Advocates from around the U.S. are in D.C. to urge support for legislation to improve the lives of individuals with mental health conditions, like themselves.

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA, June 3, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On June 4 and 5, 2024, mental health advocates from around the U.S. will converge on Washington, D.C., to meet with the staff of U.S. Senators and Representatives of their respective home states. Their goal is to urge support for pending legislation that would improve the lives and support the recovery of individuals diagnosed with mental health conditions.

The delegation has been organized and will be led by the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR), comprising advocates and organizations from around the country representing people with psychiatric diagnoses.

This is a historic meeting in which persons with lived experience of mental conditions are bringing their authentic voices to Congress, said NCMHR leaders.

“We want Congress to hear firsthand the need to create alternatives to psychiatric hospitals, as highlighted in the Supreme Court’s Olmstead Decision,” said NCMHR President Braunwynn Franklin.

“We advocate that Congress pass the SUPPORT Act (S.3393), which would authorize the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Office of Recovery and promote multiple voluntary services provided by mental health peers—individuals in recovery from mental health conditions—such as peer-run crisis respites,” said NCMHR Vice President Daniel Fisher, MD, PhD.

The Coalition also supports the Mental Health Justice Act (S.3388), which promotes the use of mental health professionals and peers, instead of police, as first responders to mental health crises.

The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) consists of member organizations in more than half the states and the District of Columbia, and proudly joined 16 other disability rights groups run by persons with disabilities as a founding member of the National Disability Leadership Alliance. The mission of NCMHR is to “ensure that consumer/survivors have a major voice in the development and implementation of health care, mental health, and social policies at the state and national levels, empowering people to recover and lead a full life in the community.” The overarching priority of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) is to advocate for a recovery-focused mental health system that prevents crisis, protects rights, and promotes social justice, wellness, economic empowerment, and social inclusion.

Braunwynn Franklin
National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR)
+1 202-642-4480
info@ncmhr.org
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