Flint Hero applications accepted

GOOD MORNING FLINT!
12/16/08 Terry Bankert,
http://attorneybankert.com/
You are invited to offer suggestions on this topic,”Helping One another.” http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/ or http://terrybankert.wordpress.com/

WE HAVE TO HELP ONE ANOTHER!

Some of the country are doing well, some in recession, some depression we are fighting for our lives in Flint. We are all in this together. Its time we begin to work together. We encounter the desperate everyday.

We all need to learn a little social work and be able talk about what help is available in Flint. Be a Flint Hero and help out. Give recognition to those that do.

A community forum to address mental health during tough economic times was held Tuesday at the Genesee County Administration Building in Flint. Some say the citizens of Genesee County and Flint are is in a crisis unlike anything since the Great Depression.

It will take all of us working together to keep people from falling apart in the even tougher economic times ahead. Several FLINT HEROS PRESENTED:Robert Cuthbertson, MD, psychiatrist and vice president of Medical Affairs and Lawrence Reynolds, MD, president and CEO of Mott Children's Health Centers will offered mental health insight for individuals and families who are undergoing difficult economic times. That was the message Tuesday night at a community forum sponsored by the Genesee County Department of Community Mental Health.

The panel discussion was led by state Rep. Brenda Clack and County Commissioner Raynetta Speed, TWO FLINT HEROS, who also serves as chairwoman of the board for Genesee County Community Mental Health. Dr. Robert Cuthbertson, a psychiatrist and vice president of medical affairs for GCCMH, sounded the first call to arms, warning that deepening economic woes coupled with the holidays are making this a particularly troubled time.

But he fears the future could be even worse as unemployment benefits, interim health care insurance and lifelong savings trickle away.

WE ARE ECONOMICALLY GRIEVING

One speaker said ;"People are grieving the losses they're experiencing -- their homes, their livelihood, their savings -- far deeper losses than most of us have ever experienced," Just what does a family do when the health insurance runs out and you have small kids. Another speaker said we are in a “ toxic stew of stress, anxiety and depression in the Flint area.

Ahead we face a “ boiling point with increasing rates of suicide, substance abuse and domestic violence.”

Did you know "Two years ago we were dealing with about 120 foreclosures a year. This year we've had 700 people come to our classes and about 300 seeking individual counseling," said Amanda Crews of Metro Housing Partnership Inc. , which offers counseling services to those at risk of losing their homes. "And that's only what we were able to do at capacity. We couldn't catch up with the demand."

Daniell Brown offered thoughts about Hamilton Health center,"Hamilton had the most encounters we have ever had in November -- more people than we have the capacity to see. We can't grow fast enough to keep up with the rate," Hamilton is county's main free medical clinic.

Another service provider weighed in.Resource Genesee, formerly the Resource Center, fielded about 10,000 calls this year from people needing help finding the right agency for their particular needs, from paying a heating bill to finding temporary shelter.

A growing number of them are first-time callers, said spokesman Dale Weighill. Past Donors now are service consumers."They're telling us in the past they've contributed to the United Way or other social service organizations and now they're relying on social services for the first time in their lives," said Weighill. We need to help the homeless said Frank Woods.

He continued “700 people have come through the doors of the One Stop Shop Housing Resource Center since it opened in August to help the homeless two days a week.”

People need food;"Woods said We gave out 13,000 pounds of food s in an hour and fifteen minutes, Many first time people now are in environment. They're distraught and embarrassed. They say they didn't know this could happen to them this quickly." The conclusion of the workshop was an acknowledgement that “The best thing to do right now: seek help from the dozens of social service agencies poised to offer it.”

Just how can we identify these servcies? Elected officals Clack and Speed are helping "These are middle-class people trying to hold on to their dignity. It's a whole different type of life people are living now. It's a new lifestyle to ask for help when you've never had to ask before," said Clack."That's why we need to let our citizens know there are services here they can connect with," said Speed.

Q: Where is the best on line resource for Flint, Genesee County, Mid Michigan, Michigan people/families in need?
Here are a couple; • Want to learn more about Genesee County Community Mental Health? (810) 257-3705.
• For help in finding the right agency for special human services: Resource Genesee (810) 767-0500.

Are you a Flint hero or do you know one?
See http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/12/economic_crisis_sparks_overflo.html#more Posted here by Terry Bankert,
http://attorneybankert.com/
You are invited to offer suggestions on this topic,”Helping One another.” http://goodmorningflint.blogspot.com/ or http://terrybankert.wordpress.com/ 109320

Sphere: Related Content