The NAMI NC staff is pleased to bring our affiliates this edition of Nonprofit Tips and Tools. 

  

Please share this edition with your full board.

 Deby Dihoff, MA

 Executive Director

When Americans don't get mental health care, we all pay a high price. The price is in dollars, lost wages, and most importantly, human lives. Many of
us voted in part based on our judgment of a candidate's support of persons with mental illness.

There is a new Governor-elect, Pat McCrory, a new Lt. Governor-elect, Dan Forest .

Thirty two Republicans and eighteen Democrats in the NC Senate have been elected.

In the NC House 77 Republicans and 43 Democrats won.
In the US House for North Carolina 9 Republicans and 3 Democrats have won (with Congressman McIntyre still under recount).

There are lots of new folks to meet! Now we need to meet with them and educate them on the reality of living with mental illness.

Some ways to reach out to a legislator:

• A legislative breakfast - many of you are successful with this tip.
• Have an affiliate legislative day. Have several members make appointments with legislators on the same day to make an impact. Follow up with thank you notes and telephone calls.
• Tell Your Story.
• Invite a legislator to your next fun event.
• Get to know your legislator's legislative assistants or clerks.
• Challenge your legislator to attend the NAMIWalk on May 4th on the Dorothea Dix Campsus.

The following questions cover a broad range of issues that affect people who live
with mental illness.

1. One in four adults will experience a mental health disorder, while one in seventeen (over 10 million Americans) lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. What will you do to improve health care for people who live with mental illness?
2. Many children and adults with mental illness rely on public mental health care for treatment. What will you do to make sure resources for public mental health services are stable and adequate to meet needs?
3. Shortages of mental health professionals contribute to inadequate care,particularly for people living in communities of color or in rural areas. What will you do to address shortages of mental health professionals?
4. Lack of stable, affordable housing is one of the most significant barriers to living in the community for people with serious mental illness. How will you address housing needs for people with mental illness?
5. Only one in three adults with serious mental illness are employed, yet most wantto work. What will you do to help people with mental illness return to work?
6. Over five times as many people who live with mental illness are in jails and prisons than in hospitals. What will you do to reduce the numbers of people with mental illness in our criminal justice systems?
7. (For Congressional legislators only) Public awareness of mental illness and its impact on health is accelerating, but the research is not keeping pace. How will you approach investment in mental health research? 

Be sure to let NAMI North Carolina know what you are woring on and check out the NAMI website for some additional tools - like this one.