The Campaign for Children’s Mental Health, Voices for Virginia’s Children, NAMI,  Mental Health America of Virginia, and VOCAL have once again joined together to organize the 2017 Mental Health Advocacy Day at the Virginia General Assembly!  register here.

Join fellow mental health advocates on January 25th for a legislative breakfast, followed by an opportunity to speak directly with your elected official about the importance of reforming and strengthening our mental health system in Virginia.

General Outline for the day 

• 8am: Meet inside the Patrick Henry Building for a brief morning orientation
• 9am: Meet inside the General Assembly Building, 5th Floor West 
• 9am-11:00am: Attend legislative appointments (times vary)
• 9am-11:30am: Legislative breakfast
• 11:30-12:30: Observe a legislative session in the Capitol
• 12:30-1:00: Join us back at the Patrick Henry Building for a collective de-brief

The goal of advocacy day is to bring both the decision makers and the individuals who utilize the mental health care system to the same table in order to encourage authentic engagement. Virginia legislators are our elected representatives and staying in touch with the needs of their constituents’ is an important part of their job description. They are able to represent us more appropriately when we share our feedback and problem solving suggestions. Through the inclusion of individuals with the lived experiences we hope that the Virginia mental health care system will more adequately address all individuals’ needs.

Registration is now open and we hope that you and your loved ones will join us on Wednesday, January 25, 2017! In addition to participants who have lived experiences, we would love to have the perspectives of family members, mental health practitioners and allies included. Everyone’s participation makes a difference!

To learn more about our mental health coalition priorities and what to expect on our advocacy day, join us for a Q &A conference call on January 19th at 6pm. Conference call number is: (800) 371 9219, pass code: 8754670. This call will be an opportunity to learn more about MHAD and our priorities, review the day’s activities, and have any questions/hesitations answered. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email Campaign for Children’s Mental Health Coordinator and Mental Health Policy Analyst, Ashley Everette at: Ashley@vakids.org

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