Science Solutions

For over 50 years, the Montana Mental Health Association has advocated for the use of best practices and proven treatment methods for mental health care; offering education to providers, consumers, policy makers and fellow advocates on the latest in science based treatment tools. We have invested in the citizens of Montana and provide public education on mental health issues through our ongoing “Out of the Darkness, Into the Light” Public Awareness Campaign which addresses the prevalence of mental illness and the devastating effects of a pervasive social stigma. Our “Into the Light…Science Solutions” Campaign will take this outreach effort to a new level of success; incorporating the latest in research findings and science based solutions with our established message of hope, recovery and wellness for all Montanans.

Our Mission of “Educating and Advocating for the Mental Health of Children and Adults in Montana” guides our work and provides focus for our programs and services. We represent over 400 Members in 70+ communities across the state; including primary consumers, families, mental health care providers, facilities, advocates and concerned citizens. The NIMH has identified several goals for the Outreach Partnership Program including to increase interaction with individuals with mental disorders, to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, to work toward the elimination of mental health disparities that exist in access to care, and to reduce stigma. The MMHA embraces these goals as consistent with our own, as detailed below. Drafted and adopted by our 17-Member volunteer Board of Directors, the MMHA promotes and advertises our commitment to the following 8 Association Goals which guide our programs and services:

To educate/train by sponsoring professional conferences and advocacy seminars for consumers, families, providers & the general public
To advocate for parity with decision makers
To reduce stigma through enhanced public awareness and education
To develop statewide coalitions of people committed to improving the lives of persons with mental illness
To provide information by offering a central resource library and referrals to other information sources
To promote early detection and intervention of mental illness; seeking to encourage mental health
To raise awareness of mental health among policy makers; seeking community based treatment solutions
To honor the dignity of those who are living with mental illness

Overview of NIMH Outreach Project

Description of the Outreach Partnership Program

The Outreach Partnership Program is a nationwide educational outreach initiative of NIMH, with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and in cooperation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). The program enlists organizations in every state and the District of Columbia to facilitate and increase the utilization of science-based information in their respective states. Launched in 1999, this nationwide partnership is delivering science-based information on mental health and mental illness and substance abuse disorders through outreach activities designed to reach the widest possible audience including; the general public, individuals and families affected by mental disorders, minority communities, primary care providers, mental health professionals, employers, and educators.

Participation in the program assures that Outreach Partners are quickly aware of the most recent mental health and substance abuse research advances. YOU, in turn, can help NIMH disseminate the information more widely throughout YOUR communities. The Program is also designed to ensure that Outreach Partners provide NIMH with feedback on the public health needs of communities within their states and the District of Columbia. This feedback becomes an essential part of the planning process for developing the NIMH research agenda and provides insights that will help NIMH meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Participation in the program also facilitates coalition building among Outreach Partners themselves and with NIMH’s “National Partners,” which are national advocacy, consumer, and professional organizations concerned with mental illness or substance abuse issues.

With the Outreach Partnership Program, NIMH is seeking to increase knowledge of the science of mental health and mental illnesses across the Nation, as envisioned in Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General, & the President’s New Freedom Commission Report: Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America by:

Establishing an Outreach Partner in every state, and the District of Columbia, to ensure widespread distribution of science-based materials and messages within the respective states;
Increasing NIMH’s outreach to, and interaction with, individuals with mental disorders and their families, medical and mental health professionals, the business community, civic groups, educators, and others concerned about mental health and substance abuse;
Increasing awareness of the importance of basic and clinical research, including clinical trials, in improving the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders;
Broadening opportunities for individuals and constituent groups to provide input into the NIH/NIMH research priority-setting process;
Working toward the elimination of mental health disparities that exist in access to care and health outcomes due to race, culture, age, geographical location, and gender; and
Reducing the stigma and discrimination associated with mental disorders, alcoholism and drug addiction.
Providing increased access to information about participation in clinical trials.

For more information on what we hope to accomplish please see the recent report "The Road Ahead: Research Partnerships to Transform Services." The Outreach Partnership Program is referenced in several places and information on the most pressing mental health treatment or services issues in each state are given.

Who ...

The “Into the Light…Science Solutions” Campaign will be facilitated by existing staff members with support from key Board Members and our University Scientific Advisors. The primary contact will be Tracy Velazquez, Executive Director. Tracy has a Masters of Public Administration from Montana State University and a Bachelors degree in Social Studies from Harvard University.

Volunteer Board Members Suzanne Hopkins and Teri Sanddal will assist in developing our outreach tools and messages.

Suzanne is a consumer of mental health services and is actively involved in several mental health boards including the Mental Health Oversight and Advisory Council and the Central Service Area Authority (both provide input and guidance to the DPHHS on the public mental health care system), the Lewistown Mental Health Board (her local community), and NAMI Montana. As a mental health consumer in a small rural community, her involvement will help to address challenges faced in small communities as well as provide a communication channel out to many other organizations working on mental illness issues across the state.

Teri is the Director of Prevention and Research for the Critical Illness and Trauma Foundation based in Bozeman, a growing University town. She routinely presents research findings in academic and professional forums and will be able to assist the MMHA in crafting our outreach messages.

Our Scientific Advisors come through our partnership with Montana Universities. From Montana State University, Dr. David Young will serve as a Scientific Advisor for the Project. Dr. Young is the rural health outreach director for Montana Extension, and also holds an appointment in the College of Nursing.

From the University of Montana, Dr. Jennifer Robohm will serve as a Scientific Advisor for the Project. Dr. Robohm is the Director of the Clinical Psychology Center. In addition to her administrative duties as Director, Dr. Robohm is licensed in three states as a therapist.

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Montana Mental Health Association
205 Haggerty Lane, Suite 170

P.O. Box 88, Bozeman, MT 59771

Phone: 1-406-587-7774

Toll-free: 1-877-927-MMHA (6642)

Email: info@montanamentalhealth.org

Last Updated: March 12, 2008