Hugh Brady of NAMI IL recently spoke about the need for everyone’s help to prevent a grave loss of Mental Health services in the State of IL. You can help.

Please read on:

Legislative Update:

Action Needed – ASAP

By Hugh Brady

The Illinois General Assembly will meet for its Fall veto session during the last week of October and the second week of November.  Our legislators must address two important mental health items during these final meetings of 2011:

·        Governor Quinn’s plans to close and restructure state mental hospitals, and

·        The missing $30 million.

We urge every NAMI member will contact their state legislators about these two issues, if possible, before the veto session begins and certainly before it ends.

If you don’t know who your State Legislators are, you can find out through this link:

http://www.elections.il.gov/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByZip.aspx

Once you’re there, type in your Zip Code, or you can also do a search using your home address by clicking on the address tab at the top of the Zip Code page.

Either way, the search program will take you to a page that lists your legislators.  Once you’re there, click on a legislator’s name and you will be taken to a page with their contact information, including the phone number of their local office.

If you write, send copies of your letter to your legislators’ local and Springfield offices.  And if call, remember you probably won’t talk to the legislator him/herself, but will talk with a secretary.  Go ahead and leave a message.

Message for State Representatives:

Governor Quinn has proposed closing 3 state mental hospitals and reducing services at most others.  This will result in a net reduction in acute care beds for non-criminal patients from the current 550 down to 220.  There is no plan to provide services for the people who will be displaced.  There is no additional funding for community mental health service providers to care for the people who will be displaced.  The legislature should insure that there are no closures or reorganization until there is a plan and funding for services for the people who will be displaced.

If you want a snappy conclusion, you might say, “No plan?  No funding?  No closures!”

Message for State Senators:

When you contact your State Senator give him/her the same message you gave your State Representative.  But add:

The Senate must also pass SB (Senate Bill) 2407, including amendments 1 & 2 that the House passed last May.  This bill will transfer $30 million dollars to community mental health services.  That money was inadvertently put on the wrong line in the budget and so appropriated to the wrong department.  SB 2407 and its amendments 1 & 2 simply put the money back where it belongs.  The bill passed the House last May by a vote of 109 to 7.  The Senate should do the same, ASAP!

Once again, please call as soon as you can.  Once the veto session ends on November 10^th it will be too late!  Don’t let these problems go unaddressed because you didn’t talk to your legislators.

Don’t miss the upcoming Public Education Series gathering on NOV 7th 2011.

Hope to greet you there!

YOU ARE INVITED to a PUBLIC

“IN OUR OWN VOICE” PRESENTATION – Saturday June 18th

See hope and recovery in action!

JOIN US! HELP US!

Come be a part of the fun, the advocacy, the fundraising and the support!

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Attend this fascinating day!

IL Mental Health and Justice 2011-conference flyer

Calling on VOLUNTEERS for TAG DAY: Friday 06-03 and Saturday 06-04!

On TAG DAY we COLLECT MONEY from our community members, ADVOCATE for NAMI CCNS and FIGHT STIGMA – all at once!

Both on-street and off-street locations are available in Glenview, Winnetka, Northfield, Wilmette, Evanston, and Park Ridge.  Many volunteers are needed.

Sign up for a brief, two-hour period:  7-9 am, 9-11 am, 11 am – 1 pm, 1-3 pm, or 3-5 pm.  Grab a friend or family member and help us with our fund raising and outreach.

Over the years, more and more people are stopping to talk with our volunteers and ask for information about NAMI’s mission.  We have NAMI Info cards to hand out with the candy.

We’ll have a good time!  Please call Fay at the office at 847-716-2252 or our Tag Day Chair, Tina Nelson, at 847-707-1718 to sign up or email: info@namiccns.org.

Can’t make the MAY 12th MENTAL HEALTH RALLY?

Raise your voice VIRTUALLY!

Can’t make it to Chicago?

You can still support our

MENTAL HEALTH RALLY!

Here’s how you can participate:

Stop by your legislator’s local office, send a fax, send an email, or make a phone call.

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To deliver a letter to your legislator’s local office:

First, figure out who represents you in the state legislature by visiting:

http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/districtofficialsearchbyaddress.aspx

and typing in your home address.

Second, find your representative’s local office by visiting:

http://www.ilga.gov/house/

and clicking on the name of your state legislator.

Third, sign the provided letter and deliver it to your state legislator’s local office.

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To send a fax to your local legislator:

First, figure out who represents you in the state legislature by visiting:

http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/districtofficialsearchbyaddress.aspx

and typing in your home address.

Second, click on the name of your State Senator or State representative and write down the fax

number.

Third, fill out the fax cover sheet, sign the letter on the second page, and send the provided fax

packet.

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To send an email to your local legislator:

First, figure out who represents you in the state legislature by visiting:

http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/districtofficialsearchbyaddress.aspx

and typing in your home address.

Second, find your representative’s email address by visiting:

http://www.ilga.gov/house/

and clicking on the name of your state legislator.

Third, send an email to your state legislator with our provided email packet attached. Be sure to

include your name, address, and phone number in the email!

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To call your local legislator:

First, figure out who represents you in the state legislature by visiting:

http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/districtofficialsearchbyaddress.aspx

and typing in your home address.

Second, click on the name of your State Senator or State representative and write down the

phone number.

Third, call your local legislator and follow the call script provided. Feel free to include any

information from the Mental Health Rally Fact Sheet.

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Call Script:

Say: Hi, may I speak to Senator/Representative ____________?

If your local legislator is not available: Say: May I speak with an aide?

Say: My name is _______. I live in _________. I’m participating in the Mental Health Rally Day and

I’m calling because I’m concerned about mental health services in Illinois. Today, I want to make

sure that you know that I support mental health services, and you, as my legislator, should

support them too.

Say: I’m particularly concerned about the following issues:

Feel free to mention as few or as many issues as you would like.

•  The Governor’s proposed 2012 budget disproportionately cuts community mental health services and will result in higher costs in the future.
  
•  Illinois continues to rely excessively on wasteful and inhumane treatment for persons with mental illnesses in nursing homes. I support a better plan for transitioning nursing home patients to community treatment and both Senate Bills 1982 and 103.
  
•  Mental health patients face greatly reduced numbers of private and public hospital beds, resulting in inadequate medical treatment and burdens to emergency rooms and jails. This raises recidivism rates and the costs of Illinois’s criminal justice system.
  
•  The budget slashes funding for the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership which provides cost‐saving and effective preventive care for children and teens.
  
•  Health insurance companies continue to discriminate against persons facing mental illness.
  
•  Persons with mental illnesses face barriers to appropriate medications. Preferred Drug Lists, burdensome prior authorization requirements, and inadequate Medicaid reimbursement rates prevent proper treatment.
  

Say: Thank you for listening to me about these issues. Good‐bye.

Consider attending this important event and make your voices heard:

Public Hearing Scheduled for Mar 21, 2011

Consider attending! Let your stories be heard!