January Advocacy Update
As one of the pillars of our organization, it is essential that NAMI Racine County prioritizes our advocacy efforts in the community. NAMI Racine county has been actively engaging with legislators, the business community, and partners in order to promote services and legislation that can positively impact the lives of those living with a mental illness and their loved ones.
Government Relationships
Before the end of 2022, representatives from our membership and NAMI Wisconsin were fortunate to meet with Representative Robin Vos, 75th Speaker of the Assembly.
In January, NAMI Racine County Board President, Pat Bohon; Executive Director, Bridget Munson; and Communications and Advocacy Manager, Carlos Frick, met with County Executive, Johnathan Delagrave, and Health Services Director, Hope Otto, to discuss upcoming plans and collaborations to improve mental health services in the County.
NAMI Racine County joined constituents around the state to participate in person at Governor Evers’ first budget listening session. In the breakout groups, our advocacy team used the opportunity to raise awareness of the need to support regional stabilization centers for Wisconsin.
Additionally, the Advocacy Committee comprised of Pat Bohon, Bridget Munson, Jelena Jones, Carlos Frick, Roshena Andrews, Luann Simpson, Randy Post, and Gretchen Warner meets monthly to discuss objectives and priorities, including maintaining our presence in the monthly County Health & Human Development Meetings and connection with the Hispanic Roundtable in Racine.
Community Partners
Our organization has also networked with fellow nonprofit organizations, social organizations, and the business community to promote the concept of mental health advocacy on both an individual and systems level.
We’ve been delighted to participate on committees, strategy meetings, and in advocacy celebrations. One of our favorite things is celebrating huge milestones with our community, including the City of Racine’s Municipal Equality Index score of 100.
NAMI Racine County attends the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin celebration of the perfect MEI score.
Carlos Frick in attendance at a Racine Public Library event.
Upcoming Goals
Bridget Munson attended the Executive Director Leadership Exchange in Washington D.C. where NAMI affiliates across the country had the opportunity to learn best practices for individual advocacy.
Individual Advocacy - Our team will continue to support individuals learning to advocate for themselves by providing resources and information to anyone impacted by mental illness.
Social Advocacy - We are also actively circulating essential information for mental health advocacy at work and to the general public. Additionally, our team has started to work on an upcoming media projects that will be centered on education on mental illness in order to end the stigma. More on that soon! Follow our LinkedIn and Facebook pages for that information!
Legislative & Systems Advocacy - We will maintain our current momentum connecting with legislators and community stakeholders.
You make a difference!
To get all of our advocacy updates, be sure to sign up for our monthly email newsletters!
If you would like to be a mental health advocate pioneer, consider sharing your story with us so we can share the impact of mental illness in our community.