08/26/2021
Update on Huntsville City Mental Health Advocacy Matters
While there are many heroes striving to improve our local mental health system, today we would like to highlight one such individual. City Councilwoman, Frances Akridge, is a courageous, determined, and informed friend to severe mental illness. She attends coalition meetings, meets with local advocates, reads extensively on the subject and recently asked the city for an increase in Community Mental Health: Plus up Wellstone’s operating expenses and a new allocation for Thrive’s operating expenses for mental health.
Wellstone is our local mental health center, for which NAMI Huntsville is represented on the board, at the appointment of Mrs. Akridge. Especially given the achievements of the current leadership at Wellstone, we advocate for them to receive additional funding in order to continue the work underway, and hopefully be able to expand in due time additional services, especially to those citizens with severe mental illness and children.
Wellstone also has hired a new staff member to conduct fundraising on their behalf. Please look for upcoming opportunities to contribute directly to this important cause. Frances also saw fundraising as an opportunity for Wellstone at least a year before the hire was made.
On August 12, when Frances asked for the increased support of mental health in the 2022 city budget, she explained the need for funding of local mental health, “Our city participates because state and federal governments are not doing enough to handle their responsibility for public health.” We certainly agree that our city needs comprehensive mental health care, one way or the other. Frances asked that everyone continue to lobby for state and federal money.
On May 13, 2021, an impressive presentation was made at the city council meeting of the extensive plans that are being implemented to improve local response to mental health crisis. We thank all of the dedicated officials who have worked so hard to put that plan together and look forward to full implementation. We thank the city for financial support especially of the diversion center, now under construction on South Parkway. No one solution is going to prevent every possible tragedy. However, we have no doubt that this investment will save lives and lead many to recovery and better long-term outcomes.
Unfortunately, we do have local cases that illustrate the dire need, especially for increased access to quality care, to prevent unnecessary health crisis incidents and potentially deadly results. Local advocates, in partnership with Huntsville Police Department, continue to focus on the delivery of mental health care. We shouldn’t wait until someone is experiencing a crisis; it’s not good for the individual, their family or responding law enforcement officers. This is an old problem, years in the making. Additional funding increases and solutions will also be needed to provide a truly adequate local mental health care.
We have growing support in all levels of government in the area of mental health. Many of our officials are responsive when they know their constituents are concerned about mental health. Please contact your legislators. At NAMI Huntsville, we will be happy to help you determine who to contact and what to share with them. Personal accounts of tragedy in your encounters with systems designed to protect and heal provide great insights, although are also sometimes received with cynicism. Be brave. Don’t be ashamed of your story. Those who have been wronged deserve respect and are in the perfect position to prevent future tragedies. Positive stories also demonstrate the value of good treatment. As such, NAMI Huntsville has an In Our Own Voice team, trained to tell their stories. Contact us to schedule a presentation to your group or organization.
As a follow up, last week, Huntsville Officer William Darby was sentenced for murdering Jeffery Parker in 2018. Officer Darby was responding to a 911 call as Jeffery Parker was experiencing a mental health crisis. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr. Darby and Mr. Parker as they continue grieve.
NAMI Huntsville will continue to echo the national sentiment, “People deserve help, not handcuffs. A person shouldn’t lose their life because they’re experiencing a mental health condition.”
City Council Regular Meetings are held in the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. More information on Huntsville City Council and about Council agendas can be found on the City Council page. WATCH the City Council Meeting LIVE: HSV T...
