Take Action
Learn Why We Need Better Mental Health Policies
We need new and improved policies to help individuals, families and our communities.
NAMI Petitions: Support National Policies Endorsed by NAMI National
Take Action: Tell Congress to Support Mental Health Research. Imagine if cancer, heart disease or diabetes was diagnosed just by using a short list of questions to assess symptoms. Due to the complexity of the brain and lack of strong research, this is how people are currently diagnosed with mental health conditions. This results in many mistakes in diagnosis and ineffective treatment. Sign NAMI’s petition.
Take Action: Support the Reentry Act. The Reentry Act is bipartisan-supported legislation that would provide Medicaid coverage for health care, including substance use and mental health treatment, for people who are incarcerated starting 30 days before their release. That means people would better be able to connect to and access community mental health services. Sign NAMI’s petition here.
Take Acton: Improve Crisis Response. It has been one year since the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched to provide help to people in a mental health, substance use, or suicide crisis. 988 is already saving lives and making an impact in our communities, but there’s more work to be done. Recently, Congress reintroduced legislation that will continue to expand 988 services to help people get the crisis care they need. Sign NAMI’s petition here.
More: Stay informed of NAMI’s national policy priorities: https://nami.quorum.us/action_center/
Local Actions: Support Local Legislation and Follow Actions By Your Local Leaders
Preserve the Vital Statewide Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis Benefit.
Support Senate Bill 43 (Eggman) to make it easier to provide mental health treatment for individuals unable to care for themselves.
Read NAMI’s new issue brief on state legislation from 2025 to improve access to mental health care here.
Learn to Be An Advocate
NAMI California’s Advocacy Toolkit includes guidance on how to be mental health advocate.
Vote and Help Get Out the Vote
Every election provides us with an opportunity to vote for leaders and laws to improve mental health services for individuals, families and communities. Commit to registering to vote in each election, make a voting plan, and encourage your friends, family and co-workers to vote as well!
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