NAMI New York State

03/14/2026

People deserve help—not handcuffs. ⚖️💙

NAMI’s new guide, “Navigating the Criminal Justice System,” empowers individuals with mental illness and their families to better understand the criminal justice system and strengthen their advocacy. Knowledge is power—and it can change outcomes.

Download the guide and share it with your community to help shift the focus from punishment to treatment and support.

🔗 Access the guide: https://www.nami.org/stay-connected/events/awareness-events/national-criminal-justice-month/

03/13/2026

This Women’s History Month, NAMI NYS honors the generations of women who have shaped our workplaces, advanced equity, and strengthened our communities. Their progress reminds us that meaningful change happens when we intentionally support women at every stage of their careers. 💼💙

Whether entering, advancing, pausing, or leading, women deserve environments rooted in respect, opportunity, and equity.

👤Individually, we can lead with intention — listening thoughtfully, modeling self-care, setting healthy boundaries, and sharing meaningful resources.

🫂Interpersonally, mentorship, encouragement, celebrating achievements, and addressing inequities when they arise strengthen trust and collaboration across teams.

🏛️Systemically, sustained advocacy, flexible and inclusive practices, open dialogue around mental health, and investment in equitable policies create workplaces where women can enter, grow, step back when needed, and lead with confidence.

🔗Learn more about supporting women's wellbeing at work: https://www.thementalhealthcoalition.org/womens-wellbeing-at-work-guide/

03/12/2026

Thank you, Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero, for continuing to advocate for the Youth Justice Innovation Fund. 📣👏

Youth with behavioral health needs are drawn into the criminal legal system far too often. Investing in preventive supports and early intervention not only helps reduce crime but also lowers rates of school dropout, unemployment, substance use, and long-term mental health challenges.

New York State youth needs help, not handcuffs. 🫂

🔗Read the entire opinion piece:

The Youth Justice Innovation Fund would take $50 million of unspent Raise the Age funds and make them available to trusted community-based organizations.

03/11/2026

NAMI New York State StigmaFree Workplace brings peer-led, volunteer-facilitated presentations directly to your organization—grounded in lived experience and focused on real, practical support.

These free programs help workplaces build awareness, strengthen culture, and improve access to mental health resources—so employees feel supported, seen, and empowered. 🧠💼

📅 Planning ahead matters: We typically receive the highest volume of presentation requests in May. To help our trained NAMI members accommodate as many workplaces as possible, we encourage businesses to submit requests as soon as possible.

✨ Why it matters: Prioritizing mental health at work leads to healthier teams, stronger morale, reduced stigma, and a more resilient, productive workplace for everyone.

🔗 Learn more and request a presentation: https://naminys.org/support-and-education/presentations/

03/11/2026

NAMI believes that people with mental illness should be diverted from the criminal justice system and connected to mental health care at every opportunity. In recognition of National Criminal Justice Month, we released a new publication that highlights state legislation from 2025 addressing this problem.

The mental health crisis in the criminal justice system has led to communities searching for ways to reduce criminal justice system involvement and increase investments in mental health care. NAMI’s Trends in Mental Health and Criminal Justice State Policy shows how state policymakers and advocates can address this problem.

This issue brief offers state legislators and advocates policy recommendations and examples of legislation that supports individuals with mental health conditions who are at risk of being or are justice system-involved. Many of the new state laws in this brief were championed by NAMI State Organizations and their advocates.

Find the brief at https://bit.ly/4ukMI3z

03/10/2026

New York cannot incarcerate its way out of a mental health crisis. 📣⚖️

Explore a few of NAMI NYS’s 2026 legislative priorities on criminal justice reform and learn how we are advancing policies across New York State that strengthen the system and improve forensic facilities — ensuring people with mental health conditions receive appropriate treatment, rehabilitation, and support, not punishment alone. 🏥💙

We’re proud to partner with Communities Not Cages to help advance critical reforms that prioritize mental health and public safety across New York State. 🤝

🔗Learn more about how you can get involved this : https://www.nami.org/stay-connected/events/awareness-events/national-criminal-justice-month/

📷: Communities Not Cages

03/10/2026

03/09/2026

The “Real Care, Real Access to Behavioral Health Services” campaign highlights regulations that ensure New Yorkers with qualifying health plans can access an initial outpatient behavioral health appointment within ten business days. 🗓️💙

While important progress has been made, barriers to care persist—and understanding your coverage rights is an essential first step toward accessing timely treatment.

Thank you, Governor Kathy Hochul, for your leadership in advancing access to care. 👏

🔗To read more, visit: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-launches-public-awareness-campaign-educate-new-yorkers-access-behavioral

💡For free assistance navigating health insurance coverage for mental health or substance use disorder services, available to all New Yorkers, visit: https://champny.org/

Governor Hochul announced the launch of a public awareness campaign to educate New Yorkers on regulations that improve access to mental health and substance use disorder care.

03/08/2026

On , we recognize the resilience, leadership, and collective impact of women across generations.

From caregivers and advocates to policymakers, clinicians, educators, and community leaders, women continue to shape the future of mental health in New York State and beyond.

At NAMI NYS, we honor the voices, lived experiences, and leadership of women who strengthen our communities every day. 💙💚

03/07/2026

The Dustin Mele Memorial Concert is tonight! We hope to see you all there!

If you can’t attend but would still like to support, visit: https://naminys.networkforgood.com/projects/295614?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQY_GNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeul3cppcP74jTNaIC_Dzt08imUIT6rw66_GnK5SeLoFetgMffLVpvjceWFeI_aem_DwKVKCiKC2Cvl11F5Fx9dA

03/06/2026

NAMI New York State was honored to welcome our state affiliates and advocates from across New York to Albany for this year’s Advocacy Day. 💙🫂

We had the privilege of hearing from Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Chair of the NYS Assembly Committee on Mental Health; Senator Nathalia Fernandez, Chair of the Senate Alcohol and Substance Use Committee; Assemblymember Harry Bronson; and Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan, Commissioner of the Office of Mental Health. Each emphasized the critical role of policy leadership, partnership, and community engagement in strengthening our state’s mental health system. 👏 🧠

Throughout the day, affiliates and advocates met directly with Assemblymembers and Senators — sharing lived experiences and the realities facing individuals and families navigating mental health challenges. These conversations brought our legislative priorities to life and reinforced why continued advocacy matters.

💚A special thank you to our NAMI NYS Next Gen members who traveled to Albany to advocate on behalf of youth mental health. Your voices will shape the future of mental health policy in New York, and your leadership is already making an impact.

📢Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke out, and used your voice to make a difference.

03/06/2026

We had the privilege of hearing from Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan, Commissioner of the Office of Mental Health, at our 2026 Advocacy Day!