Many public meetings are planned. Please check the following Web site for more information on how to participate in the work associated with the federal Mental Health Transformation Grant.

• Mental Health Transformation Project.

• Check the What's New in Mental Health & Chemical Dependency Web page for the latest news from the King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse & Dependency Services Division.

• King County Mental Health Advisory Board Web page.

• King County Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Administrative Board Web page.

• Mental Health Division Web site. The Division's Web site contains everything from information about advance directives to strategic plans.
  • Washington State Mental Health Planning and Advisory Council Web Site.
    
  • Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training -- Western Branch.
    
  • Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training -- Spokane Branch.

• The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services News Release Page is an informative site worth frequent visits.

• The Washington Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (DASA) -- What's New, Hot? Web page is worth visiting often. It is new and contains new information and several very useful links.

• Seattle Community Network (SCN.org). SCN.org's mission is community empowerment. The site includes a Calendar of Peace and Justice Events.

• Seattle Activism Web Site. SeattleActivism.org provides information on upcoming events, actions, and meetings as well as links to organizations and resources in the Seattle area related to progressive activist issues.

• Washington Protection & Advocacy System Web site.

• Check the University of Washington School of Social Work Policy Watch Page for updates on budget, legislative and policy matters as the legislative session gets into high gear.

• Check the Children's Alliance Web site for their legislative agenda and responses to budget proposals.

• The Arc of Washington -- Since 1936, the Arc of Washington State has been a leader in the development of services and programs for people with developmental disabilities, such as, autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, epilepsy and related neurological disorders which occur before age 18.

• The Washington Community Mental Health Council is a non-profit, professional association of about fifty mental health centers in communities across the State of Washington.

• Washington Citizen Action, Washington's largest grassroots public interest group. Their Web page has several links to Medicaid waiver reports and Medicaid issues.

• Northwest Federation of Community Organizations. The Northwest Federation of Community Organizations (NWFCO) is a regional organization comprised of four well-established statewide citizen action organizations – Idaho Community Action Network (ICAN), Montana People's Action (MPA), Oregon Action (OA), and Washington Citizen Action (WCA).

• The Washington Health Foundation is sponsoring town hall meetings across the State of Washington. Check their site for more information about health care in Washington State.

• The Washington State Public Interest Research Group (WashPIRG) is a statewide public interest advocacy organization. WashPIRG's mission is to deliver persistent, results-oriented activism that protects public health and the environment, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government.

• Check the University of Washington's Health Policy Analysis Program Web site for many links to reports and articles on health care policy in Washington State.

• Go to the Washington State Medical Association Web site to read news articles and position papers about Medicare, Medicaid, and tort reform, among others.

• NAMI Yakima.
  
• NAMI Tri-Cities.
  
• NAMI Whatcom County.
  
• NAMI South King.
  
• NAMI Eastside.
  
• NAMI Eastside Calendar of Events.

• The NAMI Greater Seattle Chapter (formerly WAMI - Washington Advocates for the Mentally Ill) Web site offers information and resources for mental health consumers. WAMI was formed in 1978 as a non-profit statewide organization by eight strangers who reached out in response to the needs of one family with a mentally ill member. In the following year, it co-founded the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI). NAMI Greater Seattle's mission is to address the unmet needs of individuals with mental illness through self-help support groups, 24-hour-a-day person-to-person crisis intervention, information and referral, outreach, advocacy, and public education.
  • The latest NAMI Greater Seattle Chapter support group calendar is a small Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file. Download the NAMI Greater Seattle Self-Help Support Group Calendar which is a small .pdf Adobe file to view a list of support groups that meet throughout the State of Washington. The list contains meetings and support groups related to self-esteem, spirituality, adult and child attention deficit disorder (ADD and ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression and bipolar disorders (MDD, BD), and schizophrenia, among others. This is one of the most comprehensive lists of in-person support groups in Washington State.

• NAMI Greater Seattle Chapter publishes an excellent bi-monthly newsletter called Spotlight. Past and current issues of Spotlight are available online as Adobe Acrobat .pdf files. Spotlight is a great resource for information and contains updates about meetings and educational forums.

  Other resources that are not directly affiliated with NAMI but are often listed as links at their sites are:

  • Eastside Bipolar Support Group. Check the excellent Links Page at the EBSG Web site.
    
  • Northwest Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
    
  • Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Greater Seattle.
    
  • The Parent Advocate Network.
    
  • Community Psychiatric Clinic.

• A Huge List of Local and National Social Services Links is maintained at the King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse & Dependency Services Division Resource Page.

• Seattle Area Resource Data Base. This is a very comprehensive list of Seattle-area mental health resources compiled by the Crisis Clinic of Seattle. You can search by keyword or by topic.

• The Northwest Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Web site has information and links to many ADHD support groups throughout Washington.

• Attention Deficit Disorder Resources of Washington is non-profit organization, based in Tacoma, Washington, whose focus is adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but whose purpose is to help all ADHD people achieve their full potential. Their site contains links to excellent articles about ADHD.

• South King County CHADD Chapter is the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder support group in South King County which works to improve the lives of people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

• The Alcoholics Anonymous Washington Page at the SoberPlace.com offers an updated list of all AA Web sites in Washington State.

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Greater Seattle. In addition to providing information about the DMDA of Seattle, this site maintains a large amount of links to depression and mental health support and advocacy groups and services.

• Depression After Delivery Washington is a non-profit organization established to meet a critical need in Washington -- to support and educate women with postpartum mood disorders and their families.

• Gender Identity Support at Ingersoll Center offers a full range of services to gender dysphoric clients such as referrals to therapists, support and peer counseling pertaining to issues of daily living, changes in lifestyle, preparation for surgery, and post-operative care. They offer support groups in a friendly, low-stress setting where cross dressing is encouraged, but never required.

• The Learning Disabilities Association of Washington promotes and provides services and support to improve the quality of life for individuals and families affected by learning and attentional disabilities.

• Narcotics Anonymous in Seattle is a fellowship of recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean and build a new way of life. If you have a problem with drugs of any kind, please call their phone line or go to one of their meetings.

• King County Sexual Assault Resource Center. The mission of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) is to alleviate, as much as possible, the trauma of sexual assault for victims and their families. As an agency, they wish to eliminate sexual assault and to insure the freedom to live without fear.

• Washington Protection and Advocacy System (WPAS). Washington Protection and Advocacy System (WPAS) is a private, non-profit organization that has been protecting the rights of people with disabilities in the state of Washington since 1972.

• Check the Web site for Real Change News, a Seattle bi-weekly newspaper sold on the streets of Seattle by vendors who may be homeless or low-income. The Real Change mission is to "organize, educate, and build alliances to create solutions to homelessness and poverty."

• Find out about First Things First, a coalition devoted to a more humane Seattle.

• Read the Real Change article posted September 19, 2002 -- The Doctor is OUT! -- Medicaid Deserts the Poor.

• The National Mental Health Association's (NMHA) Home Page -- The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness.

• The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Home Page -- Founded in 1979 as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI today works to achieve equitable services and treatment for more than 15 million Americans living with severe mental illnesses and their families.

• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Care -- Through precedent-setting litigation and in the public policy arena, the Bazelon Center works to advance and preserve the rights of people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities.

• Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) -- The Treatment Advocacy Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating legal and clinical barriers to timely and humane treatment for millions of Americans with severe brain disorders who are not receiving appropriate medical care.

• Campaign for Mental Health -- California Proposition 63 -- Proposition 63 expands mental health care for children and adults, using programs proven to be effective. Proposition 63 was passed in 2004 with 53.4% YES votes, an historic accomplishment for mental health in California.

• President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Web site features an online feedback section at which you can provide your comments to the Commission about access to mental health care and several other issues.

• Check Pulse, a free service of the Centre for Community Change International, which gathers new and noteworthy Internet resources for mental health providers, family members of individuals with mental illness, consumers of mental health services and consumer advocates.

• The Kaiser Family Foundation's Daily Health Policy Report Web site is a highly recommended site for keeping up with news about the drug industry, consumer initiatives, and all aspects of developing health care policy.

• Check the latest news and findings related to the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act, also known as Proposition 36, at the Proposition 36 Web site. It was passed by 61% of California voters on November 7, 2000.

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and health care of all Americans. Check the kind of projects they are funding and find links to health policy sites.

• Dads and Daughters is a national education and advocacy nonprofit organization for fathers and daughters. DADs strengthens father-daughter relationships and battles pervasive cultural messages that value daughters more for how they look than who they are.
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving is the mother of modern activist organizations. Drunk driving and its consequences can be prevented. You can take action to make your community a healthier and safer place. Join a growing number of people across the nation who have launched coordinated efforts to prevent drunk driving in their communities
• About.com's Fatherhood Site offers insights, links, and resources from one of the earliest fatherhood-focused Internet sites. You can apply to become the Guide for the About.com Fatherhood forum.
• The Nation provides links to all types of social, political and cultural information and activist organization Web sites.

- Best wishes, Ron Sterling M.D. (Seattle, Washington, USA)