100 Ideas for Oklahoma

At the conclusion of the Mental Health Day at the Capitol (March 8), NAMI Oklahoma is hosting an Idea Raiser at the request of Speaker Cargill's office as part of his desire to identify the best 100 ideas for Oklahoma's next century. You can read about this effort here..

NAMI Oklahoma will be offering a list of ideas for consideration as part of this initiative. So what ideas do you have about improving our healthcare system for persons experiencing mental illness? I am interested in hearing what you have to say; you can comment on this post and I will review input as I craft NAMI Oklahoma's list of suggestions.

It is important that our ideas be innovative and specific. It is not enough to say "we need more money" or "we need more services".

Take care and thank you! -- SLB

NAMI Walks Oklahoma

Last night, NAMI Oklahoma hosted an informational meeting for volunteers interested in our 2007 Walk (May 19, 2007 at Regatta Park in Oklahoma City). As part of my comments at the meeting, I stressed the importance of the Walk as it relates to two vital parts of what NAMI does. First, the Walk is a great vehicle to end the stigma associated with mental illness. (BTW - a great victory was achieved when GM pulled a very offensive ad from circulation that was debuted at the SuperBowl. NAMI National did a great job fighting the ad...read more here.) When the community sees so many people who are impacted by mental illness (consumers, family business, faith leaders, employers), it sends a clear message that mental illness is a medical illness, just like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or arthritis.

Of equal importance is the resources the Walk generates that allows NAMI Oklahoma and our state affiliate network to carry out our mission. A quick glance across the blog posts gives a full picture of how our organization is making a difference in communities across the state.

Please join us in Walking!

Date set for Visions Class

A date has been set for the Visions for Tomorrow class in the Oklahoma City area. This 8-week workshop will be held on Monday evenings, beginning April 2 and ending May 21. Class will start at 6:00 and last for approximately 2 1/2 hours. It will be held at Crossings Community Church in northwest Oklahoma City. This workshop is for caregivers of children/adolescents with a mental illness. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Lisa Pickens at lpickens@nami.org or 230-1900. There is no charge for this workshop.