June is Men's Health Month
The purpose of Men's Health Month is to increase
awareness of preventable health problems and to
encourage early detection and treatment of various
diseases among men and boys. But don’t forget, men’s
emotional health and well being is just as
important. Emotional and mental health have an
effect on everything in your life, from your
relationships with others and your career successes
to how long you live.
Depression is one of the most common illnesses,
affecting more than six million men in the United
States. Many people believe depression is a normal
part of life, something you should just snap out of.
It’s not nearly that simple. Depression has a
negative impact on the lives of the people who
suffer from it and those who love them. It can break
up marriages, end friendships, harm parent-child
relationships and destroy the depressed person’s
health. Today, depression is the leading cause of
disability in the U.S., sidelining more people than
back problems, heart disease, or injuries.
"Men Get Depression"
Saturday May 10, 10 to 11 p.m.
KPTS, Channel 8
Several million men have an illness that is
potentially fatal, wrecks careers and families in
addition to its victims, and goes untreated 50
percent of the time.
Men Get Depression is a one-hour HD documentary to
air Saturday, May 10 that explores the corrosive
effect of depression on the self, relationships and
careers through the intimate profiles of real men,
including a former NFL quarterback, a Fortune 500
CEO, an Iraq War veteran, a university professor, a
pastor and others.
"Men often feel weak or ashamed, that it's not manly
to feel sad," says Producer and Director, Grady
Watts. "We hope this program will show men that they
are not alone and that treatment can make a big
difference in their lives and in the lives of the
people who love them."
The documentary is dramatically structured in four
acts: 1) 'Putting a name on it' - men awakening to
the awareness that something is gravely wrong that
they can't control. 2) 'Not just me, but also those
around me' - an exploration of depression's
collateral damage, pain and injury to relationships.
3) 'I need help and it's OK to ask for it' -
personal accounts of acceptance that help is needed
and experiences with both medication and talk
therapy. 4) 'Treatment works' - how sticking with
treatment has changed men's lives, relationships and
careers.
Elizabeth Layton Exhibition
Elizabeth Layton, a native of Wellsville, KS
began drawing in 1977 at the age of 68 when
she took a drawing class at a local university while
fighting a 35-year depression. Elizabeth Layton was
a woman who touched and enriched many people's lives
through her art. What distinguishes Elizabeth
Layton's drawings from others is their breadth,
their freshness, and their expression of hope. Few
artists have depicted such far reaching social
concerns such as capital punishment, homelessness,
hunger, racial prejudice, AIDS, aging and the right
to die. Each drawing challenges us to walk in the
shoes of the less fortunate. Each drawing urges us
to work not just for a kinder and gentler nation,
but for a kinder and gentler self.
Teens for Jeans
Teens for Jeans, a national campaign empowering
young people to take action about teen homelessness
has helped COMCARE of Sedgwick County distribute 241
pairs of gently used jeans to homeless teens in our
community.
COMCARE to
Underwrite Program on Depression
On
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 8-9:30pm, COMCARE of
Sedgwick County will sponsor a program
“Depression” that will air on
KPTS, Channel 8.
Depression is a public health crisis that
rivals all other diseases in its burden on society,
yet the condition is remarkably under-diagnosed and
under-treated. By weaving together the
history, science and treatment of depression with
intimate portrayals of families and individuals
coping with its wide-ranging effects, this
documentary will provide a comprehensive portrait of
depression never before presented on American
television.
Workplace Mental Health
Mental illness is becoming and
increasingly widespread problem in the workplace.
Find out how mental illness affects the workplace
and what employers can do to help employees and
alleviate those effects.
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
E-Newsletter
In the Cities and Counties:
Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas move forward in
partnership with 1- year planning
Understanding Alcoholism as a Community Issue
September is National Alcohol and
Drug Addiction Recovery Month. To promote the
hopeful and healing message of recovery, COMCARE of
Sedgwick County’s Addiction Treatment Services (ATS)
is participating in the 18th annual
observance of this event.
Raising Teens
Many things wreak havoc on the souls
of adolescents including, struggles for
independence, identity questions and hormones.
These things create questions for parents
including, how much freedom to grant, how to handle
attitudes, which disciplinary strategies will be
most effective and which issues are worth fighting
about.
Communicating effectively with teenagers can be a
challenge for many parents. While it is true that
one of the main developmental tasks of adolescence
is to separate from parents, there still is no
substitute for the parent-teen relationship.
Sedgwick County Prescription
Discount Card
Since 2004, Sedgwick County has partnered with the
National Association of Counties and Caremark to
provide Prescription Discount Cards free of charge
to uninsured and underinsured residents of Sedgwick
County. The discount card provides individuals an
average 18% discount on their prescription drugs.
For more information on this program and to learn
how to receive a card, email or call
Rachelle Moody
at 660-7673.
Click on the More Information link below to view
Frequently Asked Questions about the program.
COMCARE Receives Exemplary Award for Excellence
On May 1st the KUSSW
Office of Mental Health and Training sponsored the
biannual
Evidence-Based Practice Supported Employment Summit
to learn from each other and
recognize the outstanding work and achievements of
those supported employment programs that have
implemented EBP-SE in Kansas. COMCARE of
Sedgwick County was among the five agencies
recognized for meeting a specified list of criteria.
Homelessness in Sedgwick County
Did you know there are
52,000 residents in Sedgwick County living in
poverty and 1 in 10 people living in poverty
will experience homelessness this year? Kansas ranks
as the 7th highest state for hunger
nationwide and according to the Kansas Health
Institute, more than two-thirds of families with
difficulty obtaining food have at least one family
member working full-time.
The leading causes of hunger
include low-paying jobs, the high cost of housing,
medical care costs, substance abuse and mental
health problems, reduced public benefits, childcare
costs, and transportation expenses. For
homelessness it is the lack of affordable housing,
followed by the lack of needed services for mental
health and substance abuse, low-paying jobs,
unemployment, domestic violence, poverty and prison
release.
If you see a person who is
homeless, or would like information about food or
shelter in the community, please call COMCARE’ s
Homeless Program at 660-7800. COMCARE of Sedgwick
County is the community mental health center for all
residents of Sedgwick County.
Mission:
COMCARE of Sedgwick County
helps people with Mental Health and Substance Abuse
needs to improve the quality of their lives.
Vision:
We envision a healthy community where people are
provided the support needed to reach their potential.
COMCARE's quality comprehensive services are
prioritized and provided for all citizens regardless of
ability to pay. Services are provided in the most cost
efficient and cost-effective manner. Sedgwick County
provides programs which are accessible to the public without
regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religious or
political affiliations, disability, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran.
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