The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has selected two new Outreach Partners to serve the state of California. The Mental Health Association of California and Mental Health America of Los Angeles in partnership with the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute will represent the Northern/Central and Southern regions of the state, respectively.

“Through the work with our community partners we know that many people do not have a good understanding of mental health issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression and anxiety, and they know even less about the latest mental health research findings,” said Holly Kiger, RN, MN, CNS, Research Navigator at SC CTSI. “There are resources to help, but many people don’t know about them. In our role as an NIMH Outreach Partner we will help change that in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California.”

The Outreach Partnership Program is a nationwide initiative of the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) Office of Constituency Relations and Public Liaison (OCRPL). The Program works to increase the public’s access to science-based mental health information through partnerships with national and state nonprofit organizations. The Program has a particular emphasis on reaching historically underserved populations. The Program also strives to enhance opportunities for the public to benefit from participation in research. These partnerships provide NIMH with the opportunity to engage community organizations in dialogue to better understand the needs, questions, and concerns of those intended to benefit from the research the Institute supports.

The Outreach Partnership Program is vital to NIMH’s efforts to deliver science-based information to communities across the country. Specifically, the Program is designed to:

• Foster more widespread understanding about mental disorders, the brain, and behavior, thereby helping to reduce misperceptions and negative attitudes towards mental illness; 
• Increase awareness of the role of basic, translational, and clinical research in the understanding, prevention, and treatment of mental illnesses; and
• Increase awareness about the opportunities to benefit from participation in mental health research.

There are 55 Outreach Partner organizations representing all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Outreach Partners disseminate NIMH research findings and educational materials to the public throughout their states and local communities, including families and individuals affected by mental illness, healthcare professionals, underserved populations, and other constituencies such as schools, social service agencies, and faith-based organizations. Outreach Partners also conduct targeted outreach activities to address mental disorders among children and adolescents and other populations identified to be at-risk, and mental health disparities that occur because of race, ethnicity, age (e.g., older adults), education, income, disability status, geographic location, or risk status related to sex and gender. In addition, Outreach Partners promote volunteer participation in NIMH and NIH clinical trials and often collaborate with researchers to advance the research process. Learn more about what Outreach Partners are doing to address mental health disparities and increase awareness about mental disorders during childhood and adolescence.

Outreach Partners are selected through a competitive process and serve three-year terms. Benefits provided to these organizations include an annual stipend, sponsored participation in an annual meeting, the biweekly electronic Update newsletter featuring the latest Federal news and resources related to mental health, and access to NIMH scientific and educational publications for mass dissemination. Partners are able to network among themselves and with Federal, national, and state organizations through the annual meetings and a dedicated electronic mailing list. See all 55 partners

View full announcement on NIMH.NIH.gov

Related links

• NIMH Home page
• NIMH Outreach Partnership Program webpage
• National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials website
• NIMH Clinical Trials webpage
• NIMH Outreach Partnership Program description
• Educational resources
• New publications – in English
• New publications – in Spanish
• Videos: The latest research on a variety of topics including autism, suicide prevention, and new mental health services for returning