Latest news with #SueAbderholden
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two shot outside Mariucci Arena Friday released from hospital
Two people who were shot Friday night following a Wayzata High School graduation ceremony held on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis have been released from the hospital, university officials said. The two men, ages 49 and 19, were injured in a 8:20 p.m. shooting Friday outside Mariucci Arena following the ceremony. A suspect in the shooting is in custody. The investigation by university police, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is continuing. Two shot Friday night outside Mariucci Arena on UMN campus U of M researchers are planting 'survivor' trees in hopes of defeating Dutch elm disease UMN names Gretchen Ritter executive vice president, provost Five local places to take Mom to see flowers on Mother's Day weekend NAMI MN Sue Abderholden to retire as executive director after 24 years
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two shot outside Mariucci Arena Friday released from hospital
Two people who were shot Friday night following a Wayzata High School graduation ceremony held on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis have been released from the hospital, university officials said. The two men, ages 49 and 19, were injured in a 8:20 p.m. shooting Friday outside Mariucci Arena following the ceremony. A suspect in the shooting is in custody. The investigation by university police, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is continuing. Two shot Friday night outside Mariucci Arena on UMN campus U of M researchers are planting 'survivor' trees in hopes of defeating Dutch elm disease UMN names Gretchen Ritter executive vice president, provost Five local places to take Mom to see flowers on Mother's Day weekend NAMI MN Sue Abderholden to retire as executive director after 24 years
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NAMI Minnesota leader fights to preserve gains in mental health care
May 21---- Societal attitudes and the care provided to those with mental illness have come a long ways since Sue Abderholden took on her role as executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota in 2001. She's fighting now to keep those gains, and to continue moving forward, as she prepares to retire from her role as director at the end of October. Abderholden was the featured speaker for the annual Mental Health Awareness March in Montevideo on Saturday, but she had to leave the community in a hurry. She told her audience that she was on her way to the State Capitol to speak for legislation affecting mental health care as the clock was ticking down to the Monday end of the legislative session. Legislative leaders and the governor have said that a special session will take place. Abderholden said Saturday that she also had recently visited Washington, D.C. There she spoke to members of Minnesota's congressional delegation about federal legislation that also has significant implications for mental health care. "Twenty-five years ago, people really didn't talk about mental illness," Abderholden told an audience of more than 40 people gathered in a log cabin shelter in Smith Park on the cold, blustery day. "Now, tons of people are talking about it. ... They really have broken down that barrier," she said. While people like to use the word "stigma" when speaking about mental health, Abderholden said it is really about "discrimination." Many with mental illness are afraid to share that information in fear it will be used against them, such as in denying them a promotion or raise at work, she explained. There are lots of discriminatory policies yet in place, she said. There remains much work to do. "People say the mental health system isn't broken. The reality is, it was never built," she said. Those working in mental health are finding what works and building on that, she said. One of the most important achievements has been the extension of Medicaid to pay for mental illness care, Abderholden said. Medicaid, called in Minnesota, is a health care program for people with low income. Just a few decades ago, Medicaid provided no coverage for mental illness care. Care was funded through grants to counties. If a county ran out of the money, "you got nothing," said Abderholden. is administered by states and funded jointly by states and the federal government. Proposed changes to Medicaid funding is what led Abderholden to Washington, D.C. She said the changes under consideration would adversely affect those needing care for mental illness. Young people ages 18 to 26 — typically when serious mental illness emerges — would be among those harmed by a proposed work requirement for Medicaid, she said. If they are not able to work 80 hours in a month, they would need to be certified by the Social Security Administration as disabled in order to receive Medicaid benefits. Someone newly diagnosed with schizophrenia is probably not going to be able to work 80 hours in a month, she said. But certifying someone as disabled is counterproductive by keeping them from returning to the workforce. "We want them to work. We know work is helpful," she said. Newly diagnosed people could be without Medicaid funding — and consequently without the care they need — for a long time, according to Abderholden. The process to become certified as disabled can often take three to four years, she said. There's usually an eight-month wait to learn the outcome of a first application for disability certification. Seventy percent of first-time applications are denied, according to Abderholden. Among other changes, she noted that federal lawmakers want to require Medicaid recipients to make a co-payment for prescriptions. According to a report from the new GOP proposal would require Medicaid enrollees making poverty-level wages or higher to pay copayments of as much as $35 per health care service. Are people making less than $20,000 going to pay $35 for a prescription, or $25 for a therapy session as part of the copayment requirement, she asked her audience on Saturday. "Not when you are making $20,000 a year or less," she answered. "Copayment doesn't mean they use health care more efficiently. It means they don't use health care. It is a barrier." Her hurried trip to St. Paul on Saturday involved speaking up for funding for a 50-bed facility at the Anoka Regional Treatment Center, and for increasing reimbursement rates for mental health providers. She also called out changes in the health and human services legislation in St. Paul that she supports. There is legislation to purchase vehicles for crisis teams to transport patients, in place of relying on law enforcement squad cars. She also favors recent legislation assuring that residential providers receive training and that the use of the term "emotional disturbances" would end. She urged those present to contact their state elected representatives and to "keep up the good fight." The health and human services budget bill is among the items on the agenda for a special legislative session. The Mental Health Awareness March in Montevideo began in 2015 with a handful of supporters, and has been growing each year since, according to Rita Beito, organizer with Woodland Centers, a multi-county provider of mental health and substance use therapy and programs. Last year, with warmer temperatures, more than 80 people joined the march, she said. The event included a balloon launch and a walk around Smith Park as part of the effort to bring awareness to mental illness. Minnesota State Correspondent Mary Murphy contributed to this story.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
WCCO investigates what happened after a petition was filed using Minnesota's red flag law
Minnesota's red flag law is designed to take guns out of the hands of people in a moment of crisis. In year one, 138 petitions were filed for people who wanted to die by suicide or hurt someone else. What happened after a judge approved or denied a petition? "It matters to me because it's going to save lives," DFL Rep. Ethan Cha said. Cha knows what it's like to worry about a relative and to step in to remove a gun. He supported the state's red flag law. In its first year, judges approved more than 90% of the extreme risk protection order petitions, lasting for 14 days, up to a year. "Looking at the data, you know, I see that it's being effective, right? It's giving a stop measure for these moments," Cha said. What happened after someone raised a red flag? According to court records, 20 people were charged with a crime following the petition. In the cases we can see, none involved a gun. There were traffic offenses and failing to display a license number on a boat. Two charges were related to why the petition was filed. Someone violated an order for protection. Another involved threats of violence at a dentist's office. That person was also civilly committed. Sue Abderholden, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI Minnesota, is invested in the outcomes. "Just because someone had an interaction, you know, with law enforcement over that gun doesn't mean that they go on to do other things. And so, it was an effective intervention," Abderholden said. "I think for the people who are committed, that tells us that they really, perhaps didn't have insight into their illness. They weren't willing to go to treatment voluntarily, but clearly, they needed to access treatment." WCCO discovered 10 people had a civil commitment ordered following the petition. "I think that's 10 cases that we could have saved multiple lives, right? It's just not the individual, but you know also the domino effects, right? If this person had access to firearms, what else could have happened," Cha said. There are gaps with the data. We only know what happened when there's been contact with the court. For instance, NAMI says more people may have voluntarily gotten help, but health privacy laws prevent us from learning about it. They would like to see that happen more often than more civil commitments. So far, 92 petitions have been filed in 2025. Police say if you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. Click here to learn more about the law and how to file a petition. If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything. In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Federal funding cuts are threatening Minnesota's mental health resources
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says more than 800,000 Minnesotans have a mental health condition. Tom Normile is one of them. He's schizophrenic and has hallucinations. Several times a week, Normile spends time at the Vail Communities Clubhouse in Hopkins, where he does chores or simply hangs out. He says without his time at the Clubhouse, he wouldn't be able to hold down a job. "I would just freak out," Normile said. "There'd be too much drama at work, and I'd react, in a way. Not violently, but [this place] calms me down, yeah." Michelle Tetrault is a similar success story. She's bipolar and has PTSD. "Before I started coming here I was not very talkative, not very outgoing, and I have found a new side of myself that I didn't know existed," Tetrault said. Now she's one of the faces of the Clubhouse, greeting people at the front desk. The Clubhouse model is about finding support and friendship. It's also free for members, thanks to money Minnesota receives from the federal government. Sue Abderholden, NAMI Minnesota's executive director, says the state's mental health system is fragile right now. She says many programs, in schools, specifically, are having to cut staff and deal with the uncertainty of how much longer they'll be around to help. "What it feels like on the federal level, to be honest, is we have these broad strokes to cut funding for tons of different grant programs, but there's not really been a serious look at what is being cut," Abderholden said. The Clubhouse is safe for now, but staffers say the future is on a lot of people's minds. "Definitely it's still very precarious and it's been extremely anxiety-inducing for our members," said Samantha Sands, the Clubhouse manager. Dozens of public health contracts in Minnesota have been canceled since March. At least $12 billion have been cut nationwide.
