SAMPLE Constituent Letter

to Member of the General Assembly

Date

The Honorable Bob Smith OR The Honorable Betty Jones

Ohio House of Representatives Ohio Senate

77 S. High Street Statehouse

Columbus, Ohio 43215 Columbus, Ohio 43215

Dear Representative Smith:

I am writing to you today to urge you, as you deliberate on H.B. 153, to listen to the voice of individuals living with mental illness and their families with regard to how the state should use limited mental health dollars. In the past, decisions have been made that were based on what is in the best interest of the “system”, rather than on what is in the best interest of those with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness and the people who care about them.

This issue is very important to me and my family because…. [Please include a SHORT summary about how you and your family have been impacted by mental illness. Here is an example: I am living proof that treatment and support for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness work. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I lost my job and my husband. I was unable to leave my house for days at a time. Treatment and medication have enabled me to go back to school to complement my degree program and just recently, I was hired as a job coach. I am now able to contribute to the tax base, and I am giving back to my community by helping others.]

I urge you to support the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio’s (NAMI Ohio) call to restore $16 million in funds for non-Medicaid mental health services in the community. The mental health system already sustained massive cuts in the previous budget and our communities cannot endure further loss of funds. However, whether or not these funds are restored, I do ask that you support including language in H.B. 153 that requires, rather than “encourages” as the Department of Mental Health wants to do, local Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) Boards to use state dollars to purchase services in the following four priority areas:

·  Emergency services and crisis intervention

·  Housing

·  Services for children with serious emotional disorders, and

·  Support for individuals who have high needs or are involved with the justice system, including those re-entering the community from hospitals or the corrections system.

NAMI Ohio believes, and I agree, that if the state is serious about addressing the shortcomings in the Mental Health System, then we need to make sure that our limited tax dollars are spent where they are most critically needed. We believe that this will prevent people from falling through the cracks, and unnecessarily winding up in jails, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, on the street, or worse, in the morgue.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I look forward to hearing your position on these issues.

Sincerely,

Signature

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