Mission: To Find Mental Health Champions for Southern Nevada
We know that the South has just got to rise again. From the ashes Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas and the entire Valley will find mental health to be a necessary pursuit for its citizens again. We in NAMI must find hope that we can be a part of this pursuit towards Psychiatric wellness by planning to succeed. We must do this with our Family-to-Family know how, our strength in numbers reaching out to save lives, and making those leaders that we rely on back our causes and be accountable.
How do we do this?? First we can’t give up!!! I have seen stigma—to and from enigma—into dementia—Firsthand at the hands of the Neighborhood Preservation Association expressed in public forums as ignorance and hatred toward us at the City Planning Commission. My hair curled but I didn’t give up.We won support for construction of a 150 bed psychiatric facility with our ace in the hole, support from Las Vegas City Council, while it would have been a plus was not essential. But it’s been pointed out that by the time this facility is completed in April 2006 this Valley will need 250 beds to adequately serve ever-expanding population needs. So how do we get people to work to support our cause? We must get those people who are in positions of power on our side.
We must first determine who is willing to support mental health issues. This is where the work begins.Polling the candidates finding out which ones will vote for an issue that is not sexy, not glamorous, but nevertheless is a worthy cause. It’s one that we must bring out of the closet and into the light of day. We know that 1 in 5 families has someone with a brain disorder in them and that includes you and me and your elected officials.Why do politicians champion causes? There are at least four reasons; 1) because they have personal contact with someone with it. 2) What keeps them doing it is of course financial support 3) There is a need for it in the community and people prompting its support 4) Some people act out of principle and do the right thing once the other three reasons are met.
So we need your help to poll people in positions of power. We will then educate them or if you prefer lobby them. At the end of the last legislative session there was a rally and many legislators came out to speak to us in Carson City on the steps outside the Capitol. We were a group that was pulled together consisting of primary and secondary education, developmental disabilities, and mentally ill. The next day after we rallied they passed the budget.The fact that there is only limited support from southern Nevada for mental health is what has proved to be so disastrous for Las Vegas.
Few of those Legislators that spoke on the steps were from the South. It is an election year and we need to seek out and support from those who support our cause. We must sponsor forums in which candidates who support mental health can get to speak and take questions. We also must attend forums where candidates who oppose one another can be compared on the issue of mental health.
Go to candidates forums ask tough questions like, “Do you believe a person with a mental illness should have to wait an average of almost 70 hours (almost 3 days) in an emergency room with no professional mental health treatment to get psychiatric treatment?”And, “Who’s going to take care of our relative when he/she relapses?”And then when we find someone who gives us the right answers and we feel comfortable with him/her we must be willing to contribute to their election or if you can’t afford it. Donate your time. Work on their campaign. Help out however you can. Show them that you’ll support them in return for their votes on key issues that affect us.
We will conduct our own candidates’ forum October 1st at the State of Nevada NAMI Convention at Texas Station, but we need your help-selecting candidates to invite to speak. Here’s your call to action. Call the candidates up for election in your district and see who feels right then ask them to come be there Friday to speak and then attend the reception with hors d’oeuvres.