The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) has a local chapter in Lansing that provides education, support, and advocacy for residents with mental illness and their family/caretakers.
NAMI has been in the Lansing area since 1972 and has never had their own office space to work from. “The committee members have been working out of basements, garages, and cars,” said Kevin Keeler, President of NAMI Lansing.
The NAMI Lansing organization reached out to McLaren Greater Lansing to see if they knew of an office space that would be able to fit the organization. They talked with John Patterson, Administrative Director at McLaren Greater Lansing, who offered to provide the organization office space in the orthopedic hospital.
“We are a community hospital and we care what is happening in the community,” said Patterson. “We know there is a shortage of mental health resources, facilities, and help. If there is anything we can do to help fill those voids, we have an obligation to do that.”
The office space was donated by the hospital to NAMI Lansing so they are able provide more support in the community. “Now that we have this space, we can put our resources in one place. It has changed the culture now that we have our own office; it has changed the dynamic, and we can think bigger,” said Keeler. “We finally have a home.”
Everyone in the NAMI community has someone in their family that has a mental illness or they themselves suffer from a mental illness. If you or a loved one would like to get involved or learn more about NAMI Lansing, visit namilansing.org.
Source: Press Release
