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Monthly news from NAMI California
EVENTS
Youth Symposium April 13-14
How can we better support student mental health and empower youth? What can we do to prevent youth suicide? How do we work with schools and advocate for better programs and local policies? Join us for our annual Youth Symposium to hear from student and youth presenters and local leaders. We'll have presentations andfor Q&A sessions, workshops, and opportunities for participants to share their own insights. 

Tuesday, April 13 and Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 3 pm PT
Capitol Advocacy Day in May
With better policies, we can improve mental health for our communities. Join us for our May 2021 Advocacy Day to engage with lawmakers on important policies aimed at improving the quality of life for people with mental illness.

We’re lining up legislators to visit and will share more details soon.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Miss our recent Town Hall meeting on CalAIM with Dr. Shaina Zurlin from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)? Watch the video replay!
APRIL FOCUS
April is Stress Awareness Month and we know it's been an especially stressful time for so many in our community. Since the pandemic started, back to normal was something we all dreamed about, month after month. For some, the FOMO (fear of missing out) experienced before the pandemic has been replaced with FONO (fear of normal). Our guide to managing post-pandemic stress includes useful tips. Also helpful during this time: our self-care guide.
April also marks:
TRAININGS
Want to help support your NAMI community members? Find out about trainings offered by NAMI California and our local affiliates.
ADVOCACY
NAMI California Policy Positions
The 2021 legislative season includes a slate of promising State Assembly and Senate bills we are supporting or have co-sponsored. Read about the bills we are supporting in 2021.

Success: After we signed a coalition letter urging the The California Department of Health to specifically include those with serious mental illness in the “People with High-Risk Medical Conditions or Disabilities” for its COVID-19 vaccine eligibility guidance, they made the change.
More policy positions: read our letter with on CalAIM proposals; read our letter with recommendations to guarantee the successful implementation of peer certification.
NAMI Action Alert: Proposed Changes to HIPAA
Let's improve health care access and outcomes by making it easier for people to receive and share important health information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to change the HIPAA Privacy Rule to allow for more flexibility in how “protected health information” can be shared, and they’re reviewing public comments before they finalize these changes. Find out more and sign NAMI's petition before the May deadline!
COMMUNITY VOICES
30-Second Surveys
Share your insights and experiences by answering our 30-Second Survey questions.

New questions this month:

New Comments
Hear what community members had to say in our recent 30-second surveys:


By sharing our experiences, we can help to inspire others and help them feel less alone. We will continue to share select answers on our social media accounts and in our emails.
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES
  • NAMI Yolo County is seeking candidates for an Executive Director. (PDF of job description)
  • Statewide virtual training on behavioral health and tobacco use. How to Take your Campus Tobacco-free Behavioral Health State Training (BHST) Virtual Meeting Registration; register by April 15, 2021.
  • Department of Managed Healthcare’s (DMHC) Surveys: DMHC will be conducting investigations of all full-service commercial health plans regulated by the DMHC to assess the barriers members experience in obtaining behavioral health services. The investigations will also seek to identify systemic changes that could be made to improve the delivery of behavioral health care. Please note, these investigations will not include the Medi-Cal managed care population. The five health plans to be investigated in 2021 are: Cigna Health Care of California; Ventura County Health Care Plan; Sutter Health Plan; Community Care Health Plan, Inc.; Contra Costa County Medical Services. Individuals who are currently or were members of the above five health plans within the past two years who experienced barriers and challenges in obtaining behavioral health services, and who wish to participate in these interviews, should contact the DMHC directly via email at EnrolleeBHI@dmhc.ca.gov or via phone at (279) 666-5858. 
TEAM NAMI CALIFORNIA
Membership
We couldn't make the strides we do to improve mental health for our communities without the input and support of our members.

Voting for NAMI California's Board of Directors is coming up soon, and only active members will able to vote.

If you are already a member, we thank you! Has your membership lapsed? It's time to renew!
More Ways to Be Involved
You can also support NAMI California with donations or by shopping with:
More on how to shop for a cause, and other ways you can give. You can also find about about ways to ​be involved in our efforts to improve mental health care and service for all Californians, from supporting advocacy efforts to finding out about volunteer opportunities and sharing your insights and stories.