Pioneer, America's first mental health court dedicated to the decriminalization of persons with mental illness. Author, NSU Adjunct Professor, Global Speaker.
"And I chose to survive. God, I love being alive!"
πΆ Bein' Alive - Melissa Etheridge, RISE 2026
π§ https://t.co/FjsClbTms7
#SoundsOfTheSummer#MelissaEtheridge
As Minnesotans, and as people who work every day on mental health, we owe it to Ava, to Alexis, and to every family living with this kind of grief to say plainly what is happening and what we must do about it. Minnesota is losing young people to suicide, according to deeply concerning recent data. This is not an abstraction. This is happening in communities across our state β places where neighbors know each other by name, where kids ride the same buses, where grief travels fast and lingers long.
And yet the resources needed to respond β school counselors, community mental health providers, crisis services, prevention programs β are not equally available to every Minnesota family. In many parts of our state, particularly outside the Twin Cities metro, the gap between need and available care can be vast. Distance is its own barrier. Stigma is another. And the shortage of mental health professionals across Greater Minnesota is not a new problem β it has simply grown more urgent.
Read the commentary by Marcus Schmit, NAMI Minnesota executive director: https://t.co/l8Fvp9JMCJ
βFewer adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported using tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and binge drinking in the previous month, the survey found.β
Good news, though ongoing gaps remain in access to mental health and addiction care.
We must invest in workforce!
https://t.co/YFdCW9vsOr
As Minnesotans, and as people who work every day on mental health, we owe it to Ava, to Alexis, and to every family living with this kind of grief to say plainly what is happening and what we must do about it. Minnesota is losing young people to suicide, according to deeply concerning recent data.
This is not an abstraction. This is happening in communities across our stateβplaces where neighbors know each other by name, where kids ride the same buses, where grief travels fast and lingers long.
And yet the resources needed to respondβschool counselors, community mental health providers, crisis services, prevention programsβare not equally available to every Minnesota family. In many parts of our state, particularly outside the Twin Cities metro, the gap between need and available care can be vast. Distance is its own barrier. Stigma is another. And the shortage of mental health professionals across Greater Minnesota is not a new problemβit has simply grown more urgent.
Read the commentary by Marcus Schmit, NAMI Minnesota executive director: https://t.co/l8Fvp9JeNb