NAMI Illinois

07/25/2025

Take good care of you.

07/24/2025

Have you registered yet for our NAMI IL 2025 conference, to be held Oct. 17-18 at Benedictine University in Lisle?! This year’s statewide conference features a record 98 speakers and 42 sessions focusing on breakthroughs in mental health treatment, youth mental health, caring for caregivers, crisis response, BIPOC mental health and MORE!

Head over to namiillinois.org/strongertogether2025 to learn more, register, get a hotel room, sign up to be a sponsor, etc.

If you'd like to print out a conference flier to share with your networks, friends, family, co-workers and the list goes on, we'd love your support! Download the conference flier here: tinyurl.com/NAMIIL2025ConfFlier

07/23/2025

Medicaid is a lifeline for people with mental health and substance use conditions. With the devastating cuts to Medicaid, our mental health system will suffer.

NAMI Illinois remains dedicated to supporting communities in need. We remain committed to providing free, essential mental health resources, assistance, and advocacy to our Illinois neighbors, with no eligibility requirements.

NAMI Illinois is planning for a substantial increase in need for our services ... and we need your help to support the infrastructure of our work.

If you are able, please consider contributing to NAMI Illinois and ensure that everyone has access to the mental health support they deserve. Your support will directly fund the capacity building efforts that we will require.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication and generosity! Visit tinyurl.com/NAMIILMeetTheMoment to donate.

07/22/2025

July is Minority Mental Health Month. Mental health conditions do not discriminate based on race, color, gender or identity. Anyone can experience the challenges of mental illness regardless of their background, but background and identity can make access to mental health treatment much more difficult. Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 2008 to start changing this. Learn about the opportunities and programs available through NAMI Illinois by visiting namiillinois.org.

07/21/2025

Thank you, IDHS! Last week, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IHDS) announced that the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline in Illinois will continue to provide mental health support services for LGBTQIA+ youth, after the federal government ended funding last month for specific support on the 988 Lifeline.

“Unequivocally, in Illinois, we stand side by side with each member of the LGBTQIA+ community, including transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming youth. If you need help and you call 988, you’ll be met with the compassion, competence and respect," said Governor JB Pritzker.

Each month in Illinois, the LGBTQIA+ youth subnetwork of the 988 Lifeline supports more than 1,600 calls and 600 chats or texts. In Illinois, 988 contact centers are funded by IDHS. Upon receiving word that the Trump administration was shutting down this subnetwork, IDHS worked to ensure that the 988 Lifeline could continue to provide the LGBTQIA+ community free, confidential, and culturally competent care.

Read the complete announcement at idhs.prezly.com/idhs-preserves-lgbtqia-youth-support-on-988-lifeline-amid-federal-cuts

07/18/2025

Because community is medicine. In many marginalized communities, mental health challenges have long been silenced—buried
under stigma, isolation, and lack of access. Today, a powerful shift is underway. Brave voices are
rising. Stories are being shared. At NAMI, we see it every day: one conversation can spark hope, build trust, and start the healing process.

NAMI’s commitment goes beyond raising awareness—we uplift voices, lived experiences, and cultural wisdom of minoritized communities. We believe that community is medicine, and connection
is the cure.

When people come together, healing is possible.

07/17/2025

Celebrate the mental health trailblazers, advocates and allies who made a difference in ensuring mental health

Our celebrates Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence, an accomplished pediatrician and psychiatrist. In 1932, Dr. Lawrence attended Cornell University, where she was the only Black undergraduate. After graduating with near-perfect grades, she was denied admission to Cornell’s School of Medicine. She was later accepted into Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where once again she was the only Black student in her class and only one of 10 women attending. She was taken under the wing of Dr. Charles Drew, the sole Black faculty member and the founder of the modern-day blood bank. Dr. Lawrence began her medical career as a pediatrician. She taught at Meharry Medical College, the first medical school in the south for Black med school students (and again, was the only woman on faculty). In 1947, she enrolled at Columbia University’s Columbia Psychoanalytic Center, where she was the first Black student to obtain her psychoanalysis certification. Dr. Lawrence was the first for many things: the first Black student to complete a residency at the New York Psychiatric Institute; the first practicing child psychiatrist in Rockland County, NY; the co-founder of the Rockland County Center for Mental Health, and the first recipient of the Rockland County J.R. Bernstein Mental Health Award. She served for 21 years as the Chief of Developmental Psychiatry Services for Infants and Children at Harlem Hospital. She also served as the associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, retiring from both positions and seeing patients in 1984 at the age of 90. Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence accomplished many first not only for women but also for the Black community. While battling racism and sexism, she set a standard and an excellent example for all future doctors and psychiatrists. She passed away in December 2019 at the age of 105.

07/16/2025

About 500,000 Illinoisans face losing their health insurance because of federal cuts to Medicaid.

Our work is far from over as NAMI Illinois remains committed to showing up ready to support communities in need. We are dedicated to providing free, essential mental health resources, assistance, and advocacy to our Illinois neighbors, with no eligibility requirements. Now, more than ever, mental health awareness and advocacy are crucial.

NAMI Illinois is planning for a substantial increase in need for our services ... and we need your help to support the infrastructure of our work.

If you are able, please consider contributing to NAMI Illinois and ensure that everyone has access to the mental health support they deserve. Your support will directly fund the capacity building efforts that we will require.

Visit tinyurl.com/NAMIILMeetTheMoment to donate.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication and generosity!

07/16/2025

Imagine communities where saying “I’m not OK” feels normal, and support is available to everyone—without shame, stigma, or barriers. That’s the world we’re building. nami.org/bebemoore

07/15/2025

As we celebrate the third anniversary of 988, we must share other resources as recently, under the new administration at the federal level, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that as of July 17, they are eliminating the LGBTQ+ youth and young adult services in 988 (also known as the “Press 3 option”).

Since the line became available, there have been roughly 1.3 million contacts routed to the LGBTQ+ specialized services line. That means that 1.3 million times, young people who were struggling got help.

To our LGBTQ+ youth … you are not alone. You matter, we see you, and our community is here to support you.

Other Resources:
- The Trevor Project hotline, 24/7: 866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get- Help, or by texting START to 678678.
- 988 Lifeline continues to be available 24/7, even if the specialized services are not.
- Trans Lifeline (877) 565-8860 (M-F, noon-8 p.m. CST)
- NAMI Helpline (M-F, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., ET) 800-950-NAMI (6264), texting NAMI to 62640 or emailing helpline@nami.org.

07/15/2025

This July, the 988 Su***de and Crisis Lifeline celebrates its third birthday. 988 has been an invaluable resource, answering millions of calls, texts and chats, from people seeking support during a mental health crisis. It has also driven a historic movement to build systems of crisis care across the country to support those seeking help. In particular, state legislators have partnered with advocates and community members to embrace and implement the full vision for crisis care – a system where everyone experiencing a crisis has someone to contact, someone to respond, and a safe place to go.

Register at tinyurl.com/NAMI988TH for NAMI’s Virtual Town Hall tomorrow (July 16) to recap the first three years of 988 and celebrate the state efforts to expand access to 988 and crisis care.

07/14/2025