Policy change is a major way we can make a difference

Join us by learning more about mental health advocacy

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY

Affecting positive policy change for individuals and families

 

NAMI Eastside advocates for improvements to our mental health delivery system.
As changemakers, we are working to bring about the policy changes that will improve access to care, standards of care, continuity of care, recovery, housing and rehabilitation. But we need your help. It is only by working together that we can bring about much needed changes to mental health support services.

You can become a MENTAL HEALTH advocate

There are practical ways you can get involved and make a difference.

NAMI SMARTS FOR ADVOCACY

Enhance your advocacy skills and learn how to shape a powerful and personal story that will move policy makers. NAMI Smarts for Advocacy is a hands-on mental health advocacy training program that helps people living with mental illness, friends and family transform their passion and lived experience into skillful grassroots advocacy.  Join us to get step-by-step tools and the hands-on practice you need to feel clear, confident and ready to make a difference at one of our upcoming classes.

CONTACT ELECTED OFFICIALS

NAMI Eastside encourages everyone to take action on a daily basis to reduce the shame and stigma that is wrongly associated with mental illness. Become knowledgeable about the facts surrounding mental health conditions so that you can become a mental health advocate. When appropriate, share this information with friends, employers, public officials and especially the media.

When you make contact with your elected representatives, you help them to understand in a personal way what the impact is of laws and policies they implement. It is most effective to meet in person when you can but there are many other ways to communicate including phone, e-mail and fax. Please include a mention of your relationship to NAMI Eastside.

SHARE YOUR CIVIL COMMITMENT COURT EXPERIENCE

NAMI Eastside is looking for people with firsthand experience to relate their Civil Commitment Court experiences. The NAMI Eastside Board of Directors is advocating for modifications to the current system and is gathering information as part of the process. Please tell us what went well and what didn’t go well? How did the reality meet up with you expectations? What can be done to improve the system.

Join our Public Policy Committee

Are you interested in getting involved in local issues, making a community-wide impact, and getting to know your elected officials? Please consider joining our Public Policy Committee. Please email us if you are interested in joining.

“I have come to see my two children who deal with mental illness as my heroes. They have worked hard to overcome the challenges that come with their mental health condition, to better themselves and to help others."

MELISSA GRAHAM, parent