As part of our 2022 Mental Health Awareness Campaign, we ask that you please consider contributing to NAMI-NYS’ mission to provide support, education, advocacy and awareness on issues concerning mental health and wellness.
This May, NAMI-NYS and our affiliates are offering more education and awareness activities than ever before, with a wide range of options taking place both virtually and in person. These activities include our Ribbon Campaign, Tuesday Talks with Ann, Wellness Wednesdays Series, NAMIWalks and more!
NAMI-NYS is also excited to produce our first Mental Health Awareness Day event in Washington Park in Albany and to participate in the Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health in New York City’s Central Park. Both of these events will be taking place on Saturday, May 21st and will allow NAMI-NYS to connect directly with the public to offer resources and education at a time when mental health support is in great demand. NAMI-NYS is excited to be able to meet people where they are and serve as a gateway to hope and healing. Remember, it is your support that helps make these critical initiatives happen!
The hope and healing that NAMI-NYS and our affiliates provide is especially crucial now as our collective mental health has been negatively impacted over the last several years by the pandemic and world events. As a result, New Yorkers continue to face heightened anxiety and depression, and mental health services are in demand more than ever. During these challenging times, NAMI-NYS and our affiliates have been called upon to offer support to an increasing number of individuals and families and have continually pushed our limits to develop new and inventive ways to meet this growing need.
It is your support that allows NAMI-NYS to provide these lifelines to communities across the state. That support is needed as we move forward and continue working to provide training, support, education, and awareness, as well as leading the way in advocating for the issues that most impact the individuals and families we represent.
How does your support for NAMI-NYS benefit the community?
Training and Support: NAMI-NYS is responsible for training new program leaders for NAMI Signature programs throughout the state, which are offered free to the public. On average, NAMI-NYS trains 100 new program leaders each year so that affiliates can offer NAMI programs throughout the state, reaching more than 10,000 people annually.
In addition to program support, NAMI-NYS operates a Helpline that fields calls from people seeking assistance with support, services, programs, criminal justice and legal issues, housing, requests for educational literature on mental health conditions, and connections to local resources. The call volume remains constant as the community grapples with mental health challenges.
Advocacy: NAMI-NYS is a leading champion in the fight to improve the delivery of and access to mental health services, including addressing one of the greatest social justice issues of our time, the criminalization of mental illness. Your support allows NAMI-NYS to continue to magnify our voice to work towards sweeping advances in mental health. This year has been NAMI-NYS’ most successful legislative session and budget to date. NAMI-NYS fought for and succeeded in passing long-held legislative priorities that will positively impact New Yorkers for years to come. These advances include increasing the New York State Office of Mental Health’s budget by $800 million, providing support to the mental health workforce, helping restore psychiatric hospital beds lost to COVID, contributing to new funding for mental health housing programs, and other progressive community-based support programs.
NAMI-NYS has led the effort to ensure proper funding and implementation of New York’s 9-8-8 Mental Health Crisis Line.The 9-8-8 Crisis Line, which will go live on July 16th, is the biggest advancement in mental health in decades and will help address the two greatest negative outcomes stemming from years of underfunding of mental health programs: suicide and the criminalization of mental illness. 9-8-8 is more than a number- the implementation of this program will ensure a mental health response to a mental health crisis, and will divert people in crisis away from the criminal justice system and towards a pathway to recovery.
NAMI-NYS has gained national recognition for leading efforts to ensure that New York’s 9-8-8 system will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and will be staffed by instate providers with the capability to provide local resources in a linguistically and culturally competent manner. NAMI-NYS has also worked to ensure that 9-8-8 is paired with mobile crisis teams and crisis stabilization services in order to create a true response system offering a continuum of care. Your support has allowed NAMI-NYS to make New York’s 9-8-8 and crisis response system the national gold standard in reimaging crisis care.
Awareness and Education: Your support will help NAMI-NYS educate communities across the state on the benefits of 9-8-8, which will help save countless lives and ensure those experiencing a mental health crisis receive care and not punishment.
NAMI-NYS also provides funding to the local affiliates to provide their communities with classes and programs free of charge, as well as vital information on available resources. Your support also allows NAMI-NYS to provide virtual series and events, including Yoga and our Journaling Block, to keep the community connected during a period of social isolation.
NAMI-NYS is excited to once again hold our annual Education Conference in person, bringing our community back together to learn from and support each other. We are in the midst of planning a dynamic agenda that features national experts in the research and treatment of mental health issues, as well as new voices highlighting the importance of sharing our stories to shape our future. Your support will help keep registration fees as low as possible and will allow NAMI-NYS to provide scholarships, so that all members of our community can benefit from the conference.
Our ability to improve the lives of those impacted by mental illness is dependent on the generosity of our members and supporters. Please consider contributing to NAMI-NYS this Giving Tuesday- we have so much more work to do!