Advocacy
Public Policy and Advocacy
MHAL is the statewide leader in public policy and advocacy issues affecting children and adults with mental health needs. MHAL maintains a strong and recognized presence at the legislature with committee and task force testimony, direct advocacy with individual members and Orange Day, which is our annual rally at the state capitol. In addition, MHAL maintains close communications with the state Office of Mental Health and the Department of Health and Hospitals in order to influence program operation and bureaucratic policy making.
Leadership Development Initiative
MHAL trains consumers and consumer supporters in their roles as leadership team members for their region. In conjunction with the regional educational workshops, these individuals attend intensive leadership training at MHAL’s annual conference.
Team members receive regional training on developing leadership skills, being an effective communicator, organizing community forums and other activities, developing strategies for working with the media and affecting the development of public policy and key policy issues. Upon returning to their communities, these teams are supported by MHAL in identifying key issues in the community and in receiving technical assistance needs.
Mental Health Reform Coalition
MHAL spearheaded the formation of the Mental Health Reform Coalition in 1996. The Mental Health Reform Coalition was organized to work together toward the consensus goal of moving Louisiana’s mental health system away from its current over-reliance on institutional care and toward the establishment of a comprehensive, community-based, person-centered system of care for adults and children with serious mental disorders. The coalition is made up of statewide non-profit organizations and currently has 21 members. The coalition has become the vehicle for building consensus among the different advocacy and interest groups around priority mental health issues. MHAL continues to provide leadership and staff support for the coalition.
Education
Programs and Services
Friends
The Friends program provides volunteer services to parents with mental illnesses who need help with everyday parenting activities and who want to keep their families intact. The program's aim is to combat the isolation, uncertainty, family instability and disruption that parents with mental illnesses often face when raising children without the support of trusted friends or advocates. The program educates clergy and lay leaders on mental health issues, and then works with these leaders to recruit congregation members as volunteers to befriend the families in need.
Contact: 225-201-1930
Legal Services
MHAL provides legal representation of emotionally disturbed children and adolescents who are being unnecessarily confined in mental institutions. The project provides legal representation for at least 80 at-risk children in juvenile courts throughout Louisiana, and diverts more than two-thirds of them from institutionalization in a mental hospital. The project identifies three patients' rights violations that affect at least 200 children with mental disabilities per year, including hospital staff and pro bono attorneys.
Contact: 225-201-1930
Children’s Mental Health Matters Campaign
The Campaign focuses on raising awareness and educating the public on mental health issues of children. MHAL was chosen as one of the national affiliates to be a part of this campaign. Two of the programs that MHAL uses for the campaign are:
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Eeyore’s Birthday Party is a childhood depression awareness lesson for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. Children watch a movie about Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh’s gloomy friend, and throw him a birthday party. Information about childhood depression is sent home for parents.
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My Many Colored Days, a book by Dr. Seuss, is used to teach children in Pre-Kindergarten to fourth grade how to identify their own feelings and to understand that it is okay to feel different ways.
Contact: Donna Neely
Girl Power!
Girl Power! not only prevents violence and destructive and/or risky behaviors, but also promote positive self esteem and healthy resiliency in youth that have experienced trauma. This program addresses the rise in juvenile delinquency among females.
Contact: Donna Neely
Campaign for America’s Mental Health
As part of the campaign, MHAL conducts Anxiety and Depression Screening throughout the state. Additionally, the Mental Health Awareness Campaign is a statewide campaign used to educate Louisiana citizens about mental health.
Contact: Donna Neely
Mental Health Information Clearinghouse
As the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) Outreach Partners for Louisiana, MHAL has established a clearinghouse of mental health information. This information developed by NIMH and Mental Health America is provided in the form of pamphlets, booklets, educational campaigns, and fact sheets. MHAL provides information on mental health issues, disorders, medications, technical research, cultural competence, and others. The information requested can be provided in Spanish, as well as specific to age, gender, and sexual orientation. This clearinghouse of information is available to citizens of Louisiana free of charge. Please note: Orders of a large quantities that require shipping, are subject to charged for postage and handling.
Contact: Donna Neely
Chances for Children
The Chances for Children Initiative expands the I Can Problem Solve Program (ICPS) and the Raising a Thinking Child Program (RTC). ICPS is a violence prevention program for elementary and middle school students. The program addresses violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, suicide and school drop-out by giving children the emotional intelligence they need to make decisions on their own. ICPS is based on over two decades of research and teaches children skills that have been shown to reduce high-risk behaviors such as poor impulse control, poor peer relations, lack of empathy and social withdrawal. RTC is an ICPS companion program that is targeted toward parents. It teaches parents skills to help their children cope better socially and at home.
Contact: Donna Neely
Juvenile Justice Parent Initiative(JJPI)
JJPI is a statewide outreach and training program to aid in reducing the number of children involves in Louisiana's juvenile justice system. MHAL's new initiative will work directly with the parents whose children are, or are at-risk of being incarcerated. These parents will receive intensive training on their child's rights and how to effectively advocate on their child's behalf. The training will also include information about local resources, programs, and alternatives to incarceration.
Contact: 225-201-1930
MHAL Annual Conference
The Annual Conference is an opportunity for MHAL to inform mental health consumers, advocates and professionals on the latest mental health issues, programs and research.
Contact: Donna Neely
LA HIRE
LA H.I.R.E. (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) is a program designed to maximize the abilities of mental health consumers, to seek employment for them and to provide a network of support that reduces anxiety and stigma to ensure their vocational success. The program provides consumers with a treatment team consisting of a social worker, a psychiatrist, two employment specialists, a case manager, and a rehabilitation counselor. LA HIRE also assists consumers with Medicaid regulations affecting their coverage.
LA H.I.R.E. is based upon the principles of the Individual Placement & Support (IPS) model of supported employment. According to the IPS research, work is therapeutic and people with severe mental disorders can obtain competitive employment.
There are a number of factors contributing to the unemployment and under employment of mental health consumers. Stigma due to the lack of education about mental health in the workplace is paramount. MHAL seeks to raise awareness about mental illness in the workplace, thereby eliminating myths and misconceptions that create barriers to employment.
Contact: Mark Thomas
LA Fete
Louisiana Family Evaluation Team (LaFéte) is a program in which parents who have children who receive services from mental health facilities, conduct surveys that evaluate the quality of services that are received. The program was issued by Governor Murphy J. 'Mike" Foster and began in 1999 to survey all state mental health facilities. LaFéte, Cajun French for The Celebration/The Feast, is the child and youth satisfaction surveys program carried out by MHAL and C'est Bon is the adult equivalent program carried out by Louisiana's Office of Mental Health (OMH).
The mission of the Louisiana Family Evaluation Team is to empower families to take responsibility for and provide leadership in improving the services they receive, to provide employment for parent/caregivers and the feeling of self worth that comes from a sense of accomplishments from a job well done.
Project P.A.S.S.
Promoting Academic and Social Success
The phrase, serious emotional disturbances for children and adolescents, refers to mental health problems that are severely disrupting daily life and functioning at home, at school, or in the community. Serious emotional disturbances affect 1 in every 20 young people at any given time. Without help, such mental health problems can lead to school failure, alcohol or other drug abuse, family discord, violence, or even suicide.
The need for school and community based programs for children and youth in Louisiana has increased to unprecedented volumes since Hurricane Katrina. In response to this need, MHAL created and implemented the PASS initiative. Children and youth both directly and indirectly impacted by the storms are struggling with trying to cope with traumas, in some cases, limited resources for daily living, new surroundings, whether due to relocation or due to an influx of new, more diverse children into schools and neighborhoods, and typical adolescent development, all while trying to focus on school and academic requirements. For children already diagnosed with serious emotional problems, coping with these life issues are significantly more challenging.
PASS provides mentoring for school-aged children, liaison between parents, students, and teachers to facilitate effective collaboration, training for both parents and teachers, and public education in the areas of prevention. This initiative serves high risk schools and communities within the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.
Contact: Mark Thomas