NAMI Georgia

Education and Support:In the fiscal year May 1, 2022 - April 30, 2023, NAMI Georgia served approximately 17,643 participants with mental illness and their families, as well as first responders, educators, and other stakeholders through a variety of educational programs, resources, and events (some duplication is likely due to some individuals attending more than one program). These participants were served through an array of programs, including multi-day classes, presentations, and support groups. NAMI Georgia's programs are always at no cost to the participants. See Schedule O for continuationsThese 17,643 participants were reached through 1,874 program deliveries in all regions of the state through NAMI Georgia's 21 local affiliates. These numbers are broken down further to better explain the impact. NAMI Georgia provides Train the Teacher events throughout the year to graduates of NAMI Georgia programs to build capacity for program growth. In this fiscal year, NAMI Georgia certified 157 Program Leaders in Train the Trainer programs. In addition, NAMI Georgia facilitated group sessions, office hours, and support calls to ensure all program leaders had the skills to succeed with hybrid class delivery. Additionally, NAMI Georgia members facilitated 1,436 NAMI Family (653) and Peer Support Groups (783). These support groups are held in-person and virtually to ensure individuals impacted by mental illness are able to receive peer-led support. In coordination with its 21 affiliates, NAMI Georgia held 41 Educational Programs. These Education Programs served 582 participants. In addition, NAMI Georgia delivered 370 peer-led awareness presentations (NAMI Ending the Silence, NAMI In Our Own Voice, Family and Friends Seminar, NAMI Provider, and NAMI SYSLE). These presentations reached an audience of 5,334 people. Classes offered by NAMI Georgia provide education and increase awareness of individuals with mental illness and their families at no cost to the public. Individuals who benefit from NAMI programs represent all ages, cultures, races, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. In addition, NAMI Georgia responded to 2,098 through our non-crisis Resource & Information Helpline calls and emails from people throughout Georgia.NAMI Georgia launched a partnership with Unite Us to innovate the resource delivery method on our Helpline. Unite Us is the nation's leading technology company connecting health and social care. They build coordinated care networks of health and social service providers. With Unite Us, providers across sectors can send and receive secure electronic referrals, track every person's total health journey, and report on tangible outcomes across a full range of services in a centralized, cohesive, and collaborative ecosystem. Together, we partnered to expand the coordinated care network known as Unite Georgia to address the unmet needs of people and families throughout the state. This effort includes all areas supported by NAMI Georgia, emphasizing expanding resources to the state's rural counties. Unite Us connects people to much-needed resources and services such as assistance with mental health, housing, food, and employment. The coordinated care network allows health and social care providers and community-based organizations to send and receive secure electronic referrals, address people's social needs, and improve health across communities. NAMI joined the Unite Georgia network in January 2022, and at the end of FY23, we extended our Helpline services to the 159 county residents who seek our help. Partnering with Unite Us through collaboration and outreach ensures we provide added support to their requests. In FY23, NAMI Georgia completed the First Responder Awards: Celebrating Strength, Empowering Hope series by hosting a final awards ceremony during our Annual Conference in April 2023. This project, funded by the Sparks Foundation, recognizes Georgia's law enforcement officers and first responders who have utilized their mental health awareness training on the job. Through videos released each month, NAMI Georgia highlights first responders who showed excellence in addressing community members in crisis.Also, NAMI Georgia expanded the following initiatives: an AmeriCorps VISTA contract (grown from 2 to 4 VISTAs), NAMI Frontline Wellness, NAMI Sharing Hope (now offering live community dialogue events), and NAMI Compartiendo Esperanza.Public Awareness and Advocacy:NAMI Georgia strives to reach a larger share of the thousands of people affected by mental illness in Georgia. Through strategic and highly successful outreach, we elevate stories of hope, wisdom, progress, advocacy, and courage that reflect NAMI's commitment to the health of individuals, families, and communities. Years of hard work in advocacy have positioned us to make 2023 the Year of the Peer in Georgia. Through forming strategic partnerships with key stakeholders at the highest levels of the public and private sectors, NAMI Georgia was able to help educate communities about the impact of behavioral health reform legislation by addressing behavioral health workforce challenges, expanding access to care, improving behavioral health care coordination among state agencies, and alternatives to incarceration. NAMI Georgia continues to educate key decision-makers about the state's current behavioral health system and the importance of mental health education. NAMI Georgia joined NAMI's #ReimagineCrisis coalition to help support the rollout of 988. To achieve this goal, NAMI Georgia mobilized its grassroots network of advocates. The NAMI Georgia staff and affiliate leaders hosted one NAMI Smarts classes, where 8 advocates were trained to effectively advocate for mental health. Over 950 advocates participated in Mental Health Day at the Capitol, in which NAMI Georgia participated as a member of the Behavioral Health Services Coalition. During 2023, NAMI Georgia distributed 500 Advocate Guides for Mental Health Day and distributed 250 legislative priority packets to legislators. NAMI Georgia's advocacy for the 2023 Year of the Peer in Georgia led to 3,299 Advocacy Actions through Quorum taken to directly connect people across the state with their legislators. The 2022 NAMI National Convention featured NAMI Georgia and our members, in particular the Year for Mental Health in Georgia advocacy campaign, for which NAMI Georgia was honored by NAMI with the 2022 Richard & Betsy Greer Advocacy Award. NAMI Georgia and a few of our members were also featured in NAMI's advocacy campaign called NAMI Leader Lens, where we had the opportunity to share member's stories, mementos, challenges, and joys about the difference NAMI is making in the lives of peers and within the Georgia community. In October 2022, we hosted NAMIWalks Your Way event held in Atlanta to help affiliates raise public awareness about mental health and raised a combined $308,000, with 50% of the funds raised by the affiliates going back to the local communities and over 850 people attended. Media impact has increased compared to 2022. We had a 118.7% growth in social media impressions. We have also increased our social media channels to include 10 local affiliates. Our followers have increased by 26.2% compared to 2022. NAMI Georgia's Executive Director, Kim H. Jones, was recognized as one of the most powerful leaders in Georgia by Atlanta Magazine. "Atlanta 500: Our City's Most Powerful Leaders and Georgia Trend Magazine's "100 Most Influential Georgians". Affiliate Development and Member Resources:NAMI Georgia's staff supports 193 volunteer affiliate leaders who run 21 affiliates across the state, with approximately 835 members. During the year, NAMI Georgia engages our 21 affiliates with monthly Affiliate Directors calls. Local leaders are provided with regular updates on national and state legislative initiatives, programs and grant opportunities, and best practices. We continued the Leadership NAMI Georgia curriculum for a development training program for affiliate leaders and emerging leaders. These leaders receive leadership training, finance procedure guidance, marketing assistance, group dynamic skills training, and resource research. Annually, NAMI Georgia collects feedback about our services through surveys that are distributed to our members and affiliate leaders. NAMI Georgia continues to steward counties throughout Georgia to form local NAMI Georgia Affiliates. This year, we grew our local affiliates from 18 to 21; in addition to 1 emerging affiliate in the formation stage; and 1 emerging affiliate in the inquiry stage.