Linda Weinberg went where she wasn’t wanted and made a difference.

Suicide has been a major problem in Native American communities for decades. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide rates among Native Americans have been more than double the general population. As recently as 2003, suicide was the second leading cause of violent death among Native Americans aged 19 or younger behind car accidents. In one tribe, three 12-year old girls committed suicide in a month.

“There are a lot of factors that can contribute to high Native American suicide rates,” Weinberg said. “There are problems with substance abuse, isolation, lack of employment, lack or resources, and the trouble of living in two worlds: Tribal and non-Tribal.”

Weinberg has been with Cenpatcio Arizona as Policy Developer for 3 ½ years. She knows and understands the problem suicide has been in the Tribes in her area and knew she had to help make a difference. “There was no prevention department,” Weinberg said. “There were no enrollment, and no diagnoses services in the tribal areas.”

Tribes can be very protective of their people and their lands. Outsiders aren’t always welcome or trusted; especially those who wish to discuss and help solve a very taboo problem like suicide. This is a fact not lost on Weinberg. “I had to be invited onto Native Lands,” she said. “I learned about each culture and made sure to be seen to prove that I could be trusted. People of any culture want to see that you want to learn and will keep your word. I had to learn who my supporters were and build upon those relationships.”

Weinberg was able to secure funds from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) for suicide prevention services for the Maricopa Ak-Chin and the San Carlos Apache Nations.

She identified the type of services the Maricopa Ak-Chin felt were needed and got permission to bring services in the form of Critical Incident Stress Management Training and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. She went to Columbia University for training to be able to teach Teen Screen to behavioral health and school personnel so they could screen youth who may be at risk for suicide and trained personnel who worked with youth from each the Maricopa Ak-Chin, San Carlos Apache, and Gila River Pima Tribes.

At San Carlos, Weinberg works closely with the Wellness Center and the Vice Chair of Tribal Council to identify services to meet the Tribal needs and has contracted for training of school personnel, detention center staff, behavioral health, housing department and other Tribal Departments. She also contracts with the Tribe for a public education campaign, the training of caregivers (including all materials) and works with the Tribe on infrastructure development for more staff to be trained to conduct suicide prevention training and debriefing after a critical incident.

In part because of Weinberg’s work, Native American Suicide rates in Arizona dropped below the state mean for the first time in Arizona history. In September 2008 Weinberg was awarded for her works with the Native American Suicide Prevention/MBrace Life Award.

“Change takes a long time,” Weinberg said “When you see the stats and see the changes in a community … rewarding isn’t a big enough word to describe the feeling.”

This entry is filed under Close Up.

And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days
Cuz I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

-Lyrics from “Better Days” by the Goo Goo Dolls

I’m sure like many Americans, you have been reading about the decline in retail sales, and even the recent news that not only are we spending less, but actually, for the first time in about 50 years, paying down debt. I guess this is a mixed bag for our country. On the one hand, it is bad news since our economy is so driven by consumerism. But on the other hand, it is good news that maybe, just maybe, we are examining our attachment to things, our culture and an economy based on spending. It just cannot be a good thing to have a national economy based on buying stuff and, worse, doing so on borrowed money. I, too, have gotten caught up in buying more things, getting attached to things, and then like most Americans, ending up throwing these things away resulting in an added consequence to our environment.

I think we must all be waking up as if it were the next morning after a wonderful party which involved too much eating and drinking. We have fond memories of the good times but are shocked at how unwell we ended up feeling the next day. I know that times are grim for many Americans now, but I have such hope that our personal sober reflection of how we ended up in this mess will bring us back to what is truly important in life. As you look around at all that you have accumulated, no matter how much or little you think you have accumulated, I wonder if you have the same thoughts that I do lately. None of it is really important, and I could live happily with just about all of it gone. What I know I cannot live happily without is my health, my family and my friends.

What is the true meaning of the Christmas season? Hope and renewal, not gifts, not buying more things. It is an opportunity to reflect on our values as a society and hope that we will all find renewal as a nation next year.

From our employees and myself at Cenpatico, we are wishing you the very warmest and joyful holiday season.

And, here’s to better days for all of us in 2009!

This entry is filed under Blog.

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.
– Orison Marden.

A common question in our field is why do some people with mental illness or substance use disorders recover, and others do not, even with the same support and treatment interventions. As a young man working on my Ph.D., I decided to tackle this very question in my dissertation by focusing specifically on the phenomenon of “hitting bottom” in alcoholism. What I found in my study, and find in almost all studies on this subject today, is that the difference between those who successfully began recovery from alcoholism and those who did not focused on two factors. One, relationships with peers who were successful in their recovery pointed to the fact that isolation often means death for those with mental illness/substance use disorders. Two, in specific, those relationships were people who could successfully help the person suffering begin to imagine for themselves a better future or outcome for their life.

In other words, Hope. “Inspiring hope” is not just some cute marketing line at Cenpatico. Those of us in the behavioral health field understand that if our consumers have hope for a better life, they can and will recover. It isn’t complicated at all, and it often takes very little. And isn’t hope for a new beginning the very message of this season?

I would like to hear from you. Tell me where you have seen the power of hope help someone recover?

This entry is filed under Blog.

Always around this time we hear in the media and other sources how the holiday season is so stressful and creates more depression and anxiety. With few exceptions, I see that the evidence is actually to the contrary, that the holiday season is actually one in which people smile more, socialize more, and, yes, even enjoy seeing their families. Many people believe that suicide rates are higher and depression is higher this time of year, but the data simply doesn’t support this. (I, personally, am a big fan of data.) On the contrary, in the behavioral health managed care industry we actually see utilization of all services begin a gradual decline from about mid-November through the month of December, and this year is no exception. Also, the suicide rate is actually quite low in comparison to the peak months of April and May.

So, don’t buy into the fact that you are supposed to be feeling stressed and blue. Keep in mind it is still, as with everything, all about your attitude and expectations regarding the season as to whether you have an enjoyable one or not. If your family always gets into a knock down drag out fight on Christmas Eve, why try to hope for it to go differently and be disappointed. Instead, plan on how you are going to do something different for yourself so you don’t get pulled into the predictable family dysfunction. Many people keep trying to compare this holiday season to those of the past. This is another bad move. Each holiday season is different and trying to recapture the past is again another set up for disappointment. For all you know, you are living, right now, the “good old days” which you will appreciate in the future.

So, there is nothing inherently stressful and depressing about the holidays. On the contrary, it is nice to have a time of year, every year, where we are reminded about the importance of such values as giving, of acknowledging that there are others in the world far less fortunate, of appreciating family/friends, and embracing the messages of the season of re-birth and forgiveness. I think everyone can buy into these values irrespective of religious belief.

Having written this, I do want to acknowledge that this season can be particularly hard on those who have suffered major losses recently, particularly the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job. The holiday season can be a painful reminder of an absence of someone we loved, and the economic consequences of the loss of a job can be felt as humiliation during a time of gift giving, especially to the children. We do need to be mindful of these people in our lives and to give them all the support we can.

This entry is filed under Blog.

Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona today announced the implementation of a Community Re-Entry Program for adults and juveniles recently released from incarceration.

This program is designed to help reduce recidivism by encouraging participation in various behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services. Cenpatico’s Community Re-Entry Program kicked off Sept. 25, and is the first of its type to be used in the rural counties, including Pinal, Gila, La Paz and Yuma.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 67.5% of prisoners released were rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years leading to overcrowded facilities and increased correction expenditures for state governments. The recidivism rate is often attributed to lack of participation in behavioral health treatment and substance use services following the inmates’ release. Melinda Vasquez Cenpatico’s chief Officer of Community Affairs states, “Our Community Re-Entry Program ensures that inmates receive prompt and professional behavioral health treatment as well as community support for housing and employment immediately upon their release. By facilitating this transition, we can help former inmates overcome many of the challenges they encounter when re-entering society.”

Cenpatico coordinates a Comprehensive Eligibility Screening and Assessment Evaluation (CESAE) for inmates residing in various correctional facility settings. Cenpatico works with juvenile detention centers, adult county jails, and Arizona Department of Corrections, which along with probation and parole department representatives, select appropriate candidates to refer to the program.

About Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona

Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona is a subsidiary of Cenpatico Behavioral Health, LLC. Cenpatico facilitates the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services to behavioral health recipients in the Arizona counties of Gila, Pinal, La Paz and Yuma. For more information, please visit www.cenpaticoaz.com

- Arizona Silver Belt Newspaper © 2008

This entry is filed under News.