What is USSC, you ask? It is mostly these amazing women you see below. It stands for Utah Shattering Silence Coalition. It is a volunteer advocacy group designed to promote positive and meaningful change in our community for those with Severe Mental Illnesses and their families. It is to look at the gaps and silos within our communities which prevent those who need help from getting it in a prompt, humane, and dignified way.
I met Debra (second from the left) on a Facebook group dedicated to people with psychoses. She was wondering if there was anyone in the group from Utah. I responded by private message and later that day, we talked on the phone. This was when we were still in Arkansas on our mission. We exchanged messages from time to time as I checked on how her son was doing. She invited me to join by Zoom with some "like-minded" moms who were looking to see what they could do to improve things in our state. We have been meeting weekly since January on Zoom and through the process have started this branch of the National Shattering Silence Coalition, developed our website, and created our logo and we have t-shirts. And we should have a Facebook group up and going now or within the week. I haven't done much yet, but be a cheerleader and do little tasks here and there.
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| The back says: Mental Illness is not a crime...a reflection of the use of law enforcement and jails to house the mentally ill because of the lack of understanding and resources throughout the state. |
We actually met in person for the first time on May 16th at the NAMI WALK Meet and Greet which was held the night before the walk. Four of us attended and met other people also involved in mental health issues, mainly in Salt Lake County.
I actually spend much of my time with our host and her mother who actually were from Hong Kong. Her mother actually still lives there. The host had immigrated to the US many years ago due to her employment. About 25 years ago, her father committed suicide. Her mother in seeking support realized that there was really not much available in Hong Kong and so she started a support group which expanded to many support groups throughout Hong Kong and also got involved in other social policy issues related to mental illness. As her daughter moved to Utah, she decided it was time for her to get involved in these issues which were so important to her mother and so she began to volunteer with NAMI and actually chaired the Walk this year. It was her home where we met for the Meet and Greet. It was fun to talk about our shared experiences and love for Hong Kong. Ms. Pak told me next time I came to Hong Kong, she will show me places I have never seen before even when I lived there. Not sure if I am planning to go back to Hong Kong again, but I would love to have a tour with Ms. Pak.
Back to USSC---so this week, we will be together for two events--one- a public gathering to express concerns about Medicaid cuts in our state and then on Friday, a meeting with some other professional people involved in the legal side of the mental health issues as we are planning a symposium in the fall.
Our website is: www.utahshatteringsilencecoalition.org for more information.
This is a developing, work in progress organization. It will be good for us to use our collective experiences to bring relief to the many many people who suffer from these awful brain diseases.
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