#17 Peer Respite Centers: Fostering wellness through building community (Part 1 of 2)

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kevin Fitts, Executive Director of the Oregon Mental Health Consumers Association discusses:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The focus of the Oregon Mental Health Consumers Association;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The importance of the voices of people with lived experience at the table;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The need for a tiered system to meet people where they are when they seek help before they are in crisis;</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Peer respite to help bolster hope and meaning, support wellness, and build community; and</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">The recent passage of a bill at the legislature for four regional peer respite centers in Oregon. One of which will specialize in working with an underserved BIPOC community.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For more information about the intersection between criminal justice and behavioral health in Oregon, please reach out to us through our website at</span> <a href="http://www.ocbhji.org/podcast"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">http://www.ocbhji.org/podcast</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">and Facebook page at</span> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OCBHJI/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">https://www.facebook.com/OCBHJI/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. We’d love to hear from you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For more information about the Oregon Mental Health Consumers Association, please visit</span> <a href="http://omhca.org/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">http://omhca.org/</span></a><span style= "font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>