Two great advocacy training opportunities are going virtual, and they are free. We encourage everyone to sign up for both. Both also offer opportunities to nominate individuals and/or organizations who have made a difference through their advocacy.
The Mississippi disAbility Virtual MegaConference is June 18 and will consist of six one-hour sessions, all of which require individual registration (click on the title to register for those sessions you wish to attend):
- Emergency Preparedness in the Disability Community
- Promoting a Continuum of Behavioral Health Care in Mississippi using PCIT-related Services for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
- Medicaid and Managed Care Appeals – How to Win
- An Update on the ADA, Olmstead and Mental Health Reform in Mississippi
- Mississippi ABLE Accounts: Saving Without Losing Benefits
- Your Right to Vote: Why it Counts!
The conference will once again honor two Champions. You can nominate a Champion of the Americans with Disabilities Act here and a Champion of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act here. The links explain the awards in more depth. Nominations are due Friday, May 15.
In lieu of its usual Hill Day in Washington DC, the National Council for Behavioral Health is hosting Hill Day at Home June 23 and 24. Check out the agenda here and register at this link. Joy Hogge is serving as Mississippi’s state captain for the third time and highly recommends this event as a way to learn about national mental health policy and received the advocacy training to make a difference at the federal level.
Hill Day offers the opportunity to honor advocacy champions through these awards:
- Award for Individual Achievement in Advocacy – In honor of an individual who has demonstrated exemplary efforts and results in advocating for legislative or regulatory policies that increase access to mental health and substance use services.
- Award for Organizational Achievement in Advocacy – Given in honor of an organization that has demonstrated exemplary efforts and results in advocating for legislative or regulatory policies that increase access to mental health and substance use services.
- Award for Public Service in Advocacy – Given in honor of a state or local elected official who has demonstrated exemplary efforts and results in promoting behavioral health policies that increase access to mental health and substance use services.
Nominations can be submitted at this link and are due Friday, May 22.
