Starting this school year, Minnesota schools must provide mental health education for students in grades 4–12. This is an important step toward making mental health literacy a part of every student’s education. Mental health education can help young people recognize signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, reduce stigma and discrimination, know when and how to seek help, support a friend who may be struggling, and learn about resources like 988. NAMI Minnesota’s Ending the Silence program meets the new requirements, giving schools a practical way to bring this education into the classroom. This free, evidence-based presentation is designed for middle and high school students. It combines videos and personal testimony from a young adult who shares their recovery journey. Students learn about mental health, resources, suicide prevention, and how to end the silence around mental illness. Schools can schedule a free Ending the Silence presentation. Contact Candace at [email protected] or Renee at [email protected]. yahoo.com/news/videos/nami-m…

A new investigation by Jessie Van Berkel and Sarah Ritter for the Minnesota @StarTribune highlights a serious problem in Minnesota’s mental health system: vulnerable children and adults experiencing mental health crises have been placed in hotel rooms because there are not enough appropriate, safe treatment and crisis care settings. The conditions described in this reporting are deeply concerning. Children have spent months in hotels without consistent access to schooling, appropriate care, or adequate support. Adults and young people have also been placed in environments where supervision and safety have been inadequate. Minnesota is ending the use of hotels for Medicaid-funded crisis respite services, but ending one inadequate option does not solve the underlying problem. Minnesota needs more safe, appropriate, community-based mental health services and treatment options so that people experiencing a crisis are not left without somewhere to go. People in mental health crisis deserve care that is safe, therapeutic, and designed to meet their needs. startribune.com/kids-mental-…

The already complicated process of applying for or renewing Medicaid coverage (known as “Medical Assistance” or “MA” in Minnesota) will be more complex and difficult to navigate, especially for people with mental illnesses. The 2025 Congressional Budget Reconciliation Bill - H.R.1, aka the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, made sweeping changes to the Medicaid program. One of the biggest changes under the new law is that most adults without dependent children who qualify for Medicaid based on their income (also known as the “Medicaid Expansion” group) will be subject to work reporting requirements starting in 2027. This same group will also need to renew their Medicaid coverage every six months, rather than once a year. Medicaid is the largest payer of mental health services in our state, and these changes will directly harm Minnesota's mental health system. The law passed by Congress explicitly recognized that work reporting requirements were not appropriate for many people with mental health and substance use challenges. However, the new rules issued last week require someone not just to have a certain condition (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar) but also to show that the condition impairs their ability to work. The rules also limit the state's ability to allow people to self-attest, instead requiring them to gather and submit evidence of a condition that prevents them from working. These new rules are much more restrictive than anyone expected and deeply harmful. Read the full commentary here: minnesotareformer.com/2026/0…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year, NAMI Minnesota invites you to stand with us under a shared commitment: Stronger Together: Healing Begins in Community. Together, we are leading a sustained effort to support individuals living with mental illness or trauma, along with their families and communities, while working to end stigma and discrimination. We are seeing it firsthand. Our helpline is receiving more calls from families of detained individuals, from providers seeking support, and from people experiencing heightened trauma, paranoia, and isolation. Accessing residential placements and insurance coverage are current challenges as well. For those living with serious mental illnesses, these stressors can quickly escalate into crisis. At the same time, the systems meant to support them are under strain. Mental health providers are facing burnout, long waitlists, and funding instability that threatens essential community-based services. That is where NAMI Minnesota steps in. Throughout May, we are offering a wide range of free classes, educational programs, and support groups—many available online—so that anyone, anywhere in Minnesota, can access help. These peer-led programs, grounded in lived experience, are proven to reduce isolation, build resilience, and support recovery. We are also: - Hosting a special screening of No One Cares About Crazy People on May 18 at the iconic The Parkway Theater. - Expanding suicide prevention and postvention efforts to support individuals and communities after loss. - Providing safe, supportive spaces not only for individuals and families, but also for the professionals and clinicians who care for them. But none of this work is possible without you. Our goal this month is to raise $30,000 to keep these services free and accessible. Help Us Raise $30,000 This Month: namimn.org/get-involved/dona…