To: s-acc@yahoogroups.com
From: starfish@northcoast.com
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 07:36:28 -0700
Subject: Re: [s-acc] trust and trauma
Eee, and all:
Eee wrote:
On Mon, Jun 2, 2008 at 1:15 PM GMT, Andrew Phelps wrote:
Today our persistence, in hearing one another's trauma and finding levels of support, in networking around social accountability, paid off symbolically. They can't always "make us behave."
However, it's symbolic. On S-ACC we have to discuss how to go from 'symbolism' to a grassroots program.
Great news! This sounds like a potential breakthrough event in terms of bringing needed attention to the long-neglected principle of meaningful client/survivor involvement in mental health policy decision-making,
Phil Winn is a member of the County M.H. Board. His "outreach" driver couldn't find the address (which was at Valley Medical Center). If Phil hadn't understood how to intervene with the driver, he wouldn't have gotten to the meeting at all. The driver would have taken him home, he says.
Santa Clara County M.H. had an emergency "Stakeholder Leadership Committee" MHSA meeting. They needed approval of $9M of "one time funds" and .. it was learned helplessness as usual. It was Monday AM and only a few voting members showed up. Hope and Jose spoke up about how "clients" were not fairly represented nor sufficiently heard. When the vote came (80% approval required) the 3 of us put up the red card; the result was 11-3 and the money was not approved. That brought their attention.
Do you mean three voting members of the Santa Clara County MHSA Stakeholder Leadership Committee listened to and considered the issue Hope and José raised, then acted in solidarity?
No, I don't mean that. The three of us are all voting members. I represent San Jose City College, Hope is in a "client 'prosumer'" category, Jose represents the Coalition for Justice and Accountability. I mean that on a "money crunch" issue where everybody follows the law (the motion of the Judge!) we objected anyway. And in a gracious and good-humored way. Four 'clients' have survived the process these three plus years, and made it to the meeting, and they are ALL networked into our "accountability to the grassroots" process.
If we want to take on the "trust and trauma" challenge, we have a lot of work to do here on S-ACC!
Andrew