
and a case file
or just another statistic.
Look down and see us
the people who voted for you
we need you now.
Look down and see the legs you stand on
and stop looking down on us!
We are not a budget expenditure
nor a case file
nor a number.
I have a name and and a heart.
We have needs, talents and strengths.
Just because she is in a wheelchair
and I'm half deaf
doesn't mean we are expendable
when the budget gets tight.
Where do you expect us to go when our services disappear? >

(Comment by Marianne Clayter, member, NC CANSO Board of Directors.)

Well, another year behind us. Another decade behind us. Mental Health reform behind us. Years are made up of days and weeks. Decades are made up of weeks and months. It seems just yesterday we were hearing and talking about Y2K. The world’s computers did not crash and the world did not end.
However, mental health reform crashed and many people’s worlds ended and changed. And in some instances they did crash. Reform is to take “red tape” and pull it all up and put in place programs, policies, procedures—things that are effective and work.

Director Leza Wainwright, chief of the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, has planned to meet with leaders of three of NC’s self-advocacy organizations, including NC CANSO, in late January. She called for the meeting after learning that consumer organization leaders are in early stages of working together to bring a united consumer Voice to discussions. In a recent telephone conversation with this writer, Ms. Wainwright said that the Division is aware that there are many strong and knowledgeable individuals who have eagerly expressed concerns regarding services. However, it has not been safe for the agency to assume that any one person represents consensus on an issue.

In mid-December, NC CANSO Board Member Ms. Carol Cannon wrote the following note to Representative Verla Insko. Co-chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, Representative Insko has long supported more consumer involvement to improve our public system. She has sponsored at least two bills specifically to empower the consumer voice since 2005.

Ms. Cannon’s letter is followed by a comment on Representative Insko’s reply.

This Emotional Life is a two-year outreach campaign anchored by a three-part, nationally broadcast series on PBS (airing Jan. 4-6, 2010) that examines the science behind our emotions, the challenges to our well-being and the keys to happier lives.
This multi-platform endeavor is focused on emotional well-being and happiness, and is designed to help people foster stronger social relationships. Within the PBS series, the topics of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are discussed and some treatments are highlighted. Featured in the PBS broadcast are AFSP Vice President Dr. John Greden and AFSP Scientific Council member Dr. Kay Jamison. AFSP is also listed as a resource on the PBS website.