May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which began in 1949 as a way to address a largely overlooked and stigmatized sector of health care.
As part of L.A. Care’s continued work in bringing advocacy and building awareness for mental health services, we partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) to sponsor their 20th Anniversary NAMI Walk event, which was held on Saturday, May 4 at L.A. Historic Park.
NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
The morning began around 8 a.m., when L.A. Care employee Merllely Camacho and the L.A. Care Behavioral Health Team, set up a booth with information of services that L.A. Care provides members, including mental health and substance use disorders.
L.A. Care provides access to these services through Primary Care Physicians (PCPs), Behavioral Health Specialists from Carelon Behavioral Health, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Members can access a variety of services depending on the type and severity of symptoms and need. The goal is to ensure and facilitate the provision of appropriate behavioral health services to L.A. Care members.
Twenty-eight staff members, including family and friends, signed up to walk on behalf of L.A. Care and were part of the thousands of people who joined the walk to raise funds and awareness around mental health services.
Other notable guests in attendance included Mayor Karen Bass and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.
Thank you to everyone who participated!