(Red Oak) Representatives from NAMI appeared before the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors this morning. NAMI is an acronym for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Anna Killpatrick, Executive Director for NAMI in Southwest Iowa, provided an overview of a program called ReConnect—the Alliance serves nine counties in southwest Iowa. NAMI provides support, education, and advocacy for individuals and families impacted by mental illness. Killpatrick says all of the programs they provide are free to participants.
Killpatrick says Reconnect is a program developed in southwest Iowa through a grant from NAMI International. Killpatrick says ReConnect is an educational program for individuals and family members living with mental illness and substance abuse disorder. A comprehensive group of clinicians, educators, peers, and family members collaborated to develop the program’s curriculum.
Killpatrick says we talk a lot about substance abuse disorder and mental illness. She says 70 percent of individuals with a substance abuse disorder also have a mental illness. Killpatrick says this program covers neurobiology, relapse prevention, and holistic recovery through interactive exercises and peer discussions.
Killpatrick says there are five different programs within ReConnect. The programs vary from 1.5-hour sessions to 12 hours. The facilitators are staff and volunteers. Killpatrick says NAMI would request funding up front from the County, for example, for the 12-hour class. NAMI, through its marketing efforts, would gather the necessary materials, find a suitable location, and conduct a class for up to 15 participants. The cost of the program would vary depending on the number of meetings.
The supervisors took no immediate action on the program.
