The fight to enact mental health parity legislation this year is moving forward at the national level.  In late June, Senate and House negotiators announced that they have bridged key differences on requirements for health plans. 

Long a priority for MHAs and advocates across the nation, parity legislation would provide for mental health coverage in health insurance.  It would offer protections to the nearly 60 percent of Americans who rely on employer-sponsored health coverage.

As our national affiliate states, enactment of a strong parity bill is an important step toward improving access to care and giving mental health needs the same priority as other medical conditions. 

With a theme of “Get Connected,” our Antelope Valley Services and Education division held community activities for this year’s Mental Health Month.

We emphasized the important role that social support has in helping people maintain their well-being and in reducing depression and other illnesses.  A national survey showed that while many people feel routinely overwhelmed by stress, most view their relationships with family, friends and others as important sources of emotional support and stress relief.

We have graduated the third session of students from “Jump Start,” part of our workforce development pipeline to mental health careers.  Jump Start is an intensive 10-week program to train individuals with bachelor’s degrees in recovery-focused services.

This year, Jump Start and its 70 graduates benefited from the help of our 20 nonprofit and public service agencies that provided internships to our students.  

With generous support from The California Endowment and Los Angeles County’s Mental Health Department, MHA is designing and disseminating an approach to attract bilingual and bicultural young people to work in California’s public and nonprofit mental health system.

Clifford Beers Housing – the nonprofit development organization we started – is celebrating the opening of its first project, Elm Avenue Apartments.  Produced in partnership with the Long Beach Housing Development Company, Elm Avenue Apartments is set in an historic building in Long Beach, California. 

Joining the Long Beach Housing Development Company as sponsors of our July opening were Citi Community Capital and Enterprise Community Investment.  We were honored to have Long Beach elected officials and department leadership with us to celebrate.

We’re grateful to have the support of the Weingart Foundation, which awarded Clifford Beers a two-year grant to help expand its capacity as a nonprofit developer.

We are pleased to have our fellow service organizations show their belief in our work by honoring our staff.
 
In September, Richard Van Horn, our CEO, will be honored by Mental Health Advocacy Services, a nonprofit organization that has protected and advanced the rights of people with disabilities for more than 30 years. And, Catherine Bond, who directs the Project Return Peer Support Network, will be honored by SHARE, the Self-Help and Recovery Exchange.

At its 10th annual Golden Ducky Awards, the MHA Village recognized more than 100 of the people we serve for their mental health recovery accomplishments of the past year.  We handed out Golden Ducky statuettes to individuals who worked in community businesses, reached an education goal and volunteered their time.  Others were honored for reaching an independent living goal or a year’s sobriety.

This year, we chose Long Beach First Lady Nancy Foster as our “Mental Health Hero.” We honored Nancy for her candor and courage to create understanding about mental health needs.