Helping those who are near and far

The New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc. may seem like it has a limited reach because it's specified as a "New Jersey" group.

But the NJMHI does so much more in so many places that are much farther away.

Just to name a few:

* Delivery of keynote presentations and trainings for a total of more than 50,000 individuals. Three statewide conferences focused on cultural competence to improve treatment quality for diverse populations - not only ethnic groups, but also elderly immigrants and gay and lesbian clients. NJMHI also coordinated training for more than 23,000 mental health providers in New Jersey's Children's System of Care.

* Establishment of the Tsunami Mental Health Relief Project. More than 100 individuals in Sri Lanka were trained to help nearly 20,000 children and adults cope with the devastating effects of the tsunami in December 2004.

* Awarding of scholarships to 20 bilingual, bicultural students pursuing Master's degrees in social work.

* Developing and supporting policies that have increased access to non-emergency mental health services and decreased utilization of emergency and inpatient services among Hispanics in New Jersey. An additional 13,532 Hispanics received outpatient care in 2006, compared to 2000. Furthermore, 33 percent more Hispanics received screening services and 25 percent fewer Hispanics used emergency services between 2005 and 2006.

* Collaboration with other state and national organizations to battle stigma and discrimination; support families whose loved ones have mental illness; and influence the development of policies to support providers in delivering the most effective mental health services.

Chances are you have a friend or family member with mental illness, as it affects one in every five Americans. Imagine if your loved ones could not receive the care they need because of stigma, lack culturally competent providers or lack awareness of available services, the organization says.

Like many children and adults across the country, they would miss the vital opportunity to receive treatment that would change their lives. The New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc. (NJMHI) has made great strides toward solving this problem. With your support, NJMHI can have an increasingly significant impact on the lives of thousands of individuals.

Clearly, NJMHI is well poised to achieve so much more, especially with your support. That's why the group is asking for a tax-deductible donations to maintain its success.

The NJMI thanks everybody for their commitment in helping the group improve the lives of adults and children with mental illness.