Governor Mike Johanns on nebhands
"The secret of success is often the ability to see the opportunities when they arise. The nebhands program is a good example of seeing an opportunity to bring in new partners in the faith community as we work to improve the lives of those with mental illness and substance abuse problems."

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Announcements September 27, 2005 "Celebration of Excellence" Keynote Address For more information and additional opportunities click here. Event Calendar Nebhands Calendar FEMA Release: How To Help The Victims Of Hurricane Katrina The National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice & Permanency Planning has compiled a number of disaster relief links in one place. This includes links to State websites. NEBRASKA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SYSTEM NOTICE CDC Needs Public Input on Flu Plan Recruitment Flyer The Campaign for Mental Health Reform This national coalition has proposed 28 steps for Congress and the Administration to take to make mental health a national priority and transform America's mental health system. The steps call for improved federal leadership and coordination of federal, state, and local resources and to make early access, recovery, and quality the hallmarks of our mental health system. http://www.mhreform.org/emergency/index.htm New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center Online Addiction Education. Check Weekly for New Courses! The Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England (ATTC-NE), located at Brown University's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, promotes system change and workforce enhancement through the infusion of current research and promising approaches in substance abuse treatment, into clinical practice and educational programming. EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH THIRD THURSDAY SEMINARS FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS INTERESTED IN IMPROVING THEIR ABILITY TO SERVE YOUNG CHILDREN (0-5) AND THEIR FAMILIES  (Provided by Nebraska Family Support Network with funding from NebHands)  Seminars will be offered September 15, October 20 & November 17 Location - Project Harmony - 71 st & F Streets Time: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CEU' s will be provided Click here for a printable registration form. You are encouraged to register for the entire series and receive a notebook with materials and references relating to each topic. Registration Send to J Deppe at Nebraska Family Support Network 3568 Dodge St . Omaha , NE 68131 Or email to ecmhnfsn@hotmail.com September 26: Best Practices in Chemical Health Treatment: Women Together With Their Children September 27:Mark Your Calendars "Nebhands Celebration of Excellance" September 27: Best Practices in Chemical Health Treatment: Women Together With Their Children October 8-11: 7th National Conference on Preventing Crime: Power of Prevention, Silver Successes, Golden Opportunities Washington, DC October 20-21: 3rd Annual Substance Abuse Educators Conference

Mission nebhands will provide technical assistance, resources, and a forum for statewide collaboration and policy development with the goal of creating an integrated behavioral healthcare system for all people in Nebraska by assisting faith-based and community-based organizations to become active system participants. Vision We envision state and local behavioral health systems of care that bring professional service providers and funders together with faith communities, behavioral health consumers and families, advocates and representatives from racial/ethnic minority communities, culturally rich organizations, and diverse geographic areas of Nebraska to create an integrated, collaborative service network. Key Partners Nebraskans from many institutions and agencies are participating in the project. The partnership includes the University of Nebraska and other higher educational institutions, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, InterChurch Ministries of Nebraska, Nebraska Department of Agriculture, medical and behavioral health organizations, primary care and regional social service providers, local health departments, faith-based organizations, community-based institutions, consumer and family advocates, the business community, schools, community foundations, the justice and law enforcement systems, and state, local, and federal policymakers. Long-Term Goal Eliminate service barriers, ensure access to care, and maximize resources to effectively incorporate faith-based (FBO) and community-based organizations (CBO) into an integrated, statewide behavioral healthcare system. Short-Term Goals Identify the public policy barriers to, and develop policy solutions for, an integrated behavioral healthcare system that is fiscally feasible and evidence-based. Objectives *Enhance and Expand Capacity of FBOs and CBOs to Provide a Range of Supportive Behavioral Health Services*Provide technical assistance to at least 80 CBOs and FBOs in at least 55 of Nebraska's 534 municipalities.Distribute sub-awards to allow CBOs and FBOs to start-up, operate, or expand supportive behavioral health services.*Develop and Disseminate a Plan for an Integrated Behavioral Health System at the State and Community Levels* Develop the plan and make recommendations regarding what an integrated behavioral healthcare system would look like at the state level, how to optimally coordinate the funding and delivery systems, and identify changes that are needed in order to effectively implement an integrated behavioral healthcare system in Nebraska's communities.Create guides for communities to develop an integrated behavioral health care system at the local level. *Evaluate the Effectiveness of the Project*Assess the efficacy of the project's technical assistance program.Assess the impact of the sub-awards on behavioral health services in affected communities.Assess the viability and impact of the Integrated Behavioral Health Plan. Assess the usefulness of the Guides for an Integrated Behavioral Healthcare System created for communities to develop or expand their systems of care.

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