National Alliance For the Mentally Ill of Greater Kansas City

 What services does NAMI-KC provide?

We coordinate a large number of support groups throughout the community.

We provide educational seminars and reference materials related to mental illness.

By working through legislation, we strive to improve private and governmental funding for mental health facilities and services.

We promote research, preventive treatment, and rehabilitation.

We also aim to define and enforce patient and family rights.

• In 2004 -2005 NAMI-KC served more than 58,000 people with mental illness and/or their families or friends.

• NAMI-KC's offices are located at 406 W. 34th Street, Suite 506, Kansas City, Missouri. Services, though, are provided in churches, schools, universities, mental health centers, hospitals, businesses, community centers and anywhere in the Greater Kansas City community where there is a need for services.

• from professionals--"It's helpful for service providers to hear real life stories such as these presented." & "It helps us to be more compassionate toward consumers and what they have been through."
• from families--"I have become more aware of the problems my relative has and also how I can help him and ourselves plus help to tell others more about mental health to make them aware." & "We need to encourage leaders to put some laws into effect which aid mental health."

• The Missouri Department of Mental Health estimates that serious mental illness affects one in five families. The number of people impacted by schizophrenia is 1% of the population and by manic-depression, known as bipolar disease, is another 2% to 3%. Hence, using U.S. Census data, there are over 15,000 persons with a serious mental illness in the Greater Kansas City area and an unlimited number of family members and friends who are in need of education and support regarding mental illness.

• NAMI-KC's Volunteer's donate over 1,000 hours per month. Over 150 volunteers dedicate their time to the Speaker's Bureau, educational seminars, board meetings, committee meetings, individual and group support, help-line services and advocacy activities.
• If you wish to become an active volunteer, please contact NAMI-KC.

• NAMI-KC was founded in 1980 by parents who had adult children with mental illness. The organization has since expanded to include persons
  with mental illness, other family members, mental health professionals
  and friends of the mentally ill.

• NAMI-KC was formed because families shared a feeling of frustration with and a sense of outrage at the prevailing system of treatment and care for those who suffered from mental illness. Family members joined together to share their struggles and to help others by providing support, education, information and advocacy regarding mental illness.

• NAMI-KC is the only organization which specifically supports family members of the mentally ill throughout the Greater Kansas City area.

• NAMI-KC has implemented three new programs during 2000: Mental Health Professional Training, and educational awareness curriculum for elementary, middle and high school students and a psycho-educational program for young families. Two community collaboration initiatives are also underway - Crisis Intervention Team Training(CIT-Program) for Law Enforcement officers and a Jackson County Mental Health Court - as a result of NAMI-KC's determination and hard work.

• Dunn Foundation • Farmland Industries • Hallmark Foundation •
  Oppenstein Brothers • Kansas City Power and Light • Jewish Heritage Foundation • Janssen Pharmaceutica • Kauffman Fund • Eli Lilly & Co. • Missouri Department of Mental Health • Sosland Foundation • Jackson County Mill Tax Levy • Community Health Charities • Friends of Psychiatry • Novartis • Lee's Summit Police Department • Speas Foundation • Coalition of Community Collaboration
•  
• NAMI-KC is an affiliate of NAMI of Missouri, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill(NAMI) and Community Health Charities.
  

• NAMI-KC educates the community about an illness that is devastating yet is not always recognized as a biological disease just like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. We help the mentally ill, their family and friends and the community realize the importance of ending the discrimination and stigma which surrounds mental illness. With your help, NAMI-KC can do even more!!!

• As a member of NAMI-KC you automatically become a member of the State and National affiliate of NAMI.
• To become a member, get in touch with NAMI-KC, your support and advocacy can make a difference to millions of lives affected by biological brain disorders. Or fill out the available form for membership.
• Members receive NAMI-KC Quarterly News and Views Newspaper -- with the most current research, medications, treatment and local information.
• You would also receive MOCAMI and NAMI Advocate -- which provide access to better care, and the latest treatments. They are the leading advocate for state and federally funded research on mental illness.
• Educational seminars are offered-- which enhance members' knowledge about support, education, advocacy, and research.
• The Free Help-Line is available-- which offers information, support and referral services.
• The Resource Library - which contains books, brochures, fact sheets, video and audio tapes in the NAMI-KC library.
• Access to Staff members -- who are dedicated to the special concerns of families and consumers.

• Jackson County Mill Tax Levy ---- (47%)
• Corporations/Foundations ---- (43%)
• Donations/Membership, Fundraising Events, Memorials ---- (5%)
• United Way/Community Health Charities---- (5%)

• NAMI-KC would like to expand current programs/services to serve more people. Additional staff and space are needed to meet the current dimands form the community.

• Even though NAMI-KC's service are free to the public, it costs the organization $65 per hour to provide support and education to the mentally ill, their families and friends and the community.

• NAMI-KC has diversified their funding sources to include federal resources through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. We continue to involve board members and other community partners in our fundraising efforts. As NAMI-KC's reputation and public visiblity increases additional funding will be sought.

• We are successful through the use of monitoring and evaluation tools. Specifically Customer Satisfaction Surveys, which are used to determine if NAMI-KC is focusing on topic areas that are important to our stakeholder groups. Also A Survey of Attitudes and Knowledge about Mental Illness -- Pretest and Posttest (a survey tool developed by Missouri Institute of Mental Health) is used to determine if the education programs are effective in meeting the outcome of having an impact on the community. Additionally, we involve Baseline Comparison of Statistics/Data.