Advocacy
The basic roots of TMHCA’s foundation is teaching people to make informed choices about their health and making the public aware through education and support. TMHCA’s Education and Support Program provides training, technical assistance and educational activities directed at building self-advocacy skills for persons diagnosed with mental illness and are Involved in advocacy activities directed at system change by collaboration with groups and ad-hoc committees working on mental health issues. TMHCA’s Advocates engage in educational outreach to stakeholder groups and the general public and participate in local and State Regional Planning Council meetings. TMHCA also offers one statewide annual conference or one regional meeting in each grand region of Tennessee.
Public Policy
TMHCA’s Public Policy initiatives provides the opportunity to sit down with key individuals to share ideas about change. Our Public Policy program is the process we use to negotiate and mediate a dialogue through which influential people, opinion leaders, and ultimately, decision makers take ownership of our ideas and proposals and subsequently act upon them.
Public Policy Advocacy includes traditional activities such as lobbying and public education. Successes include capacity building, relationship building, forming networks, and leadership development. Successful actions can impactful tools to affect the bias and stigma associated with mental illness.