Advocacy tends to be a slog for those of us “in the life.” Scott J. Carpenter and I have devoted a lot of time and energy to educating and advocating with many campaign staffers, campaign policy people, and presidential candidates along the way.
I was ending a call with Lisa Dailey, who heads up the Treatment Advocacy Center’s Advocacy Department, to glean information from her about the IMD Waiver, and to prepare for a meeting. Then my phone rang with an “Unknown Caller ID.”
Well, to my surprise, it was Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Too cool. We had a nice conversation. I thanked him for his mental health policy and for integrating several specific serious mental illness (SMI) policy suggestions I’d given to Andres, his policy person, way back in May. He thanked me for our advocacy efforts and for the suggestions.
I let him know that SMI advocates, from all over the country, are hoping for the SMI treatment crisis to be addressed by presidential candidates during debates and campaign appearances. He said, during events when he asks the audience if they know someone with a mental illness who’s in crisis, most all of the hands go up. I advised that just asking that question can help everyone in the room know it’s fine to discuss serious mental illness and that talking about it might save lives. A conversation with a presidential candidate about mental illnesses as illnesses (not “mental health conditions”) is meaningful. It can help change the narrative and peoples’ attitudes.
Thanks so much to those I suspect facilitated this phone call. Hugs owed to each and every one of you. I want you to know how much this meant to me and to those I represent.
NOTE: Sooner Than Tomorrow welcomes reports of SMI plans from all presidential candidates and other influencers. If you’d like a copy of the 2020 Grassroots SMI Plan, email me and I’ll send the documents to you. dede@soonerthantomorrow.com