NAMI San Mateo County Honored for 45 Years of Service

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors honored NAMI SMC for its 45 years of service providing mental health education, resources and support to San Mateo County residents at the December 10 Board meeting.

“It’s amazing to think what the world was like 45 years ago, the way mental illnesses were viewed and the way parents were often blamed for the mental health challenges of their children,” said Supervisor Dave Pine, sponsor of the resolution honoring NAMI.

In decades past, mental illness was poorly understood and services for those in need difficult to access if they existed in a community at all. NAMI SMC was founded by Eve Oliphant and Tony and Fran Hoffman – parents of adult children with diagnoses of schizophrenia – to provide advocacy where there was practically none and to help change the approach and availability of mental health services.

NAMI SMC helps families and individuals with a mental health diagnosis through support, education, and advocacy. NAMI SMC programs serve all residents in San Mateo County at no charge, regardless of income level or health insurance coverage.

Executive Director Helene Zimmerman stressed that it was the family component that was started by NAMI, “Early on, people did not believe that family members could help with their loved one’s care,” said Helene Zimmerman, Executive Director of NAMI SMC. “But it has been proven that indeed it is the support of their loved ones that actually improves the health and welfare of the individual living with severe mental illness.”

Among NAMI’s many recent accomplishments is partnering with Supervisor Warren Slocum’s office to initiate a 40-hour training program on mental health for residents of North Fair Oaks. A second training is planned for 2020. The training will include Ending the Silence, an interactive presentation that helps teens, parents and teachers learn about the warning signs of mental health difficulties.

Over the next five years, NAMI SMC is developing plans to help fast track early intervention efforts with local agencies and to improve access to meaningful mental health treatment in all communities.

About National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), San Mateo County – Visit www.namisanmateo.org

for more information. NAMI SMC is a is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with mental illness and their families through support, education and advocacy.