Petition updateJoin Families & Advocates of the 4% in Shattering Silence about Serious Mental IllnessA Vision of Help and Hope and Implementing an Escape Fire for the 4%
Teresa PasquiniEl Sobrante, CA, United States
Aug 21, 2017 — Note: I drafted this update a couple of weeks ago but family health issues and caregiving interrupted my completion. Please forgive the delay. There are a lot of exciting things happening. Stay tuned. Change that matters is coming. Dear Shattering Silence Supporters, I had another successful trip to Washington DC and hopefully helped our Shattering Silence campaign. I took Capitol Hill and The Hill publication MH event carrying every single signer of this petition in my heart. I even took a print out of the petition comments to show to a high-level staffer for Leader Nancy Pelosi. I wanted to make sure that policymakers understand that we are the voices of the 4%. We have our own talking points and we are voicing up. It is clear that policy makers are looking for mental health and mental illness advocates to find common ground. I am too. I have been seeking common ground with PAIMIs, NAMIs, the Mental Health Association and consumer organizations for almost 20 years. However, sadly, these well-meaning organizations have shifted their focus to addiction disorders, prevention and intervention and they all champion the B4Stage 4 mantra. This leaves families like ours among the few advocates/lobbyists respectfully asking policy makers to understand the systemic gaps for those who already have a stage 4 psychotic disorder. Of course, there are amazing efforts by Treatment Advocacy Center, Mental Illness Policy Org and several small nonprofits and grassroots organizations fighting the good fight on behalf of the 4%. Several have co-signed our original letter to NAMI National. And, there are also many local NAMI affiliates and leaders who are recognizing the need to reconsider their focus and pull away from NAMI National’s “mission creep” and bureaucratic demands. They too want to see NAMI return to its original mission. And, what about those loyal NAMI members who also agree with us? Where do they go? Do we need a new national organization for the 4% only? Do we need to start infiltrating every local and state NAMI Board? Or, do we need to create an SMI National Coalition? Would local NAMI affiliates consider partnerships with us? Tell us your thoughts in comments below or write to me at tcpasquini@gmail.com. I believe in the power of partnership and the ability to unite in humanity. I will never give up on seeking solutions for all. But, while endless processing, papering and discussion groups continue to talk about “Stepping-Up,” people with serious mental illnesses are dying. While science and medical research pursue prevention and effective treatments, we must fund proven practices today for those who cannot wait for more politics and broken promises. It is our family members who are dying too soon due to comorbidities, suicide, solitary cells, and shame while everyone watches. We should all be acting like our hair is on fire. We have talked enough and studied enough and we know what to do. We have already created the escape fire. When will we implement it? I showed Danny the video of The Hill MH Event (see link) and he smiled when he heard my comments about the harm that the system causes families like ours. He said, “Mom, that is so cool that you have a dream that people with mental illness don’t have to go to jail!” He thinks that there should be more facilities like California Psychiatric Transitions in Merced County where he is currently placed. I do too! Things are looking up for Danny. They are looking up because of luck and heroics. Heroes helped me build his escape fire. I have hope for my son because he finally received the right help. And, as Congressman Tim Murphy said, “Where there is help, there is hope.” More soon…T
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