Happy Wednesday!

This is the Community Caring Collaborative Weekly Communiqué where we share announcements about trainings, meetings and other events, including announcements from our collaborative partners. Look for links to meeting minutes and agendas in the Meetings section, training registration forms and flyers in the Events section, and job postings and other items of interest in the Announcements section. Subscribe here to get the Communiqué. Make sure to add Community Caring Collaborative to your contacts at claurel@cccmaine.org. Gmail users, check for the Communiqué under the Promotions tab. This mailing goes out every Wednesday, so if you have announcements, please send them to Christine by 5 pm Monday to be included. Thanks!

Photo above: Coming up next Wednesday: brown bag lunch on Opioid overdose rescue presented by Joseph Locke from Bangor Public Health & Community Services — 11:45 to 12:45 at SCEC. Sign up to attend here.

Announcements

Fraud Prevention Seminar: The Washington County Thriving in Place Initiative is offering a free seminar with Q & A on the topic of Fraud Prevention from 12 to 3 pm at the Kay Parker Building in Machias. This will be a panel presentation with Joseph Connors, Financial Coach with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Hilary Fernald, Downeast Senior Safety Net Attorney with Legal Services for the Elderly; and Jeanine Mallar-Heald, Financial Services Officer with Machias Savings Bank, focusing on ways we and our family members can be susceptible to financial & identity fraud, tips for how to avoid becoming a fraud victim, and how to recover stolen assets if necessary. Register here. Download a flyer to share with staff, family and friends.

Health Needs Assessment Community Forums: The Downeast Public Health Council is hosting community forums in Washington and Hancock Counties to ask you to review and discuss the County Health Profiles and together, identify what health issues you think are important for the health of your community.

September 20 from 8:00 – 10:30 am at the Maine Veterans Home (32 Veterans Way, Machias)
September 26 from 4:00 – 6:30 pm at the Washington County Community College (1 College Way, Calais)
October 30, 2018 8:30 – 11:00 am Moore Community Center, Ellsworth

Pre-registration is requested. Registration for Washington County – download flyer. Registration for Hancock County coming soon – download flyer.

Behavioral Health Professional: UMM will be offering a Behavioral Health Professional course with State Certified BHP Instructor, Barbara Koch, on Mondays from 9:00 -11:45, September 10 through December 17. The course will be video-conferenced with WCCC. WCCC attendees will be charged their tuition rate. Please contact the Registrar’s Office, (207) 255-1223 or ummreg@maine.edu.

Recovery Month Activities: Healthy Acadia has scheduled the following events to help raise awareness during September which is National Recovery Month. Please visit Healthy Acadia’s website for more information on these activities:

August 31 – National Overdose Awareness Day, 3-6 pm on the Machias Chamber lawn;
September 12 Community Action Team – potluck and discussion, 5-6:30 pm at the Healthy Acadia office in Machias;
September 15 – Dash of Color Fun Run/Walk for Recovery (8 am registration ($) 9 am start time) begins and ends at Healthy Acadia Machias;
September 21 – Walk for Recovery/Candlelight Vigil (lineup at 5:45 pm at COC Machias);
September 25-28 – Recovery Coach Academy (Ellsworth – tuition discount for WC and HC residents).

AmeriCorps RecoveryCorps Coaches Needed: Healthy Acadia is excited to be launching Maine RecoveryCorps, an AmeriCorps program that will expand recovery coaching to strengthen recovery support services in our communities and to improve recovery success among individuals facing substance use disorders. This grant will support 30 AmeriCorps “RecoveryCorps” members (18 full-time and 12 part-time) who will serve as recovery coaches throughout Northeastern Maine. Each RecoveryCorps member will serve at an organization in one of these regions and provide peer recovery coach services to those seeking recovery. We are currently accepting applications from individuals who are interested in serving as RecoveryCorps recovery coaches, either full-time (40 hours per week) or part-time (6-8 hours per week). Please see the RecoveryCorps application instructions and position description here. Applications will be reviewed immediately and will continue to be accepted until positions are filled. Service terms begin on September 24, 2018 or October 15, 2018. Download a flyer to share with interested friends and colleagues.

Foster Families Needed! Many people may have seen the 2000 pinwheels at UMM representing the 2000 children in Maine in foster care. Many more Foster parents are needed across the entire state, as explained in this article shared by Rose St. Louis of Community Health and Counseling Services. In Washington and Hancock Counties Contact Jennifer Johnson at 610-8016 to learn more about ways you can support Foster Care.

Your announcement could go here: email the details to Christine by 5 pm Monday for inclusion in Wednesday’s Weekly Communiqué. Photos and links are appreciated (jpg, not gif).

Updates

This is where we post updates on programs, initiatives and pending legislation.

Maine Supreme Judicial Court says Medicaid expansion must move forward! Robyn Merrill from Maine Equal Justice shared this announcement:

“The Maine Supreme Judicial court dismissed an appeal from the LePage administration and lifted the court’s stay, which means the commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services must file a State Plan Amendment to draw down federal matching funds for Medicaid expansion. While the case is not over, this is an important victory! …DHHS now has a mandatory duty to immediately submit the State Plan Amendment…. The Supreme Court also directed a lower court to resolve the question of whether DHHS has missed the deadline to begin providing care to 70,000 Mainers who became eligible for Medicaid under the law on July 2. DHHS has plainly missed that deadline–we know because we’re seeing the rejection letters that eligible Mainers have been receiving. (If you’ve applied for MaineCare under the new law and receive a denial letter, we can help! Call 1-866-629-7059 or email kkilraindelrio@mejp.org for assistance with your appeal.)”

One-Time Events

Opioid Overdose Rescue BBL:
September 5, 2018
Mark your calendar for 11:45 to 12:45 at SCEC for a brown bag presentation by Joseph Locke from Bangor Public Health and Community Services. Would you know what to do if someone was experiencing an opioid overdose? Join us on September 5th to learn some risk factors for experiencing an overdose, symptoms of an overdose, and how to respond to reverse an overdose. It’s not too early to RSVP to Christine if you plan to attend.

G.E.A.R. Machias Workshop:
September 7, 2018
The G.E.A.R. Parent Network invites you to Being a Trauma-Informed Parent: Linking Childhood Trauma to Long-Term Health & Social Consequence, from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.at MAS Community Health, 60 Main Street. Download this flyer for more information.

Fundraiser for Walk to End Alzheimer’s
September 8, 2018
Join Russ’s Angels at the Columbia Town Hall (106 Epping Road, Columbia) from 5:00-7:30 PM for a supper and raffle to raise funds for the annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s. More details in this flyer.

Wisdom Summit:
September 12, 2018
Registration now open for the Maine Council on Aging’s 5th Annual Wisdom Summit: Charting the Pathway Forward, at the Augusta Civic Center. We will take a look at the current state of aging in Maine, examine current challenges and opportunities in housing, transportation, long term supports and services, and health care delivery, and work together to identify strategies for making sure we have what we need to live healthy, engaged lives no matter the type of support we might need. A recent report issued by the Cutler Institute of Health & Social Policy, Charting the Pathway Forward: Redesigning and Realigning Supports and Services for Older Mainers, offers us a framework for the work. If you are interested in exhibiting at the Summit or would like to help with a sponsorship, visit this link to sign up.

Harm Reduction Conference:
September 14, 2018
Registration is now open for the 6th Annual Maine Harm Reduction Conference! This year’s conference will be held at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer on September 14. Join us for an information packed day. Our keynote speaker is Jess Tilley, founder of the New England Users Union. Topics include: Exploring Self-Injury: Harm Reduction Tips; Recognizing At Risk Drinking Habits; How to identify, respond to, and risk factors of an opioid overdose, and more. Registration fees are $60 for CME/CEU; $35 Not for Credit; and $15 for Students.

Health Needs Assessment Community Forum:
September 20, 2018
The Downeast Public Health Council is hosting a community forum in Machias to ask you to review and discuss the Washington County Health Profile and together, identify what health issues you think are important for the health of your community. 8:00 – 10:30 am at the Maine Veterans Home (32 Veterans Way, Machias). Pre-registration is requested – download flyer.

Dawnland Documentary:
September 24, 2018
Dawnland is a “documentary about cultural survival and stolen children: inside the first truth and reconciliation commission [TRC] for Native Americans.” The TRC members met with people from the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot tribal communities in Maine to listen to and witness families stories about the impact of child welfare practices that separated native youth from their families, communities, cultures, and identity. Dawnland will be shown at 6 pm in the PAC. Denise Altvater will be joining us to talk and answer questions after the film. Website for further information: http://dawnland.org/.

Health Needs Assessment Community Forum:
September 26, 2018
The Downeast Public Health Council is hosting a community forum in Calais to ask you to review and discuss the Washington County Health Profile and together, identify what health issues you think are important for the health of your community. 4:00 – 6:30 pm at the Washington County Community College (1 College Way, Calais). Pre-registration is requested – download flyer.

Learning to Play, Playing to Learn:
October 13, 2018
Save this Date for an exciting training opportunity for early childhood professionals and out-of-school time practitioners at WCCC from 9 am to 3 pm – see flyer for more info. Sponsored by WCCC, Maine Roads to Quality Professional Development Network, & MaineAEYC.

Iron Jawed Angels Movie & Discussion:
October 16, 2018
Based on historical events in the later 1910s, young suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns crank up advocacy efforts to get women’s right to vote in the US. At times they clash with the older generation of suffragists, despite their shared goal. Ultimately women and men had to change the mind of enough legislators’ minds to make it happen. This involved a lot of work and national scandal. Spoiler: The 19th Amendment passes and is ratified in 1920. Iron Jawed Angels will be shown at 6 pm in Science 102. Associate Professor of History Kay Kimball will be present to respond to questions and facilitate discussion. There will be voter registration onsite before and after the movie. Sponsored by UMM Student Life, Psychology & Community Studies Program, & League of Women Voters of Maine.

Caregiver Basic Skills Training 2:
October 16, 2018
Registration is open for the 2^nd training in the CCC’s Caregiver Basic Skills series: Responding as a Caregiver, from 9 am to 12:30 pm in the large conference room at Sunrise County Economic Council, 7 Ames Way, Machias. Rosemary Nevala, RN and Pamela Grant, CNA, reprise their roles from the first training as presenters. This free training focuses on communication styles, dietary tips, caregiver stress and other topics family caregivers struggle with. Space is limited to 20 participants so please forward this flyer to staff, colleagues and family who may benefit from these skills. Registration deadline is October 9th or when the class is filled, whichever comes first. Register on the CCC’s website via the calendar of events or link on the home page. The Caregiver Basic Skills training series is part of the Washington County Thriving in Place Initiative, funded by the Maine Health Access Foundation.

Tai Chi for Kidz of all Ages:
October 20-21, 2018
Healthy Acadia is sponsoring a 2-day “Tai Chi for Kidz” instructors/leaders training workshop with master trainer Linda Arksey at the Moore Community Center in Ellsworth. See this flyer for details, and check out this video of Linda’s work!

Health Needs Assessment Community Forum:
October 30, 2018
The Downeast Public Health Council is hosting a community forum in Ellsworth to ask you to review and discuss the Hancock County Health Profile and together, identify what health issues you think are important for the health of your community. 8:30 – 11:00 am Moore Community Center, Ellsworth. Registrationy coming soon – download flyer.

Fraud Prevention Seminar:
October 30, 2018
The Washington County Thriving in Place Initiative is offering a free seminar with Q & A on the topic of Fraud Prevention from 12 to 3 pm at the Kay Parker Building in Machias. This will be a panel presentation with Joseph Connors, Financial Coach with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Hilary Fernald, Downeast Senior Safety Net Attorney with Legal Services for the Elderly; and Jeanine Mallar-Heald, Financial Services Officer with Machias Savings Bank, focusing on ways we and our family members can be susceptible to financial & identity fraud, tips for how to avoid becoming a fraud victim, and how to recover stolen assets if necessary. Register here. Download flyer to share with staff, family and friends.

Serial Classes, Groups & Play Dates

Behavioral Health Professional:
September 10 through December 17, 2018, Mondays 9:00 -11:45 am
UMM will be offering a Behavioral Health Professional course with State Certified BHP Instructor, Barbara Koch. The course will be video-conferenced with WCCC. WCCC attendees will be charged their tuition rate. Please contact the Registrar’s Office, (207) 255-1223 or ummreg@maine.edu.

American Sign Language:
5:30 – 8:30 pm
WCCC will be offering an American Sign Language course beginning September 5th that will meet every Wednesday night. The course will cover ASL vocabulary, fingerspelling, numbers, visual-gestural communication and more! Cost is $363.88 + text book. Call 454-1000 to sign up. More info on this flyer.

CNA Certification Training:
5:30 – 8:30 pm
Axiom Education & Training Center has rescheduled the cancelled CNA Certification Training with instructor Rosemary Nevala, RN, to begin on September 10th. Read this flyer for more information on this 180 hour evening course in Machias.

Community of Practice Groups:
6-8 pm
Maine Roads to Quality invites Early Care & Education professionals to join one of 2 community of practice groups (see flyers below):

Calais area – 6-8 pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at WCCC, room 301
Machias/Harrington/Milbridge area – 6-8 pm on the 3rd Monday each month at a Machias location tbd

For more information or to register, please contact Theresa Fisk, District Early Childhood and Youth Coordinator – 207-956-2070 or email: theresa.fisk@maine.edu

Standing Meetings

Calais Area Breast Cancer Support Group: meets on the 4th Friday of each month at 3 PM at the Calais United Methodist Church, 849 Main St. (downstairs parlor), in Calais. This free “gathering” is a comforting and safe environment to find encouragement and hope. Open to all that have a breast cancer diagnosis. FMI call Marianne at 454-0501. Download a flyer for more information.

Caregivers Support Group: Join other family/informal caregivers monthly for a supportive meeting at the Maine Veterans Home in Machias, facilitated by Lisa King, LCPC, on the first Friday of the month from 2-4 pm. Contact Lisa King for more information.

Work Group & Poverty Busters: Join this meeting of direct service providers to share resources and network with other providers in your area. Notes from August meeting here. Our next meeting is September 5th at SCEC from 1 — 3:30 pm. It’s not too early to RSVP.

Needs & Offers

Send us your agency/community needs or offers, such as job recruiting or housing needs.

Favorite Resources

Send us your favorite links to share with other Communique readers.

CCC Wednesday Communique — August 29, 2018