NAMI Monterey County offers hope and reduction of stigma associated with mental illness through education, advocacy, service access, and support for families and their loved ones living with a mental illness. To this end, the agency seeks to enhance the quality and fulfillment of their lives through wellness and recovery.
Starting as a pilot program in Pajaro, Rural Bilingual Outreach will offer NAMI's signature support and education programs in Spanish to smaller rural communities throughout Monterey County. Those programs include Compartiendo Esperanza, Familia a Familia and Persona y Persona.
NAMI Monterey County is launching the program in Pajaro as quickly as possible to help residents as they deal with the trauma that came with the lengthy evacuation of their homes during flooding of the Pajaro River earlier this year. The program will include considerable outreach, efforts to eliminate stigma and intensive peer-led programs.
NAMI expects the program to then extend into other communities, ranging from Castroville to King City.
NAMI Monterey County has been a big part of our family’s life for the past nine years. I’m the mother of three beautiful young adult daughters. After one of my girls was diagnosed with a mental health condition at the age of 20, no one could answer our questions in terms we could understand. We were all in different stages of grief. After taking a Family to Family class from NAMI, we finally felt we weren’t alone and many of our questions were finally being answered. Although the struggles remain and every day is different, our hope and faith continue to grow. And we’ve become strong advocates about mental health in our schools, at our jobs and in our communities. Our family is proud that we helped advocate for and establish Spanish-language NAMI programs and trainings in Salinas — and throughout the state. Si Se Puede!
- Rosa R.
