Advocacy
Public policy impacts people with mental illness in many ways — from health care to housing to criminalization. Changes in policy can result in improved treatments, increased access to services and better outcomes for people with mental health conditions. NAMI believes that:
- All people with mental health conditions deserve accessible, affordable and
comprehensive health care. - All people with mental health conditions deserve access to supports that promote
wellness. - All people with mental health conditions who are incarcerated deserve access to quality
mental health treatment. - Public policies and practices should promote greater awareness and early identification
of mental health conditions. - Public policies should be guided by credible, evidence-based research.
- Justice system responses to people with mental illness should be minimized while
ensuring that any interactions preserve health, well-being and dignity. - No one should be subject to practices that can cause or worsen mental health
symptoms.
NAMI National
https://www.nami.org/advocacy/
Hawaii State Leg
https://www.capitol.hawaii.
NAMI Hawaii is committed to its grassroots advocacy, and each year we carefully consider our
legislative priorities in support of mental health. Below is our current 2025 legislative priorities
which will guide our focus on specific bills to provide testimony for and seek legislative support
from our representatives and community.
A bill starts as an idea and is introduced either in the Senate or the House of Representatives. The chamber can be identified in the bill title (which will start with an “S” for Senate or “HB” for the House). After it’s introduction and the chamber decides to move forward with the bill, it is sent to the opposite chamber where from there it can “die out,” be sent further back and forth, or be sent to the governor to be put into law (or vetoed!).
A Bill’s Journey
NAMI Hawaii participates in NAMI Smarts Advocacy training!
NAMI Smarts builds and strengthen skills to engage in issue advocacy. You will be guided through writing and delivering a compelling version of your personal story that will serve as the starting point for issue advocacy, and people both new and experienced with advocacy will leave with the tools and practice to make a difference.
Once advocates have their story, it’s time to use it. NAMI Smarts for Advocacy includes several different modules:
- Policymaking 101
- Contacting Your Policymaker
- Meeting with Your Policymaker
- Medication: Protecting Choice
- Parity: Fairness in Health Coverage
- Budgets: Funding our Future
- Reimagining Crisis Response
- Advocacy Day
Email us to find out more or register for the next session:
[email protected]
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or find out more from NAMI National:
https://www.nami.org/support-education/mental-health-education/nami-smarts-for-advocacy/
Email: [email protected]