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Mental Health Matters in Saratoga County

A group from Saratoga made their presence known at the Mental Health Association of NYS (MHANY) Mental Health Matters Legislative Day at the Capitol in Albany on March 8th. Consumers, family members, and advocates were transported to Albany via a charter bus provided by the Saratoga County Citizens Committee for Mental Health (SCCCMH).

SCCCMH Chairperson, Peggy Lounsbury, briefed the Saratoga group on SCCCMH’s 2017 legislative agenda, encouraged the group to express their own needs, concerns and stories, and provided instruction on how to effectively communicate their message to legislators. At the MHANY Mental Health Matters Legislative Day, participants listened to legislators, mental health professionals, and other guest speakers discuss important mental health issues during the morning agenda. At noon, nearly 100 people gathered on the Capitol building steps for the Mental Health Matters Rally. Participants, like SCCCMH Secretary, Amanda Blodgett, took turns talking into a blowhorn to share why mental health matters to them individually. Then the group marched around the capitol building chanting loudly, “Mental Health Matters”, hoping that Governor Cuomo could hear the message. The group of fifteen participants from Saratoga County also held signs provided by SCCCMH which said “Mental Health Matters in Saratoga County.”

Later in the afternoon, the Saratoga group met with the legislative aides for Senator Kathleen Marchione and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. The representatives seemed genuinely moved by the struggles told by the people who are living with mental illnesses. The legislative aides were receptive to considering support for legislation that:

• Increases access to affordable, supportive housing.

• Provides funding for semi-structured day programs (e.g., low to moderate demand social and skill building activities) and intensive outpatient treatment programs that provide several hours of treatment a day and several days per week.
• Supports the Mental Health Workforce Investment to reduce the disparity between workers employed by the state and those employed by non-profit community agencies.
• Funds Mental Health Literacy in order to actualize a community trained in Mental Health First Aid.

All participants from Saratoga County felt that grassroots lobbying during the Mental Health Matters Legislative Day was worthwhile. In addition to empowering people living with mental illness to speak for themselves, this experience helps overcome the stigma often associated with mental illness. Ultimately, it is hoped that the participants will be able to generalize the lessons learned on advocating, and better advocate for their individualized care or support needs. Although lobbying does not guarantee that funding will be restored or provided for programs that were advanced on Mental Health Matters Day in Albany, for those that participated, it was powerful to participate in the political process and have our voices heard!