1. Good afternoon. I am Ginger Paulsen, Executive Director of NAMI Nevada
Good afternoon. I am Ginger Paulsen, Executive Director of NAMI Nevada. Thank you for inviting me to your meeting and allowing me to share with you a little about NAMI and our thoughts on Reducing the number of people with mental illness being sent to prison.

2. NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness
Founded 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin
NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental health conditions.
NAMI provides free educational programs, support groups, and advocacy on the local, state and Federal levels
1 in 5 American’s are affected by Mental Health Conditions (NIMH Statistic)
“NAMI was founded 1979 in Madison, Wisconsin by a group of families who wanted to make a difference for their loved ones who had mental illness. NAMI headquarters is located in Arlington, VA.

3. NAMI National is the umbrella organization that NAMI Nevada works under. NAMI Nevada has three Affiliate organizations: 1. NAMI Northern Nevada which serves Reno/Sparks/ and most of Washoe County, 2. NAMI Western Nevada which serves Carson City/Minden/Gardnerville/Yerington and rural counties and 3. NAMI Southern Nevada which mainly serves Las Vegas/Clark County.

4. Our Collective Beliefs
Mental Illnesses are illnesses like any other
Stigma is real and has terrible consequences
Both the individual and the family are essential to the recovery process
Studies show that education and support for families and people with mental illness make substantial differences in outcomes, recovery and resilience. NAMI programs transform lives.
With appropriate treatment and services, people can and do recover from mental illness
Mental illness should be treated a any other chronic disease. The brain is an organ of the body just as is the heart, lung or kidney. We teach a culture of support, hope and recovery.

5. Nevada Statistics
According to a 2016 Mental Health America report, Nevada overall ranks 51st in the nation in Mental Health funding and access to MH care
Nevada ranks in the top 5 states with the highest percentage of children with emotional behavioral developmental issues
Forty seven Nevada veterans per 100,000 commit suicide each year
Nevada has the fourth-highest suicide rate in the nation.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Nevadans ages
Untreated mental illness has deadly an costly consequences. Nevada’s public mental health services are inadequate to meet the needs of our citizens. We have long waits for evaluations and even longer to get mental health appointments. Our criminal justice system bears the burden when it comes to housing and treating the mentally ill. Tragically, jails and prisons have become the “fall back” mental health program in our state. We pay a high price for not addressing this treatable condition. Emergency departments and jail are not cost effective ways of dealing with a medical condition.

6. Development of Mental Health Court in Nevada
Nevada has a long, rich history of Specialty Courts
Washoe County developed the very first Family Drug Court in the nation and our state was also among the first to develop Mental Health Courts
Nevada’s Mental Health Courts focus on providing mentally ill defendants with opportunities to receive community-based, outpatient treatment and services, while participating in a court structured program
Nevada’s Mental Health Courts throughout the state operate independently, but all track clients through a state-sponsored data base to support standardized data collection
Various studies have been conducted comparing the cost savings of these courts in terms of avoided jail stays. In Washoe County (Reno/Sparks), one study of graduates showed a 93% decrease in jail days from the year before the participant entered Mental Health Court when compared to jail days in the year after they graduated from the program.

7. NAMI Perspective of Mental Health Court in Nevada
Families have been very supportive of the Mental Health Court in Nevada. Seeing it as a great mechanism for engaging their loved ones in treatment.
Many families have contacted the Mental Health Court to try and get their loved ones into the court. Seeing this as the quickest way to access treatment
In Nevada, Medicaid expansion has assisted many people with finally being able to access medical care.
With the addition of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and the expansion of the Mobile Outreach Safety Teams (MOST) during the next year, these two programs should provide better access points for people in crisis
The possibility of losing Medicaid expansion through the proposed AHCA poses a great threat to our states existing, fragile system

8. NAMI Overview Decriminalizing Mental Illness
In a mental health crisis, people with mental illness are more likely to encounter police than get medical attention
Nationally, nearly 2 million people with mental illness are booked into jails each year, resulting in people with mental illness being disproportionately represented in U.S jails and prisons. When in jail, people with mental illness stay almost twice as long as other individuals facing similar charges
Most people with mental illness in jails are non-violent offenders, committing minor offenses. Correctional systems are not equipped to provide mental health treatment, and correctional officers are not trained to deal with these situation effectively.
It is time to stop using jails and prisons as default mental health facilities. We should divert non-violent offenders with mental illness and substance use disorders into treatment instead of incarceration. This would save lives, foster recovery and reduce costs.
We should train law enforcement officials on how to appropriately respond to people with mental illness, which would de-escalate crises and increase safety for all.

9. Facts About Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System
1 in 4 people who die in officer-involved shootings are in a mental health crisis.
Approximately 17% of U.S. jail inmates have serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
People with serious mental illness are incarcerated at four times the rate of the general population.
The cost of health care for inmates with mental illness is two to three times greater than for people without mental illness.
People with mental illness stay in jail almost twice as long as other individuals facing similar charges.

10. Ginger Paulsen, Executive Director
Contact:
Ginger Paulsen, Executive Director
Phone:
NAMI Nevada
1300 Mill Street, Suite 206
Reno, NV
I would welcome any questions you might have. Thank you!