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Tuesday, 25 September 2007 |
The Advocacy Initiative Network of Maine, Incorporated (also known as The Network), is a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Maine with the mission of promoting the rights, representation, respect and responsibility of consumers of Mental Health Services toward the goal of Citizenship in a united Maine.
- To provide a forum for exchanging information to end stigma in the field of mental illness;
- To achieve the best possible community mental health system for all citizens based upon our unique mental health consumer experience and perspective;
- To provide primary consumer input into the affairs of all mental health providers;
- To provide a means to help provide empowering support to all consumers in our search for appropriate health care, employment, housing, and other supports;
- To provide a meaningful voice to consumers so to communicate our needs on issues directly impacting our lives;
- To ensure that these concerns are heard and not discounted through consumer and public education and advocacy so as to eliminate discrimination and stigma;
- To provide emotional support to and from consumers;
- To research consumer empowerment satisfaction and quality of life issues;
- And to demand that all consumers are treated with the dignity and humanity due to all human beings.
Our Values
- We believe that all people must be treated in a respectful, fair, and equitable manner in all activities of the Advocacy Initiative Network of Maine.
- We believe that all people should be afforded choice and self-determined goals that will foster independence and empowerment.
- We believe that all people have the right to live in a safe environment and to have access to a variety of services and service providers close to their homes and family.
- We believe that all people should have voice and choice in the direction of their recovery and treatment. Respect for individuality and self-knowledge is fundamental in achieving self-empowerment.
- We believe in the promotion of a quality of life through the philosophy of recovery using the tools of education, resource, support, and opportunity within an environment of unconditional positive regard for all.
- We believe that we are responsible for our own lives, that recovery is a process where life is lived along the way. Developing friendships based on love and mutual respect, participating in a spiritual community of our choice, and participating in social and vocational opportunities all serve to give us the strength and hope to do the hard work of recovery.
- We believe confidentiality inspires trust, maintained in an environment where one can safely express concerns, thus increasing the quality of involvement and participation leading to stronger relationships.
- We believe support is the cornerstone of success where sharing the workload with our combined strength increases our motivation, potential, and accomplishments.
- We believe trust, a basic element of human interaction, creates a sense of security and belonging which paves the way for effective teamwork and supports our organization while providing the freedom to complete tasks without interference.
- We believe honesty is essential to organizational success by building our reputation and credibility, which in turn fosters progress, improvement, and respect as we strive for a higher purpose with positive motives.
- We believe in empowerment, a responsible self-determination to direct one’s course, known to encourage the spirit, engender confidence and self-respect that attracts leaders and decision-makers while contributing to organizational strength.
- We believe that it is important to participate in consumer-run Initiatives, networks, and advocacy groups in an effort to help change the mental health system, to eliminate stigma, to achieve continued development towards further understanding and respectful life-opportunities for all consumer/survivor/ex-patients statewide.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 28 September 2007 )
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Tuesday, 25 September 2007 |
- Advocacy Initiative Network of Maine
P.O. Box 878
Bangor, ME 04402-0878
Local: (207) 941-4734
Email:
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Melinda Davis: Executive Director
Lydia Wright Richard: Leadership Academy Coordinator - Paula Greenleaf: Network Representative
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 April 2008 )
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Tuesday, 25 September 2007 |
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IN A CONSUMER-DRIVEN SYSTEM
individual and collective consumer voices are supported throughout the following arenas:
Individual Planning
The system provides information to us and supports us in knowing how to create our own recovery plan. Our strengths & skills grow & get stronger as we use our natural resources. A variety of services are available for meeting our unique life needs. We know what the system has to offer & can make choices about what is most important to us at any time – we say who participates in our recovery & what outcomes we are looking for. Our providers know how to effectively involve us in making decisions about our recovery. We ALL have an opportunity to let the system know how satisfied we are with the services we receive. Our peers are an important part of the system & are available to us for support & information. Advocacy is a central function of our peers & our systems.
Service Design
We share our perspectives with state & local agencies. Our feedback is used to shape what kinds of services are available for us & how they will be delivered. The values & philosophy of the recovery model are core to all programs & services. We have the knowledge & support necessary to participate effectively in the design of RFPs, & service satisfaction surveys. We assist our peers in sharing information to make sure services & supports are easy to access & effective. Evidence based & best practices are identified by consumers because of their impact on the quality of our lives.
Service Delivery
Service providers have an increased awareness of proven recovery models & what recovery means to us. Our services are provided in a culturally sensitive & responsive manner. Our cultural experiences ARE central to our individualized services. State & local agencies create work environments that value, respect & support consumers as staff. Our peers are trained & supported to work throughout all of the life system agencies with which we make connections. Agencies have training & support to effectively recruit, support & retain consumers as staff. Service agencies have policies & procedures that provide appropriate & effective orientation, training & supervision by, for & with consumers. We have the skills & knowledge to design & implement service satisfaction surveys; to review RFPs; to perform Utilization Review concerning the use of Peer Specialists; to participate in all grievance processes; & to maintain a critical role in all Consent Decree plan development & implementation.
Quality Feedback
Consumers promote & support the successful involvement of our peers on the governance, advisory & policy bodies of agencies & organizations throughout the system. We participate fully in the design of quality feedback tools; the interviewing process; analysis & interpretation of data; and making recommendations for quality improvement. An important aspect of quality feedback is ensuring ongoing fidelity to the philosophy & values of a consumer driven system. Our skills are supported for our participation in contract renewal & renegotiations.
Policy
State & local agency governance & advisory boards have consumer membership that reflects the diverse experiences of the consumers they serve. Consumers & agencies are supported with information & strategies for effectively working together to achieve their policy goals. Dialogues are available for cross system stakeholders in order to form collective consumer voice in shaping service regulations. We have a significant role in defining the outcomes for contracts & service delivery. We help to assure appropriateness of state access to federal funds for supporting consumer delivered programs. We have maximum participation in defining Medicaid reimbursable services; providing information for RFP specifications; and making sure that public funding supports the kinds of services we need.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 September 2007 )
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Read more...
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Monday, 24 September 2007 |
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"We are ready to move beyond our own difficulties to address the need of the group; we are ready to continue to develop and improve our leadership skills in our communities and state. We are committed to the values of our organization and to the demonstration of those values in all of our activities."
Our Mission
The Advocacy Initiative Network of Maine is a statewide network of consumers/survivors/ex-patients network (CSX) who are united to promote voice and choice in all activities concerning their lives.
Our Purpose
To network locally, regionally, statewide and nationally; to develop, promote, and support an environment of change in Maine through education, training, and advocacy; to achieve equal rights through increased understanding improved quality of life, and the elimination of stigma, oppression, and discrimination.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 December 2007 )
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About Us 
