Senate comes through for mental illness

NAMI Ohio, "the state's voice on mental illness," cannot thank the Ohio Senate enough for approving a 2022/2023 budget that will serve Ohio's citizens and their families dealing with mental illness. During the House and Senate budget hearings, changes were made that would have lessened the voice of those living with mental illness and their families. This included muting the voices of families and individuals living with mental illness from community mental health boards. The members of the Ohio Senate heard NAMI Ohio's plea and removed most of that stigmatizing language. In addition, Gov. Mike DeWine, in his budget, had pledged funding for student wellness. These funds were to be used in schools to address the behavioral problems students may exhibit when returning to the classroom. The student wellness funds were removed by the House of Representatives but were restored by the Senate. NAMI Ohio wants every elected official to know that this will save lives. Being a legislator responsible for so many issues is an extremely difficult job. But, during this session, the Senate prioritized the need to help Ohio's citizens suffering from mental illness. For that, we are extremely grateful. As this process moves forward, we feel confident that Governor DeWine, the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate will continue to be our heroes. We want to thank the thousands of NAMI supporters who advocated during this budget process through making phone calls, sending emails, attending meetings and more. These actions helped to raise the volume of NAMI's voice at the Ohio Statehouse. Terry Russell is executive director of NAMI Ohio.