Court Ordered Outpatient Mental Health Treatment

I have been following Ohio Senate Bill 43 closely over the past 9 months. Previously SB350, SB43 seeks to clarify Ohio's already existing statue (ORC 5122.01-11) that allows Probate Court judges to mandate an individual to seek outpatient community mental health treatment and enforce medication compliance. I wrote a report of an intervention I implemented on NAMI Ohio representatives and staff. The intervention was designed to disperse SB43 information such as, what the legislation implies and the rights of the individual being mandated, to affiliate locations raising awareness of the proposed legislation and hopefully,  increasing support for the bill. 

Below is a link to an article written about Senator Burke introducing this piece of legislation on 2/14/13.

Ohio SB43

Advocacy Tools and Resources

I have been very lucky to have been mentored by the NAMI Ohio staff over the past 9 months. I have gained an appreciation for the struggles of individuals with mental illness and their families face on a day to day basis during my time answering NAMI Ohio Helpline calls. I practiced my professionalism skills while attending meetings with Betsy Johnson held all over  Franklin Co. I was able to witness firsthand many testimony sessions held at the State House on Medicaid Expansion and have made many  mental health community contacts throughout the state of Ohio. I have practiced my communication skills and learned the importance of a social worker to advocate for their client(s). As necessary as advocacy is in practice, not everyone knows where to start. NAMI Ohio offers a few easy guidelines for making sure your client(s) voice is represented when approaching legislators. I think the main tips provided can be utilized in any advocacy opportunity.

Take a look at the link provided below to get more information about legislative advocacy as well as about NAMI Ohio:

Legislative Advocacy tips