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To learn more about the advocacy and public policy issues that affect adults and children living with mental illness and their loved ones, and how NAMI is providing a strong voice on these issues, visit the following sections:

• Policy Topics
• News and Alerts
• Policy Reports
• Public Policy Platform

• Take Action! Legislative Action Center
• Mental Health Care Gets My Vote!
• State Advocacy

Policy Topics:

Help NAMI speak out in support of everyone affected by mental illness. Learn more about the issues below, or visit the Advocacy Action Center to let your elected officials know where you stand.

Access to Medications information regarding the need for people with mental illnesses to have access to prescription medications without restrictions.

Children and Adolescents Issues related to the growing number of children with mental illnesses who are not appropriately served by the public health system.

Criminalization Issues: Policy and advocacy issues impacting adults and children with mental illness who are involved with criminal justice systems, which include CIT, criminalization, death penalty issues, Juvenile justice and child welfare, etc. Families and individuals interested in learning more about this issue should check out A Guide to Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System: A Systems Guide for Families and Consumers.

Employment Explains the role of public disability programs in finding employment for people living with mental illness.

Evidence-Based and Promising Practices Information about effective mental health services and supports, including ACT, treatment for people with co-occurring disorders, peer support and more. This page is currently being updated; check back soon for expanded information. ACT—Assertive Community Treatment

Health Reform and Parity: Learn more about Health Care Reform and what it means to individuals with mental illness.

Housing Information regarding the need for funding to create affordable housing for people living with mental illness.

Legal and Civil Rights Issues related to Legal Support, ADA, Olmstead, Psychiatric Advance Directives, Seclusions and Restraints and more.

Managed Care Explains issues such as the Patients' Bill of Rights and other legislation that would provide non-discriminatory health coverage for all persons with mental illnesses.

Medicaid and Medicare Explores issues regarding the importance of Medicaid in funding treatment for people with mental illnesses who could otherwise not afford proper health care.

Mental Health Funding State and Federal Budget Issues

Research Describes the federal funding of mental illness research and the safety of human subjects participating in this research.

SSI/SSDI Issues related to Supplemental Security Income(SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for individuals with mental illness.

Uninsured Information addressing the growing concerns about people living with serious mental illness who are uninsured.

Veterans

Policy Reports:

State Mental Health Cuts: The Continuing Crisis November 2011 A report documenting continuing mental health budget cuts and their devastating impact on Americans living with serious mental illnesses.

State Mental Health Cuts: A National Crisis March 2011 A report documenting the magnitude of mental health budget cuts between 2008 and 2011.

Grading the States 2009 NAMI second state-by-state report on the nation's mental healthcare system.

Supporting Schools and Communities in Breaking the Prison Pipeline: A Guide to Emerging and Promising Crisis Intervention Programs for Youth February 2009

Coverage for All: Inclusion of Mental Illness and Substance use Disorders in State healthcare Reform Initiatives July 2008 Writen in conjuction with the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, his report documents the failure of state health care reform packages to cover mental illness.

Grading the States 2006 NAMI’s 2006 report, the first comprehensive survey and grading of state adult public mental healthcare systems conducted in more than 15 years.

NPRI Task Force Reports

The NAMI Policy Research Institute (NPRI) was in-operation in 2003 and 2004 and was formed to drive national, state and local debates on reforms and investments in the nation’s mental illness delivery and financing system. NPRI produced a series of reports and recommendations on important policy topics.

• Task Force on Children and Psychotropic Medications Report June 2004

• Importation/Reimportation of Prescription Medications Background and Task Force Report  April 2004

• Task Force on Serious Mental Illness Research and Roadmap to Recovery & Cure Report March 2004

• Prescribing Privileges Task Force Report and Recommendations to the NAMI Board of Directors 2003

• Access to Medications Task Force Report and Recommendations to the NAMI Board of Directors 2003

• Seclusion and Restraints May 2003

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