PDN Article: Feb. 20, 2013
Ordelia Pritchard, a
former teacher and the mother of a child with a mental disability, was one of
four new council members sworn into the Guam System of Care Council yesterday
in the governor's conference room at Adelup.
The council is
responsible for coordinating government services for children with mental
challenges and their families.
A $500,000 federal
grant will be spent on a four-year plan that includes training, social
marketing, workforce development and the development of a home and
community-based system of care.
Pritchard's son was
diagnosed at a young age with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
"When I was
learning about my son's disability I had no one to turn too," Pritchard
said.
Her child struggled,
with teachers in Guam 's public schools telling
him he was a bad kid and constantly making him feel like he wasn't good enough,
she said.
At one point teachers
placed her child by himself in a classroom separate from all the other students
because the teachers didn't understand mental health issues, according to
Pritchard.
"I'm almost crying
talking about it, but if this four-year plan had been in place when my son and
I were trying to cope with his mental disability, it would have been
great," she said. "And now that this plan is in place it is
definitely going to change the level of education about mental health and help
children and families cope and feel empowered."
The other three members
elected to the council are Sgt. Stephen Amaguin from the Guam Police
Department, Rowena Torres-Morrada from the Department of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse, and Sen. Dennis Rodriguez.
The executive committee
was created by a 2012 executive order by Gov. Eddie Calvo.
It's membership
includes representatives from the Department of Mental Health and Substance
Abuse, Department of Public Health and Social Services, Department of
Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities, Department of Education,
Department of Youth Affairs, Department of Administration and Guam Police
Department.
The committee's job is
to oversee and provide comprehensive and coordinated services for children and
families for early prevention, early intervention and home- and community-based
services for children with mental health challenges.
Ray Vega, director of
Mental Health, was selected as chairman of the committee.
Annie Unpingco, an
administrator with the mental health agency, said the committee's main goal is
to "bring all these organizations together and use whatever resources we
have, along with the integrated four-year plan."
The program is funded
by a $500,000 System of Care Expansion Planning Grant called Para Todu, which
means "for everyone" in Chamorro.
"We want our young
adults to know if they have a mental health problem that the government of Guam is there for them and will give them the tools to
become productive members of society," Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio said.
Pritchard said her
son's uncle, who also has a mental disability, didn't have proper services when
he was a child.
She said he's been in
and out of jail and now is struggling to find work.
"He would say all
he wants is to work, pay his bills and provide for those he cares about -- you
know, just like a normal person. But none of these systems were in place back
when he was young," Pritchard said.
Pritchard said she
believes the program will give other children the stepping stones to grow and
live a normal life.
"They want to live
a normal life like everyone else, but society has to give them the chance and
the hope to do it," she said.
Torres-Morrada, from
Mental Health, and Pritchard said they believe an important first step is
getting parents and the entire community informed and educated.
"Parents feel
helpless, they don't know where to go, and we want to make them
knowledgeable," Pritchard said.
Written By: Armando Cordoba, Pacific Daily News
