"Family Voice on the ISMICC"
As you know, the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) includes only one family member. We are very fortunate that Conni Wells was selected for this prestigious honor. Conni takes very seriously the responsibility of representing a diverse family voice. To support her in this effort and to offer a conduit for all family voice to be represented with ISMICC, we will be hosting a series of calls to facilitate the opportunity for Conni to learn from families about the issues that are most important to them.
As national events continue to illuminate the critical need for mental health care reform in this country, we must increase our efforts to educate the nation about the importance of prevention and early identification of mental health challenges. We must also highlight the fact that children are an integral part of a family unit and create an understanding amongst policy leaders and practitioners that healthy families are better equipped to support resilient children. Legislation, policies, and practices must fully endorse the undisputed importance of full family engagement and participation in the care and treatment of their children. Further, we must advocate for a holistic approach to children's mental health that includes the provision of supports that strengthen the family as they nurture resiliency.
Please join us as we create a national dialogue about the importance of finding help, finding hope.
Look for Upcoming Town Hall announcements in January.
Thank you to
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network, Inc
for providing the platform and technical support for
the Town Halls
Message from Conni Wells
I take my role as your voice on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) seriously. This may be a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to unify our voices and offer solutions to change the way services and supports are offered to families and their children and youth with serious emotional disturbance. As you can see, the odds are already stacked against us as I am the ONLY children’s representative on the committee. That is why, with the help of the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, I am turning to the experts in children’s mental health; the families that have lived experience. Through a series of conference call “town hall meetings” we hope to get your insights, input, and ideas on how to reshape the system of care to make it responsive to the real needs of children with SED and their families. The outcomes of these meetings will be shared with committee members so they can better understand our children’s system and how they can assist us. Because I am the only children’s advocate, I will need to be on all 5 committees. It is critical to get your feedback and input on each area so I can adequately represent your voice in the committee calls.