NAMI HelpLine

October 04, 2023

 

During Mental Illness Awareness Week, guest host Hannah Wesolowski (NAMI’s Chief Advocacy Officer) talks to Richele Keas (NAMI’s senior media manager) about mental health parity. In this episode, Richele shares her story as a mom who’s personally wrestled with insurance companies to find care for a loved one living with mental illness, and she also discusses her recent trip to the White House to help advance parity.

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

We hope this podcast encourages you, inspires you, helps you and brings you further into the collective to know: you are not alone.

Episodes will air every other Wednesday and will be available on most major directories and apps.

 

 

Episode Audio:

 


 

Featured Guest:

Richele Keas

Richele Keas is NAMI’s senior media manager. She has more than a decade of experience in health communications and public relations and also has personal experience navigating insurance and fragmented systems of care on behalf of a loved one. She’s been working at NAMI for 5 years, hoping to make a difference for other people going through similar situations.


 

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About the Guest Host:

Hannah Wesolowski

Hannah Wesolowski is NAMI’s chief advocacy officer. She works alongside the entire Government Relations, Policy & Advocacy team with advocates, partners and NAMI leaders to enact policy change to improve the lives of all people affected by mental health conditions. She believes in the power of advocates sharing their stories to advance research, increase mental health funding, improve access to care, expand social supports and decriminalize mental illness.

She came to NAMI in 2017 with more than a decade of experience in advocacy, joining the NAMI team after five years at the Public Affairs Council to help associations, corporations and nonprofit advocacy groups build government affairs efforts programs. She previously led political advocacy efforts at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Institute of Architects.

Hannah grew up in New Hampshire and has a B.A. from New York University, where she also earned an MPA from NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

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NAMI HelpLine is available M-F, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Call 800-950-6264,
text “helpline” to 62640, or chat online. In a crisis, call or text 988 (24/7).