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Chicago's Voice on Mental Illness |  |
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The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of
Greater Chicago 1536 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622 www.namigc.org (312) 563-0445 Fax (312) 563-0467 |
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Information and Referral Helpline (312) 563-0445 has trained volunteers and staff - including family members and consumers who respond to more than 5,000 calls annually for assistance with serious mental illness. Helpline hours are 10 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. |
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Meetings/Events At these informative meetings, professionals present information and lead discussions on topics such as : recovery, legislative issues, comprehensive services, legal issues, estate planning and other issues affecting persons who live with mental illnesses. Click here to learn about our upcoming events and their dates, times and locations. |
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Consumer Empowerment Programs |
| Job Readiness Program - This program at the NAMI of Greater Chicago office is for mental health consumers who are looking to return to employment and provides opportunities to lear office skills including computer word processing and data entry. | |
| Computer Recycling Program - NAMI of Greater Chicago accepts donated computer systems, refurbishes them, and makes them available to consumers for their home use at no cost. | |
| Consumer Club Social Events - These social events provide recreational and social programs for consumers on an almost monthly basis. | |
| Consumer Council - Selects a Consumer representative to attend board of directors meetings and brainstorm ideas for future consumer activities and events. | |
| Art for Life Gallery - at the NAMI of Greater Chicago office features exclusively works created by consumers | |
| Brown Bag Gift Program - Delivers cards and gifts to mentally ill residents of Intermediate Care Facilities and Nursing Homes. | |
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Informational Publications |
| Resource Cards - a wallet-sized guide to key services in Chicago | |
| Baby Blues - brochures about postpartum depression | |
| A Family Guide to Coping with Serious Mental Illness | |
| An Overview of Entitlement Programs for Consumers and Family Members | |
| Information Sheets on a wide range of topics related to mental illness | |
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Education Programs |
| Family to Family Education Course for family members (12-week course developed by the National NAMI) delivered four times each year. | |
| Pathways in Living Education Course for mental health consumers (8-week course developed by NAMI of Greater Chicago) delivered four times each year. | |
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Support Groups - groups for both family members and consumers meet in a variety of locations throughout Greater Chicago including the NAMI of Greater Chicago office. Click here to get listings of Chicago area Support Groups. Support groups are facilitated by peer volunteers, either consumers or family members. |
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Legislative Advocacy - NAMI of Greater Chicago provides testimony on issues related to mental illnesses as the need arises, is engaged in ongoing dialogue with legislative officials and service providers to improve the quality of treatment and to encourage a broader range of services, sits on task forces, boards and commissions, organizes letter-writing campaigns and demonstrations, and collaborates with other advocacy organizations to advocate for more and better treatment and services. |
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Media and Advocacy - NAMI of Greater Chicago monitors the print and verbal media for evidence of misinformation and stigma. Letters and phone calls are made to editors and those in charge to educate them about serious mental illnesses. |
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Newsletter - developed and mailed out quarterly helps to keep members, mental health professionals and the public informed about the latest developments in treatment, medications, services, public policy, and legislation affecting persons with a mental illness. |
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Library - has up-to-date books, periodicals and videos available to all members. Additionally, our library is available for use by students and professionals. |
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Speaker's Bureau - NAMI of Greater Chicago receives requests for speakers from community organizations, mental health service providers, faith communities and other interested groups. |
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Website - NAMI of Greater Chicago's website provides information on mental illnesses (more than 200 fact sheets), treatments, services and other related issues and provides links to other mental health resources and agencies. Additionally, our website provides up to date information on our upcoming education programs and meetings, support groups, and events. |
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Professional Education/Training |
| Law Enforcement Education | |
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CIT (Crisis Intervention Team Training)
The CIT training was developed in collaboration with the Chicago Police Department, NAMI of Greater Chicago, the Illinois Office of Mental Health, and a host of Chicago area mental health providers. Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training is for experienced Chicago police officers and began in October of 2004. This 40-hour training program was piloted with officers from the 7th and 23rd districts and once evaluated and refined will be expanded to other districts. Chicago is now the largest city to have implemented this innovative program and one of the few who have not done so as a result of a negative incident. |
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Police Recruit Training
3-hour program on mental illness provided to all new recruits at the Chicago Police Academy since June 2003. |
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Criminal Justice System
Mental Health Court Personnel Provider Agencies |
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| College Outreach - The College Outreach Program is NAMI of Greater Chicago’s staff, members, and volunteers—including consumers of mental health services, their families, healthcare providers, and current college students—working together to improve the support, information, referral-access, and education available to Chicago-area college and university students regarding mental illness. Click here for more details. | |
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Research Opportunities - NAMI of Greater Chicago updates a list of local and national research opportunities prior to the publication of each edition of our newsletter. Research is the key to developing more effective treatments for mental illnesses. Click here for the latest list of research opportunities. |