The need for housing for people with mental illness is NAMI-NYS's top legislative priority. As our action sheet on housing details, providers of housing services through the Office of Mental Health have received flat-funding since the early 1990s. Because of inflation over the last two and a half decades, these providers are currently operating at 43% of where they should be. This deficit is leaving these vital services in tatters and have made virtually impossible for providers to hire and retain caring and qualified staff. A stable workforce is key to providing our loved ones with continuity of care that is essential for recovery. NAMI-NYS and our advocacy coalition have called on the state to provide $48 million for the next three years to simply return providers to the appropriate funding levels thus allowing them to stabilize their workforce and provide the best care possible for our loved ones with mental illness whom they serve.  

As explained in the intro, this week  t he Assembly and Senate have released their one-house budget bills. To our disappointment our calls to support the mental health housing workforce have fallen on deaf ears and the $48 million investment we have been calling for was not in either bill. What's more disappointing is that both the Assembly and Senate are providing additional funding to provide these types of supports for the 

 developmental disability community ($59.9 million in the Senate bill and $78.3 million in the Assembly bill). 

 

While NAMI-NYS and   our advocacy coalition doesn't begrudge the OPWDD community, it is difficult for us to understand how the  state  can invest in one community with special needs   while totally ignoring the needs of another. 

As family members, we and our loved ones have been subjected to a great deal of misunderstanding and stigma and it's disturbing to see the governor and legislators align themselves with these prejudices by providing for people with developmental disabilities while ignoring the needs of our families. We need to make our voices heard about this injustice. 

NAMI-NYS and advocacy partners met with the Assembly Ways and Means Committee yesterday and we will be meeting with Program and Counsel and other leaders next week to discuss this disparity. We urge our readers to call the leaders listed above and tell them the following message:

As a family member of someone living with a mental illness, I believe that housing with wrap around services is essential for recovery. This is especially true as the state is determined to reduce the use of psychiatric hospitals. These programs cannot operate without qualified and caring staff. These programs through the Office of Mental Health have received flat funding for almost three-decades. 

Mental Health advocates have called for the state to invest $48 million to address this serious workforce issue. I was disappointed to learn that these types of investments have been made for similar programs serving people with developmental disabilities in both one-house bills , while the needs of those who care for people with mental illness have been ignored. 

Please understand that I think those with developmental disabilities need these services, but I fail to understand how the state can address their needs and disregard the needs of those with mental illness. I urge Governor/Assemblyman/Senator_______ to rectify this lack of parity and support the workforce who care for people with mental illness  by providing $48 million for workers in OMH housing programs. 

NAMI-NYS Partners with Panera Bread for Fundraising Event

In conjunction with our NAMIWalks Information meeting on March 7 ^th , NAMI-NYS also held a fundraiser at the Panera in Albany to help support the walk.   NAMI members and supporters stopped by the Panera on New Scotland Avenue between 4 and 8 pm that evening for dinner, and it was fun to get together and enjoy each other's company! In addition to the percentage of the sales donated to NAMI-NYS, Panera was generous enough to allow NAMI-NYS to have an Information table at the venue.  NAMI-NYS staff members Christine Rickeman and Shaniqua Jackson, with help from volunteer Mary Beth Honsinger, manned the table and were able to educate many in the community about the important work NAMI does. Several NAMI-NYS affiliates have participated in similar events with Panera restaurants in their communities and we encourage all affiliates to look into this opportunity to raise funds and awareness. 

NAMI Westchester Participates in CIT Training

On March 9^th, NAMI Westchester participated in a Crisis Intervention Team training held by Westchester County. Thirty-six officer attended the training representing several communities in the county, MTA and the postal service. NAMI Westchester's executive director Sharon McCarthy presented on how NAMI Westchester is a beneficial resource for families especially during times of crisis. Sharon provided the trainees with a business size card that the officers can carry with them with NAMI Westchester contact information and a list of emergency numbers. NAMI Westchester also provided the participants with certificates of completion.

NAMI-NYS encourages all of our affiliates to contact your local law enforcement leaders and request to participate in CIT trainees. You can find more information on NAMI partnering with law enforcement in the NAMI News section.

NAMI NYC Staten Island Partners with the NYS Nurses Association and Presents at Staten Island Mental Health Council Legislative Breakfast

Last week, NAMI NYC Staten Island Executive Director Linda Wilson spoke at the
Staten Island Mental Health Council Legislative Breakfast. The affiliate has also partnered with the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) who helped facilitate NAMI issues incorporated at the event.

Raising the age of criminal liability has been one of the main planks in NAMI-NYS's advocacy platform of improving the criminal justice-mental illness interface. This year, for the first time, the New York State Senate has agreed to include raising the age of criminal liability in New York State to 18.

The New York Times Interviews Glenn Close and Patrick Kennedy to Discuss

The Weight of Mental Illness

 

In last Sunday's edition, the New York Times featured an interview with leading mental health advocates Patrick Kennedy and Glenn Close. The pair discussed their work, especially their advocacy for mental illness awareness and treatment; their families, in which such illness flourished in silence; and the healing that comes with bringing truth to light.

 

During the interview an interesting parallel is drawn between the collaborative nature of theater and recovery from mental illness.

 

In the theater Close said, "you work so tightly with people in theater, even if they (reviewers) say wonderful things about me, but something unkind about my incredible collaborators, that would be just as upsetting." On the collaborative nature of recovery, Kennedy said, "When you are emotionally connected to your peers in recovery, you stand the best chance of being protected from the compulsion to use and do things that get you into trouble with your illness."

NAMI-NYS believes that family also plays an important role in the recovery collaboration. 

Click here to read the full interview. 

In last week's E-News we reported how Representative Tim Murphy, author of the

 Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act planned to introduce an amendment to address the lack of mental health parity in AHCA. As Pete Early reports, not only did Rep. Murphy withdraw his amendment, but he voted in favor of the bill in committee. Early comments on how this is disappointing as Murphy has been the leading voice in mental health reform.

Click here to learn more.

This research study seeks to understand the causes of depression in teenagers. It is part of a larger study looking at irritability and mood dysregulation. This part of the study's goals are to improve our knowledge of which treatments work best in depression, and will compare teenagers with depression to those with severe irritability. The research will also study teenagers with depression as they grow up.

This study is currently recruiting participants who:

* are ages 12 to 17, and medically healthy

* meet the criteria for major depressive disorder

* are currently in treatment with a physician and not currently hospitalized, psychotic, or suicidal 

* are able to perform research tasks that include brain imaging, computer tasks and behavioral & psychological testing

Click here for more information or call 301-496-8381

March 21 -   NAMI -NYC Metro presents a workshop and discussion about WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), which is a personalized coping strategy designed by the client, for the client. Gina Calhoun, the National Director for Wellness and Recovery Education at the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery, will run an afternoon workshop about what a WRAP is, as well as how to create and use your very own WRAP. In the evening, Gina, her mother, and her sister, will share their stories. Go to www.naminycmetro.org/wrap/ for more info and to RSVP.