NAMI Green County is Asking you to #StickItToStigma
NAMI Walk at Olin Turville Park, Madison, October 7, 2018, Noon
Share
Tweet
October 7 through October 13, 2018, is Mental Illness Awareness Week. Each year, the week provides an opportunity to fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate for equal care.
One in five adults experience mental illness problems every year and 50 percent of chronic mental illness begins by age 14. Although many people today understand that mental illness is a medical condition, individuals and families affected by mental illness are still often subjected to stigma and discrimination.
This year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is calling on everyone to #StickItToStigma. Your Green County affiliate would love to take a photo of you displaying your #StickItToStigma magnet available from Green County board members. For more information on how to receive your magnet, please email clbigler@gmail.com or namigc@tds.net.
Trevor’s Team - NAMI Green County will be walking for the 10th consecutive year in Madison on October 7, 2018, at the Dane County Nami Walk. The team was formed in 2009 in memory of Trevor Moen, who took his life in 2007.
Trevor had been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in his late teens and also dealt with severe depression. The team formed by his mother, Conni Bigler, also walks to support, educate and advocate for all who suffer from severe mental illnesses and depression. You can find links to support Trevor’s Team on Conni’s personal Facebook page, NAMI Green County’s page or Trevor’s Team - NAMI Green County page as well as the NAMI Green County website at namigreencounty.org. Donations may also be mailed to NAMI Green County, PO Box 343, New Glarus, WI 53574.
This year there is a clear opportunity to invest in bettering our communities’ mental health through financial support for Crisis Intervention Team training. “Outcome research has shown CIT to be effective in developing positive perceptions and increased confidence among police officers; providing very efficient crisis response times; increasing jail diversion among those with mental illness; improving the likelihood of treatment continuity with community-based providers; and impacting psychiatric symptomatology for those suffering from a severe mental illness as well as substance abuse disorders. This was all accomplished while significantly reducing police officer injury rates.” The Monroe Police Department will be hosting a CIT training in the summer of 2019. Although there is no cost for the training, NAMI Green County intends to support this initiative by offering Green County law enforcement agencies a stipend of up to $1,500 per officer trained to defray backfill expenses for this week long training. If you would like to earmark a donation specifically for CIT training, please mail to NAMI Green County and add CIT on the memo line.
To take the #Stigmafree pledge, visit http://www.nami.org/stigmafree. NAMI offers information about mental illness conditions, symptoms and treatment at http://www.nami.org or through its HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
Learn more about Mental Illness Awareness Week at http://www.nami.org/miaw.
