Causes: Mental Health, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention
Mission: NAMI Minnesota is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with mental illness and their families. NAMI Minnesota offers education, support and advocacy. NAMI Minnesota vigorously promotes the development of community mental health programs and services, improved access to services, increased opportunities for recovery, reduced discrimination, and increased public understanding of mental illness.
Results: FY 2020 was a year like no other. COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on NAMI Minnesota. In a matter of days staff had to move to working remotely. This meant moving support groups and classes online. It involved ensuring people had technology and knew how to use it. Staff and volunteers quickly learned strategies to deter “zoom bombers” and we enlisted professionals from the U of MN Department of Psychiatry to offer classes and presentations online. We had to change how we evaluate classes and collect contact information. The helpline had to be reconfigured. Staff moved to “teams” so that we could stay connected. Initially we had daily voluntary check-ins at noon and the management team met daily. From March until June 30th, almost 160 classes were held via zoom reaching over 3,000 people. NAMI Minnesota is proud of its work to turn on a dime thanks to the resiliency and fortitude of staff. We ended the fiscal year reaching over 21,000 people through all our classes. In fiscal year 2020, NAMI reached 1,478 family members through its fifteen different types of classes that provide information on adult and children’s mental health issues and range from a one-hour class to a 12-week class. This was a 75% increase from last year. NAMI runs two projects in Dakota and Scott counties where parents’ nights and other classes are held to support parents of children with a mental illness and one-on-one assistance is provided. NAMI Minnesota is also a part of the children’s System of Care grant, focusing on ensuring parent and family engagement in the design of the system. Our Family Peer Specialist is under a partial contract with three of the programs running a First Psychosis Program to provide education and support to families whose teen or young adult is experiencing a first psychotic episode. To reach Latinx families, a full-time Spanish speaking parent educator was hired to conduct outreach to the community, provide education and one-to-one support in Dakota, Washington, and Ramsey Counties. The young adult multi-cultural advisory committee continues to meet and added to the podcast series called Wellness in Color. Mental Health 101 is a class designed to be culturally sensitive and is delivered to the African American, Spanish speaking and LGBTQ communities. It reached 126 people last year. The killing of George Floyd caused NAMI Minnesota to look inward and examine our practices and commitment to equity and ending systemic racism, and caused us to look outward in providing support to organizations focused on racial healing and creating changes around the use of police. Changing public attitudes towards mental illnesses and increasing the public’s mental health literacy are critical to the community accepting people with mental illnesses. NAMI now uses the word “discrimination” instead of “stigma” to reflect the real harm that is done. The In Our Own Voice program helps people with mental illnesses shape and share their stories of recovery.
Target demographics: Improve the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses.
Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 25,000 people
Geographic areas served: Minnesota
Programs: Education classes, booklets and fact sheets, Suicide preventionSupport groups, Helpline. , Public awareness presentations, Legislative advocacy, NAMIWalks
Mission: NAMI Minnesota is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with mental illness and their families. NAMI Minnesota offers education, support and advocacy. NAMI Minnesota vigorously promotes the development of community mental health programs and services, improved access to services, increased opportunities for recovery, reduced discrimination, and increased public understanding of mental illness.
Results: FY 2020 was a year like no other. COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on NAMI Minnesota. In a matter of days staff had to move to working remotely. This meant moving support groups and classes online. It involved ensuring people had technology and knew how to use it. Staff and volunteers quickly learned strategies to deter “zoom bombers” and we enlisted professionals from the U of MN Department of Psychiatry to offer classes and presentations online. We had to change how we evaluate classes and collect contact information. The helpline had to be reconfigured. Staff moved to “teams” so that we could stay connected. Initially we had daily voluntary check-ins at noon and the management team met daily. From March until June 30th, almost 160 classes were held via zoom reaching over 3,000 people. NAMI Minnesota is proud of its work to turn on a dime thanks to the resiliency and fortitude of staff. We ended the fiscal year reaching over 21,000 people through all our classes. In fiscal year 2020, NAMI reached 1,478 family members through its fifteen different types of classes that provide information on adult and children’s mental health issues and range from a one-hour class to a 12-week class. This was a 75% increase from last year. NAMI runs two projects in Dakota and Scott counties where parents’ nights and other classes are held to support parents of children with a mental illness and one-on-one assistance is provided. NAMI Minnesota is also a part of the children’s System of Care grant, focusing on ensuring parent and family engagement in the design of the system. Our Family Peer Specialist is under a partial contract with three of the programs running a First Psychosis Program to provide education and support to families whose teen or young adult is experiencing a first psychotic episode. To reach Latinx families, a full-time Spanish speaking parent educator was hired to conduct outreach to the community, provide education and one-to-one support in Dakota, Washington, and Ramsey Counties. The young adult multi-cultural advisory committee continues to meet and added to the podcast series called Wellness in Color. Mental Health 101 is a class designed to be culturally sensitive and is delivered to the African American, Spanish speaking and LGBTQ communities. It reached 126 people last year. The killing of George Floyd caused NAMI Minnesota to look inward and examine our practices and commitment to equity and ending systemic racism, and caused us to look outward in providing support to organizations focused on racial healing and creating changes around the use of police. Changing public attitudes towards mental illnesses and increasing the public’s mental health literacy are critical to the community accepting people with mental illnesses. NAMI now uses the word “discrimination” instead of “stigma” to reflect the real harm that is done. The In Our Own Voice program helps people with mental illnesses shape and share their stories of recovery.
Target demographics: Improve the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses.
Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 25,000 people
Geographic areas served: Minnesota
Programs: Education classes, booklets and fact sheets, Suicide preventionSupport groups, Helpline. , Public awareness presentations, Legislative advocacy, NAMIWalks
1919 University Ave W, STE 400, St Paul, MN 55104
651-645-2948
Mental Health
St Paul
