Eleanor Owen, mental health champion in Washington and co-founder of NAMI, dies at 101

Eleanor Owen, mental health champion in Washington and co-founder of NAMI, dies at 101

Posted on February 9, 2022

Eleanor Owen, a fierce advocate in the world of mental health policy who co-founded the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Downtown Emergency Service Center, has died at the age of 101 at her home in Seattle. A “force of nature” according to her friends and family, Owen’s work included amending Washington’s Involuntary Treatment Act, which lays out when a person can be involuntarily committed for psychiatric care. “Anyone who cares about mental illness, and the people it touches, owes this remarkable woman a tremendous debt of gratitude,” explained NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. in a statement. NAMI now has more than 600 state organizations and affiliates across the country.