NAMI Dane County Executive Director Visits Washington D.C. to Urge Congress to Protect Mental Health Care
For Immediate Release
Madison, Wisconsin, July 10, 2017 - To call attention to the needs of the mental health community and the urgency of protecting critical health care for those living with mental illness, Lindsay Wallace, Executive Director of NAMI Dane County, joined more than 1,000 advocates from across the country in the nation’s capital for the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ (NAMI) Hill Day.
The event was part of NAMI’s annual convention, which was held in Washington, D.C. from June 28 – July 1, 2017. Attendees included children and adults with mental illness, family members of individuals living with mental health conditions, health care professionals and more. All participants are deeply committed to mental health advocacy efforts at the local, state and federal levels. Lindsay is not just the Executive Director of NAMI Dane County, she is also a person living in recovery as well as a family member of loved ones diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“I was thrilled to join other mental health advocates from across the country to use our voice to tell Congress how important it is to fight to protect important mental health coverage that helps people with mental illness get better and stay better,” said Wallace. “Last year, Congress overwhelmingly passed the most significant mental health legislation in years, but we still have a lot of work to do. We all look forward to working with Congress to improve the state of mental health care because we need more mental health care, not less.”
On June 29th, Wallace and other Wisconsin advocates met with Members of Congress and their staff, including Senator Ron Johnson, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and House Representative Mark Pocan, urging them to oppose health reform that leaves fewer people with coverage for mental health care. Additionally, she urged them to support funding for mental health research, criminal justice initiatives and supportive housing for those with mental health conditions.
Lindsay and other Wisconsin advocates meeting with Senator Ron Johnson staffers.
One out of five Americans are affected by mental illness each year, yet only 41% percent of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental health services in the past year. For more information, please visit nami.org.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.