Advocacy Spotlight: State Budget Cuts are NAMI’s Top Priority in 2010

A new fact sheet on criminal justice issues is part of NAMI’s effort to combat state budget cuts to mental health services.

Budget cuts today are dismantling state mental health care systems at levels never faced before. In response to this crisis, NAMI has made protecting and strengthening state and local public mental health services its top advocacy priority in 2010. As part of this effort, NAMI is developing new tools to assist state leaders in advocating for mental health services. A new Web site, State Advocacy 2010 contains new fact sheets on several topics, including one on the impact of budget cuts on the criminal justice system. This fact sheet describes how state budget cuts will only exacerbate the criminalization of people who live with mental illness and includes information about the many proven approaches to providing effective community services to individuals living with mental illness who are at risk of becoming involved with the justice system.

Other resources available on the website include:

• Fact sheets on homelessness, children and youth, health care, mental illness and the workplace and unemployment
• NAMI Mini-Smarts, an abbreviated version of the NAMI Smarts for Advocacy training 
• Access to our legislative advocacy Web site that allows Web visitors to contact their state and local officials
• A discussion group
• Fast facts about mental illness
• Snapshots of the state of mental healthcare in each state
• Links to news reports on state budget cuts

More is coming. Be sure to check the site for further updates!

 

|  |

|

---

Join NAMI today!

When you become a member of NAMI, you become part of America's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness. And now you can join online.