Last month was Mental Health Awareness month, and I reached out to NAMI Georgia to speak with them about how new legislation impacts their work and what we can do about this, even though the legislative session is over. Logan Peng who works in special projects, and Shaynell Smith with Development, join us to talk about the state of Mental Health in Georgia.
I asked Peng and Smith how they came to work in the mental health arena. Smith spoke about a career shift that led her to mental health. Peng mentions working in mental health peer support for over 15 years.
Georgia continues to rank not only near the bottom in the ability to access to mental health but also in the number of mental healthcare professionals. NAMI continues to push for the fair implementation of the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act.
NAMI Georgia will host NAMI WALKS on Saturday, October 4th, in Doraville. Additionally, they speak about programming from NAMI, including 23 affiliate offices throughout the state. NAMI-Georgia hosts support groups, workshops and educational opportunities for familys and individuals.
The NAMI warm support line is 770-408-0625. This allows you to access their database of services and providers. You can also sign up for the NAMI newsletter at www.nami.ga.org