Stories Make a Difference
June 16, 2017During the 2017 legislative session, we quickly learned that personal stories are the key to advocating and swaying elected officials to care about mental health related topics. Stories put a face and name to hot button issues. Stories make statistic-laden materials more personal and easier to connect with. Most importantly, stories stick with us. It’s impossible to forget that anecdote about the 10 year old in the emergency room because of a mental health crisis. Or that 45 year old Read More
NAMI Iowa Welcomes Engagement and Advocacy Intern
We are excited to welcome Rob Marko-Franks as a new addition to our staff here at NAMI Iowa! Rob is joining us as an Engagement and Advocacy Intern for the summer, so he will be working on improving relations with our local Affiliates and creating some resources which will strengthen our advocacy at all levels across the state.
Rob will enter his fourth year at Grinnell College this fall, where he is studying Psychology and Policy Studies. While originally from Read More
When Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System Collides
A great executive board for a non-profit organization is made up of constitutents from different backgrouds, career paths, have varied interests and expertise. We are proud to say the NAMI Iowa board fits this description. The two characteristics that bind our enthusiastic board together are:
Every member has a mental illness or knows a close family member or friend with mental illness. Every member wants to see the stigma of mental illness eradicated and the mental health system in Iowa improved upon.Beautiful Minds Revived History
Photo Credit: dsm Magazine
Friday night brought history alive with the likes of Carrie Fisher, Audrey Hepburn and Leonard Cohen visiting the Des Moines metro to perform and talk about their life with mental illness. These famous artists and thinkers privately or publicly battled with depression, eating disorders and severe anxiety but were still quite successful in their chosen career.
Attendees of Beautiful Minds, the first of its kind fundraiser event, were able to interact with these famous characters as Read More
May is Mental Health Month!
May is Mental Health month and we are making it our mission to spread the word of education, advocacy and support for mental illness. This month is dedicated to stopping the stigma and supporting each other through the journey of mental health. How can you help? We’re glad you asked!
Use the hashtag #IntoMentalHealth with any applicable social media posts on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. NAMI national is encouraging everyone to use this hashtag so we can make mental health Read MoreOCA Hiring Peer Support Manager
Iowa Office of Consumer Affairs
Peer Support Manager Job Description
The Iowa Office of Consumer Affairs has an opening for a certified Peer Support Manager. This position reports directly to the Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs. The Peer Support Manager is considered part of the NAMI Iowa staff fulfilling the contract requirements of the OCA Grant NAMI Iowa holds with the Iowa Department of Human Services. A certified Peer Support Specialist with two years’ experience working with people with severe Read More