Running buddies needed for Girls on the Run

Girls participating in the fall season of Girls on the Run will complete the un-timed, non-competitive New Balance Girls on the Run 5K on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Buffalo Park.

Women 18 and older are invited to volunteer as a Running Buddy, serving as a healthy, positive adult role model while accompanying a girl from start to finish at her own pace during an afterschool practice 5K and the official 5K on Nov. 20.

Prospective Running Buddies must submit a volunteer application by Oct. 13 and consent to a background check, register for the 5K, and attend a required volunteer orientation on Oct. 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. Running Buddy applications can be downloaded from the Girls on the Run Web site at http://www.gotrna.org/getinvolved.html.

For more information, contact Stephanie Ludwig at stephanie@gotrna.org.

World CarFree Day

Free Mountain Line buses operating at increased level of service the entire day.

• Be included in a drawing for a new commuter trailer generously donated by Absolute Bikes

• Heritage Square from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Local organizations, businesses, and programs promoting healthy lifestyles, environmental sustainability, and community values

• Organizers: Friends of Flagstaff’s Future in collaboration with NAIPTA, the City of Flagstaff, NAU, and Coconino County

Pledge at CarFreeFlag.com to leave your car at home and receive 20% off at these participating businesses:

(check carfreeflag.com/partners for a complete list)

Animas Beads & Animas Trading Company, Fizz Bath Shop, The Yoga Experience, Community Supported Agriculture/Store, Custom Sound Instruments, u.t.o.p.i.a., Revolution Bicycles, Kickstand Kafe, Mountain Sports, The Green Room

2nd Annual First Frost Food Drive

1 of 4 Arizona children are now living in poverty. With your help we can insure that no child goes to bed hungry.

How can you help?

Sept. 27th - Oct. 1st, WE need you and 20 volunteers each day to prep bags. 8am—4pm

Oct. 2nd, WE need you and 300 volunteers to distribute bags in neighborhoods throughout Flagstaff. 9am—noon (Free BBQ at noon at the food bank!!)

Oct. 9th, WE need you and 60 volunteers to pick up all the donations in neighborhoods throughout Flagstaff. 11am—2pm

Contact—
Maria Maltese at;
magonzales@firstfoodbank.org
Or 928-600-5982

Please tune in to "Ask a Child Trauma Expert"

Childhood trauma can take many forms. It can be neglect or physical, emotional or sexual abuse. It can also be the loss of a parent or mental illness of a loved one. Childhood trauma can cause lasting psychological harm, but help is available.

Experts in all areas of childhood trauma will be in the studio taking viewer calls from 5:30 – 9:30 pm, at 1-888-329-7088. Look for more information online after the broadcast at azpbs.org/strongkids.

Hear from expert panelists:

Marcel Duclos, NCC, CCMHC, ACS, LADC and LCS LCMHC CCMHC
Clinical Director, Northland Family Health Center, Flagstaff, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Human Services, and Alcohol/Drug Counseling and a professional educator and counselor for three decades

Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/PMHNP, FNAP, FAAN
Dean and Distinguished Foundation Professor in Nursing at Arizona State University College of Nursing and Health Innovation

Alison Steier, Ph.D., Director, Harris Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Training Institute at Southwest Human Development in Phoenix.

Kim Skrentny, MSW, LCSW, Children’s Lead Clinical Advisor with the Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health Services

Are you ready to Walk for a Change?

Domestic violence is the primary cause of both injury and homelessness to women between the ages of 15 and 44, but the situation is not hopeless. Organizations like BOTHANDS' Sharon Manor and the Northland Family Help Center provide safe havens to women and children fleeing domestic violence as well as services to help them establish independence and create healthy relationships, and YOU can help.

Join us on October 16th, 2010 in beautiful downtown Flagstaff to Walk for a Change. The walk will start from Wheeler Park from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. (your start time is up to you), and walkers will have a choice between two different walking routes of either one mile or three miles. Refreshments will be provided, and as part of $35 registration fee, walkers will receive a commemorative t-shirt--wear it around town the day of the walk to receive discounts with local merchants!

Want your dog to join in the fun? Register for Paws for a Change, and your furry friend will receive a doggy bandana for no extra cost.

Can't make it to the walk? Don't want to get up early? Sign up for Sleep In for a Change to show your support wherever you are! Sleepers also get a t-shirt as well as an "I'm Sleeping In for a Change" Do Not Disturb door hanger.

Turn off your television

Let’s Move to limit screen time and choose active entertainment in the month of September. Our kids spend a lot of time in front of screens: televisions, computers, phones. When you add up the hours of media that kids experience in an average day, it’s more than 7 hours of entertainment media in addition to computer learning. This September 19-25 is National Turn Off Your TV week. Take the opportunity to get outside, go for walk, play with friends, and keep moving. Your kids may have so much fun they won’t even miss it!

OUT OF THE SHADOWS Talking Circle

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

OUT OF THE SHADOWS Talking Circle: Third Tuesday of every Month. Continental Country Club, Ponderosa Room @ the Club House, 2nd Floor, 2380 North Oakmont Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86004. 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm. No Charge.

MAD TALK privately with one another and become kindred spirits. This empathetic forum will chat about past abuses and betrayals in the mental health care establishment, coercion, de-humanizing experiences, gender bias, hurtful labels, misogyny, drug-induced disorders, iatrogenic harm, brain-disabling treatments, toxic medications, adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions, withdrawal symptoms, misdiagnosis, chemical lobotomy, past authoritarian relationships with providers, ECT, polypharmacy drug-induced illness, and other brutal humiliations. This positive informal encounter group will emphasize recovery where ‘psychiatric survivors’ can tell their personal stories, listen with their heart and let go of their patient career roles by becoming empowered through learned knowledge and creativity to rediscover their authentic selves.

PH (928) 607-8048. E-mail: sickofbeingmad@aol.com

National Survey Reveals Increases in Substance Use from 2008 to 2009

Marijuana use rises; prescription drug abuse and ecstasy use also up

The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows the overall rate of current illicit drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population aged 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.

The annual NSDUH survey, released by SAMHSA at the kickoff of the 21st annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, also shows that the nonmedical use of prescription drugs rose from 2.5 percent of the population in 2008 to 2.8 percent in 2009. Additionally, the estimated number of past-month ecstasy users rose from 555,000 in 2008 to 760,000 in 2009, and the number of methamphetamine users rose from 314,000 to 502,000 during that period.

To continue reading the press release, please click here.

Invitation to "Lights On"

Lights On is a celebration of After School Programs that keep our children safe, inspire them to learn & to support our working families.

Location: BUSHMASTER PARK
When: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 11AM ~ 2PM

FAMILY EVENT, RAFFLE AND PRIZES, FREE FOOD, GAMES, BOUNCE HOUSE & MORE!

COME CELEBRATE LIGHTS ON!

CCNAH September Happenings

Just a quick reminder of all of the things going on at the Cancer Center this month:

· Expressive Arts Discovery Artists’ Reception
Thursday (9/16) 5:30p. – 7p. in the new waiting area of CCNAH. The art work from the last workshop (glass blowing with George Averbeck of Fire on the Mountain) will be displayed. Light refreshments will be served.

· CNAH Open House
Wednesday (9/22) 4p. – 7p. Come visit our new lobby & treatment rooms! They were designed to improve amenities and privacy for the radiation patients. Invitations have been (and are being) sent out.

· Prostate Screenings:

Verde Valley: Thursday (9/23); 4:30p. – 7p. (@ VVMC)

Flagstaff: Tuesday (9/28); 4:30p. – 7p. (@ CCNAH-Flagstaff)

· Breast Self-Exam Classes
Several different days at both Verde Valley & Flagstaff locations.

· Cooking Class
Thursday (9/30), 6p. – 8p. at CCNAH-Flagstaff. This is a very informative & tasty class! If you can make it, definitely come!

· ARTY BRAS!
The decorated bras will be displayed at Vora Financial & the Old Town Shops during First Friday Artwalk in October. Money raised will go towards the Breast Cancer Resource Center & the 2011 Upbeat Retreat. They will also be displayed at the First Friday ArtWalk in Sedona in November (the place TBD).

Johanns Defeated, Victory for Prevention

Tuesday morning Senator Johanns' (R, NE) amendment to the small business jobs bill was defeated. The amendment aimed to free business from IRS reporting red tape, but tried to offset costs by gutting the landmark Prevention and Public Health Fund. Tuesday, the senate stood up for prevention.

Prevention is good for small business, good for our economy, and good for our health. The Johanns amendment tried to pit small business against the health and vitality of our communities. Our senators showed true courage, and listened to what public health and prevention proponents are saying across the country: small businesses benefit from prevention--we all benefit from prevention.

Thanks to each of you for your hard work--your efforts to defend prevention have had real results, and our vision for strong healthy communities has more support than ever.

Invitation to September CCAAD Meeting

Senior and Caregiver Discussion

Navigating The Journey - "Positive Choices Along the Care Continuum."

Join Marlene Letvin (Hospice Compassus) as she facilitates a discussion on the various choices and decisions we make and will face as we age.

Treating addiction as a chronic disease...

... or how can something that makes so much sense be so impossible to achieve?

It’s been ten years since a special communication in the Journal of the American Medical Association by four leading experts declared that drug dependence (including alcohol) should be treated as a chronic medical problem, not a social problem. This was not a brand new idea, but seeing it in JAMA was like the golden seal of approval. Or it should have been.

Ten years later, are we closer to that goal? There’s been a lot more thinking about how we should integrate treatment of substance use disorders into primary care and public health systems. A few places are doing it, including some pilot projects. But when it comes to health system-wide, daily clinical level — that remains abysmal.

(to continue reading the original blog entry, please click here)

Free Public Talk on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Learn practical ways to calm the mind, relax the body and let go of stress!

Thursday,
September 23rd
6:00 – 8:00 pm

318 W. Birch Ave., Suite 4
Flagstaff

For more information contact: Susan or Steven Patrick, (928) 600-1195, or email stevenpatrickphd@msn.com.

Please Protect the Prevention and Public Health Fund

Partnership for Prevention urges you to immediately contact your US Senator and ask that they oppose amendment # 4531 to the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act to be offered next month by Senator Mike Johanns (R-Neb). The amendment would divert billions in critically needed funding from the National Prevention and Public Health Fund. They have already written each member of the Senate but will need your voice to assure maximum impact.

The Prevention and Public Health Fund was enacted as part of health reform (Public Law 111-148, the “Affordable Care Act) to meet vital national public health and prevention needs. Rising rates of chronic disease such as obesity, cancer, diabetes and heart disease are driving the cost of health care higher. Chronic and often preventable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are responsible for 7 of 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75 percent of the nation’s health spending. Our ability to reduce the incidence of chronic disease will be heavily influenced by the programs intended to be funded from this new program established by Public Law 111-148; the “Affordable Care Act.”

The state of public health in our country is threatened by unprecedented funding reductions such as those proposed by the Johanns Amendment. Indeed, there are growing concerns that the rise in obesity over the past twenty years now threatens to create a reality where today’s generation of children may not live as long as their parents.

Please contact your Senator and urge they oppose this amendment because it will endanger public health and prevention funding. If you need assistance on how to reach or communicate with your Senate offices, contact Partnership for Prevention's Director of Government Relations, Ripley Forbes, at rforbes@prevent.org.