General Meeting, January 9, Ending the Silence
Helping middle- and high-schoolers understand mental illness makes a big difference. NAMI’s Ending the Silence program helps raise awareness and change perceptions around mental health conditions.
A Special Needs Trust Gives Families Control
By Moryt Milo For parents whose children have mental health conditions, the question of who cares for them once they are gone is ever present. Mark Gilfix, a partner at Gilfix & La Poll Associates and an expert in special needs planning, said this fear can be abated with the right tools. Once established, these…
49er President Talks About the Loss of his Sister to Mental Health
By Moryt Milo Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises and Executive Vice President of Football Operations, negotiates football contracts, maintains a competitive salary cap for the organization, and was charged with figuring out where to put a new football stadium. But when it came to his sister’s battle with mental illness, he was confronted with…
General Meeting, November 14, Special Needs Trusts
Mark Gilfix, a special needs planning expert and partner at Gilfix & La Poll Associates, will discuss how to set up a Special Needs Trust for loved ones with a mental illness. He will explain how establishing such a trust prevents individuals from losing their public benefits—SSI and SSDI. Gilfix is a nationally published author…
Is the Governor’s Plan to Amend MHSA the Right Move?
By Moryt Milo For close to 20 years, California’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) has been a lifeline for a number of behavioral health care programs not covered by Medi-Cal. Come March 2024, some of that funding could shift dramatically if voters approve the referendum on the ballot. Proposition 1, as it will be known,…
General Meeting, October 10, The Science of Nutrition
Dr. María José Hummel’s presentation will cover the nutritional and lifestyle factors that affect the brain as well as the different diseases and conditions that affect the brain, such as mood disorders (depression and anxiety) and neurological disorders (such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease). Evidence-based information is given about what nutrients have been shown to…
NAMI-Santa Clara County Protests to Save 18 Inpatient Beds
By Moryt Milo On the last day of July, the weather was hot and the energy was electric as mental health advocates rallied in front of Good Samaritan Hospital to protest the closure of 18 inpatient psychiatric beds at Mission Oaks Hospital in Los Gatos. Mission Oaks, part of San Jose-based Good Samaritan Hospital, is…
Silicon Valley family exposes need to reform conservatorship law
By Moryt Milo California State Sen. Susan Eggman has authored a bill, SB 43, that would revise the language in the Lanterman Petris Short (LPS) Conservatorship law. The 56-year-old law’s definition of “gravely disabled” is too subjective many families argue, and they hope the bill will reach Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Under current law, individuals…
General Meeting, September 12, The Importance of Peer Support
The focus of the September General Meeting will be on the importance of peer support. Dr. Ken Duckworth, NAMI National Chief Medical Officer, will talk about how those with lived experience are a critical part of helping individuals struggling with severe mental illness work through their challenges and weather a crisis. In his book You…
NAMI Research – Role of Creativity on Young People’s Lives
NAMI is seeking the perspectives of individuals who work with young people on a regular basis to better understand the role of creativity in young people’s lives. In collaboration with an industry partner, NAMI is conducting a brief survey to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of creativity, as well as what factors make…