The National Alliance on Mental Illness Northern Kentucky (NAMI NKY) Board of Directors will host an Open House March 30 for NKY residents interested in mental health care issues.
The event will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Newport Syndicate located at 18 E. Fifth St in Newport.
Northern Kentuckians who are interested in how they can impact change through advocacy and policy to help solve the inequities related to accessing mental health resources are urged to attend. NAMI NKY offers evidence-based programming free of charge and works to gather NKY’s workforce, community members, parents, teachers and first responders to collaborate in addressing the mental illness crises in the region.
Email Michelle McMullen, NAMI Executive Director at info@naminky.org or call 859-446-1550 by March 20 to RSVP. The event is free and open to the public and will include refreshments, door prizes, and a presentation on the history of the Newport Syndicate building.
“We have a huge need for NAMI programs and are making an intense effort this year to expand our services,” said NAMI NKY Board President Susan Faris. “To do that we need more volunteers to train as leaders of our support groups and more people advocating for those with mental illness, helping to reduce the stigma associated with this health condition. We hope people who live with the issues of mental illness in their own families or just want to help, will come to the open house to learn more about our programs.”
NAMI Northern Kentucky (NAMI NKY) is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
Research shows one in four people experience some sort of mental health issue in his or her lifetime and one in 17 people live with a serious mental illness that impairs his or her ability to perform daily tasks.
In Northern Kentucky, this ratio equates to approximately 95,000 individuals personally struggling with mental illness. Added to this number are the thousands of family members and friends affected by the challenges associated with caring for a mentally ill loved one. With such a significant number of Northern Kentuckians impacted by mental illness, chances are someone in every person’s life falls into one or more of these statistics.
NAMI NKY provides support, education and advocacy for those who live with mental illness and their families, friends and caregivers within the eight-county Northern Kentucky region.
Free support groups currently meet at Lakeside Presbyterian Church located at 2690 Dixie Hwy in Lakeside Park. The Family and Friends group meets the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 7 p.m.
The Connection Recovery Support Group is a free, peer-led support group for adults living with mental illness. Attendees gain insight from hearing the challenges and successes of others, and the groups are led by NAMI-trained facilitators who’ve ‘been there.’ The Connections group meets every Thursday morning at 11 a.m.
To register for either group, or for more information, contact Michelle McMullen at 859-446-1550 or via email at info@naminky.org.
National Alliance on Mental Illness Northern Kentucky
“I believe there is a stigma to mental illnesses, I believe those who say there is stigma to mental illnesses.”
Their persistence has that effect on some people.
Harold A Maio