About NAMI Maryland

[NAMI Maryland]

About NAMI Maryland

[Board of Directors, Committees and Staff][About NAMI MD] [History and Activities] [Directions to our office]

Highlights

Address and Telephone Numbers: 804 Landmark Drive, Suite 122
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
410-863-0470
410-863-0474 FAX; 1-(800)467-0075 Helpline; namimd@nami.org
Best known for: Advocacy and education on behalf of persons with serious mental illnesses and their families

NAMI Maryland Board

Board of Directors	Affiliate
Peggy Anderson, President	Metro Baltimore
Stephanie Feldman, 1st Vice-President	Metro Baltimore
Karen Mann, 2nd Vice-President	Montgomery
Greg Huff, Treasurer	Metro Baltimore
Katy Crane, Secretary	Montgomery
Diane Sterenbuch, Past President	Montgomery
Orlando Davis, M.D.	Metro Baltimore
John Gray	Metro Baltimore
Renee McDaniel	Metro Baltimore
Carolyn Mulhern	Anne Arundel
Steven S. Sharfstein, M.D.	Metro Baltimore
Frank Sullivan	Anne Arundel
Rita Tate	Anne Arundel
Connie Walker	St. Mary's

NAMI Maryland Committees

Committee	Contact
Finance & Fundraising	Dana Lefko
Public Policy	Janet Edelman, Evelyn Burton
Education Council	Dana Lefko
Membership	Dana Lefko
Communications	Dana Lefko
System Reform	Janet Edelman, Evelyn Burton, Katy Crane

NAMI Maryland Staff

Staff	Title
Lynn Albizo	Executive Director
Corey Chandler	Director of Education and Communications
Margaret Sommerman	Administrative Assistant
Ronda Cooperstein	Consumer Outreach Coordinator
Pat Harvey	Public Policy Consultant

NAMI Maryland

NAMI Maryland, formerly called the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Maryland, is a self-help and advocacy group whose members are relatives and friends of persons with serious mental illness, and persons with a mental illness. We are more than 1,700 families in seventeen local affiliates in all parts of Maryland. Our goals are:

To provide support to families who must cope with the problems presented by serious mental illness;
To educate our members and the public about serious mental illness in order to change perceptions and overcome stigma;
To advocate for a comprehensive system of care and treatment for persons with mental illness in every community in Maryland; and
To advocate for increased support for research about serious mental illness by private institutions and the government.

We are affiliated with NAMI, a national organization of over 1,200 local affiliates and 50 state organizations in the U.S. and Canada. NAMI members share the same goals and work to achieve them on the national, state, and local levels. All of us accept the findings of current scientific research that schizophrenia and the major affective disorders are biologically caused brain diseases.

NAMI Maryland has 501(c)(3) (non-profit) status with the Internal Revenue Service.

History and Activities of NAMI Maryland

NAMI Maryland was incorporated in 1983 as the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Maryland, Inc.. Representatives from AMI of Montgomery County and AMI of Baltimore worked together to create a state-wide organization. The goal was to establish affiliates in all parts of Maryland and to work together to speak with one voice on Maryland public policy issues affecting persons with severe and persistent mental illness.

Within a few years, there were affiliates across Maryland. NAMI Maryland formed coalitions with other organizations to work effectively with the State of Maryland Mental Hygiene Administration and state legislators on issues such as:

the annual Mental Hygiene Administration fiscal budget priorities
the rights of persons with mental illness in state facilities
development of 5 year plans for mental health services
insurance parity for mental health
the managed care Medicaid waiver

The board of directors adopted NAMI Maryland as the new name for The Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Maryland effective October 18, 1997. NAMI Maryland is now more clearly associated with our national organization.

Our annual conventions help educate and inform our members and others interested in the welfare of persons with mental illness in Maryland. Our conventions usually feature speakers on issues currently affecting those with mental illness, as well as lectures by key researchers on the latest news on advances in research on neurological brain disorders. Workshops span a wide range of topics of interest.

We publish a quarterly newsletter. NAMI Maryland usually has several state-wide projects active at any given time. Some of our current projects:

Support of Care-Givers of Elderly Persons with Mental Illness
Opening Minds, Improving Lives - Anti-Stigma Campaign
Medicaid Managed Care/Service System
Family To Family Education Program

Past projects include outreach to minorities and a project to strengthen our affiliates.

NAMI Maryland
To send an E-mail to NAMI Maryland, click here==> namimd@nami.org
This document was prepared by Janet Edelman. jedelman@comcast.net

amiorg.htm -- Revised: Monday, February 19, 2007