2018 NAMI Washington Legislative Priorities
Overview
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Washington (NAMI Washington) is part of the larger NAMI organization - the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. There is an urgent need to reform the state system of mental health treatment, to ensure that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. NAMI Washington is committed to being an active agent of change in this effort. In 2018, NAMI Washington will lead advocacy efforts to improve access to timely and effective mental health treatment by focusing on the following legislative priorities:
Key Elements of an Effective State Mental Health Program
This statement of values, principles and priorities is a first step towards ensuring that Washington State fulfills the longstanding promise of creating a comprehensive, recovery-orientated system of mental health treatment and care. This is intended to be a roadmap to ensure a focus on the priority goals, to highlight critical components, and to define elements of accountability.
NAMI Washington recognizes that, left unchanged, the current system of “mental illness care” will:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Washington (NAMI Washington) is part of the larger NAMI organization - the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. There is an urgent need to reform the state system of mental health treatment, to ensure that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. NAMI Washington is committed to being an active agent of change in this effort. In 2018, NAMI Washington will lead advocacy efforts to improve access to timely and effective mental health treatment by focusing on the following legislative priorities:
- Protecting and increasing access to quality mental health services
- Decriminalizing behavioral health conditions
- Prioritizing prevention and early intervention
- Ensuring the financial stability of a quality mental healthcare system
Key Elements of an Effective State Mental Health Program
This statement of values, principles and priorities is a first step towards ensuring that Washington State fulfills the longstanding promise of creating a comprehensive, recovery-orientated system of mental health treatment and care. This is intended to be a roadmap to ensure a focus on the priority goals, to highlight critical components, and to define elements of accountability.
NAMI Washington recognizes that, left unchanged, the current system of “mental illness care” will:
- Remain ineffectively funded and without adequate services
- Contribute to the ongoing criminalization of people with mental illness, rising rates of homelessness, and growing stigma
- Lack any meaningful accountability and remain unable to meet the needs of persons with behavioral health conditions
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