This week we share several opportunities to impact the state mental health system positively. I hope you will make the most of all of them!

The Joint Planning and Advisory Council meets at 10 a.m. at Mississippi State Hospital this Thursday. This council identifies unmet needs in the system and advises the Department of Mental Health on using its federal block grant funds to meet them. Please join the meeting virtually or in person and see how you can get involved to ensure services and funds are all focused on what’s most helpful to people with mental illness or substance use disorders.

There’s also an exciting opportunity to help plan how Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers should roll out in Mississippi. I especially encourage youth and family members to check out the committees you can join to help plan this endeavor. It will only be successful if the people who use the services and their families drive the planning. Let’s show up big and help lead the effort!

Finally, I urge all parent peer supporters to join us today at noon, Wednesday, August 9, for our monthly supportive coaching session. We’ll discuss recertification details, what’s going on in parent-peer support, and how we can all help each other.