Maryland General Assembly 2023 Legislative Session

By Morgan Coleman and Raymond Nichols

For 90 days starting in January of this year, the Maryland General Assembly met to decide on many pieces of legislation. The Maryland Psychiatric Society published an article (article link: https://mdpsych.org/legislation/session-recaps-laws/2023-general-assembly/) highlighting bills related to mental healthcare. Here are five of the bills that passed that the B’More Clubhouse community might find interesting:

SB 283/HB 418 was about the Behavioral Health Workforce in Maryland. This bill established an investment fund to recruit, educate, place, and train more behavioral health professionals. We may still be waiting a couple of years to see the effects of this bill because the Maryland Healthcare Commission must conduct an evaluation to see what the state’s needs are.


SB 8/HB 121 pertains to treatment plans for individuals in facilities. The bill requires more specific regulations for treatment plans, including long-range discharge goals and estimates of the probable length of stay. This bill also allows patients to consent to another person (family or otherwise) to be included in the treatment plan and any later adjustments. The patient can also revoke this consent at any time, either orally or in writing. Additionally, this bill makes the grievance submission process more transparent. It moves some of the burden onto facilities to help patients transfer if their treatment goals are unmet.
 

“SB 362 requires the Maryland Department of Health to apply for federal planning, development, and implementation grant funds related to” Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), which can provide highly accessible and cost-effective care for people with mental health conditions, regardless of income, age, and zip code.
 

SB 154 promotes a public awareness campaign about advance directives for mental healthcare. It also says that Maryland Behavioral Health Administration (MD-BHA) and MHCC must study how these advance directives can be accessed by first responders who may be responding to a crisis. (Fun fact: you can get support for creating your advance directive at the Clubhouse!)
 

SB 858/HB 307 strengthens regulations about storing firearms and ammunition, mainly when they might be accessible to minors. Raymond (co-author of this blog post) is interested in this bill because “it’s a public safety issue. It’s important to keep guns locked up--away from kids’ hands.” This bill is called Jaelynn’s Law (article link: https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2023-03-15/jaelynns-law-passes-maryland-senate-tightening-requirements-about-gun-storage) in memory of 16-year-old Jaelynn Willey, who died in 2018 due to a gun in the hands of another minor.

The authors of this blog post spent a few weeks sorting through the legislative material to understand it all. We thought about giving up and scrapping this article for something more lively or entertaining. Still, we decided to write this blog anyway because we must keep ourselves informed about laws that affect us. Knowing these bills helps us stay knowledgeable about our rights and make us better advocates for ourselves and our community. Do you have any thoughts about this year’s Legislative Session?




Sources:
https://mdpsych.org/legislation/session-recaps-laws/2023-general-assembly/

 
https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2023-03-15/jaelynns-law-passes-maryland-senate-tightening-requirements-about-gun-storage

Bingo Night

By Mindy Griffin

     I went to Bingo Night on the 22nd of June and had a blast!  We had smoothie bowls. Somebody said they were better than ice cream, and they were. For bingo prizes you could either get a specialty homemade cookie or a gift card from Dunkin’ Donuts. I won a gift card, and spent it on a frozen hot chocolate. We played regular bingo throughout, and blackout in the end. It was really nice. I liked it a lot and enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s moments like these that I’m glad to be alive.

B'More Wellness Walks

 

    By Raymond Nichols and Mariana Torres

  

 

   We all know that exercise is good for you physically but did you know it’s just as good for you mentally. To get the benefits of exercise you don’t have to go to a gym, all you really need to do is walk. Walking just 15-30 minutes a day can lower your risks of depression, help with your sleep schedule, and create social opportunities which are also good for your mental health. Along with lowering your risk of depression, walking can also help lower your stress and anxiety.

    Here at B’More Clubhouse we understand the importance of walking as part of your daily routine. Walking can be great self care or it can be something you do with your friends. At B’More Clubhouse we like to go on “wellness walks” during our lunch hour as part of our commitment to both physical and mental wellness. Colleagues have reflected that wellness walks are nice because you have a chance to get outside during the work ordered day, as well as getting a chance to socialize with your colleagues outside of the working space.

    Sometimes we just walk around the block but sometimes we are walking with a goal in mind or a place to be. This past month quite a few colleagues walked over to the Enoch Pratt Free Library to sign up for the summer reading program to receive a free t-shirt and a free book. This was a great example of how walking can become an easy and fun part of your day, and it all still helps!

Baltimore Excitement About Sports

 By Raymond Nichols

 

Here at the B’More Clubhouse, we have a lot of sports fans, one of them is Raymond. He is a big Orioles and Ravens fan. He is a lifelong Orioles fan and has been to numerous Orioles games. 2 of the most notable games he has attended were 2 different world series games. Looking back at these games, the food and ticket prices have gone up a lot since his first Orioles game. 

 

Baltimore Colts Logo

Baltimore Ravens Logo

Baltimore Orioles Logo

Along with the Orioles, Raymond has also been a big fan of our Baltimore football teams. Before the Ravens, there was the Baltimore Colts. Raymond went to his first Colts game when he was 16 and he went to his first Ravens game in 2000. Raymond has a lot of hope for the Ravens this year and that now we have Lamar Jackson, we could maybe go all the way. In Raymond’s opinion, Jackson was the missing piece to complete the Ravens.

4th Saturday at The Bun Shop

 By Mindy Griffin

     On Saturday May 27th, I got out of the house and went with the Clubhouse to The Bun Shop. The Bun Shop is a restaurant that serves any kind of bun you can think of. I had a Breakfast Bake bun with a cappuccino and an Americano. We also played board games while we were there. I had a really good time. Cusa brought a card game with pictures of sushi on it which was really cute. I also played chess, but lost. I still liked playing though; it was challenging and stimulating for the mind.

     The Bun Shop was a cozy little place, and when you’re a paying customer, they treat you well.  For art they had all kinds of graffiti in their bathroom, and they had a big table set up that we played board games on. I also had umpteen cups of courtesy water with ice.  It was a mountaintop experience, and I think we’re blessed as a Clubhouse to host such events. It’s nice that we can get out and about to socialize at places like The Bun Shop every fourth Saturday.

Pets and Mental Health

 The importance of pets in mental health recovery- Francesca Singleton, Mike Lance

At B’More Clubhouse, we know that our colleagues’ pets cheer us up! Many folks may have noticed how pets have appeared in some of our recent social media posts and newsletters. Our colleagues love to bring their pets to the Clubhouse because it livens up our work day and even provides a unique comfort to people. Additionally, caring for a pet provides a valuable sense of purpose to many people which can aid in rebuilding their lives.

An article featured in the NIH News in Health titled “The Power of Pets; Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interactions” explained some of the benefits of owning a pet. The article stated, “Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.”

Kenna interviewed our colleague, Mary Watkins, who has one cat (Broadie) and one dog (Bo). Mary reported that her pets give her emotional support. Bo shows love by climbing in bed; when Mary brings Bo inside, he barks and runs around. Broadie climbs up in everything; she loves going in the closet and in boxes. She likes going outside even though Mary doesn’t let her. Broadie likes to lick Mary’s forehead and hands, and she loves when Mary brings her snacks.

Mary Watkins with her dog, Bo.

Also, it’s not only dogs and cats who can improve a person’s life. Research indicated that spending time with a guinea pig for 10 minutes a day lowered the anxiety levels for autistic students. Additionally, children with diabetes who cared for fish and incorporated it into their routine were better able to monitor their glucose levels.

There are many more ways that owning an animal can improve someone’s life. For anyone reading this blog post, perhaps it’s time to consider adding a member to your family! Please comment on this post with any pictures of your pets, or some personal examples of how caring for a pet has improved your mental health.

Works Cited: https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets#:~:text=Interacting%20with%20animals%20has%20been,support%2C%20and%20boost%20your%20mood.

Springtime Events

Springtime Events
By: Raymond Nichols

March is the beginning of Spring, the stepping stone to success. The birds, robins and orioles, come out. Flowers and trees start to bloom. At B’More Clubhouse, we prepare for this season by spring cleaning. I’ve even thought about seeing if the Clubhouse can have a community yard sale. Colleagues could sell some stuff they don’t need anymore, and we could invite neighbors in for a tour of the Clubhouse. Everything springs up in the spring! Relationships pick up in the spring, and there’s more to do with friends. Our Communications Unit started to post upcoming events for every weekend, so make sure to pick up your copy at the front desk. We’ve also started to have Saturday events TWICE per month, every 2nd and 4th Saturday. We have celebrations for colleagues before every Supper Club on Tuesdays, and we have different themed social events every Thursday. Now that the weather is warmer, we started having wellness walks every day after lunch. In the spring, there’s more light than darkness which means we have longer daylight hours. Springtime charges you up!