NAMI Minnesota

11/01/2026

Join us for the NAMI Minnesota State Conference this Friday, November 6, from 8 am to 4:30 pm whether you’re in the cities, the St. Cloud area, or anywhere else in Minnesota. For the first time, we’re bringing our conference beyond St. Paul with an in-person gathering at The Park Event Center in Waite Park in the St. Cloud area, still within driving distance of the metro area and many other locations such as Alexandria, Willmar, Brainerd, and their surroundings. If you can’t make the trip, you can participate virtually.Our hybrid format makes it easier for people across Minnesota to access the conversations and ideas shaping mental health care and support in our state.

This year’s program explores the challenges facing Minnesota and the people working to address them. Keynote speaker Roxane Battle of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota will discuss how helpers can find pockets of joy amid difficult circumstances. Sessions will explore topics such as crisis response, culturally responsive mental health care, youth mental health, su***de prevention, housing and economic security, and the effects of policy changes and the One Big Beautiful Bill on mental health services. The program will also feature a live conversation about our Healing Minnesota report, moderated by Angela Davis, MPR News host. Panelists Farhiya Iman of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, Maria Cervantes of Raíces Sagradas Community Mental Health, and Darcie Davis-Gage, director of the BCBS of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral Health, will discuss community experiences, mental health needs, inequities, and opportunities.

Whether you’re a mental health professional, advocate, family member, community partner, or someone with lived experience, the conference offers opportunities to learn from others, share perspectives, and strengthen our collective efforts. With people participating from across the state, we expect this NAMI Minnesota State Conference to be our most attended ever. In-person registration is $85 and includes breakfast and lunch. Virtual registration is $50. Eligible professionals may also earn up to six continuing education credits. Don’t miss your opportunity. This is your last chance to register! https://namimn.org/namimn-events/nami-conferences/state-conference/

10/31/2026

In the United States, mental health challenges affect millions of school-age children. According to the CDC, approximately 11 percent of children ages 3 to 17 had a current anxiety diagnosis in 2023–2024, while 4 percent had depression and 8 percent had a behavioral disorder. While home life, friends, social media, and body image all have an impact on the mental health of children, school itself can also be a source of unhappiness. Yet a growing body of research from around the world shows that schools can actually help children lead happier lives — if they value such outcomes.

What we can learn from the Nordic emphasis on social-emotional learning.

10/31/2026

Join us in person in Waite Park or online from wherever you are in Minnesota. The virtual experience will include the keynote, lunch panel conversation, select workshops, and closing keynote, making it easier than ever to connect with the people and ideas shaping Minnesota’s mental health future.

NAMI Minnesota Annual State Conference Friday, November 6 The Park Event Center | Waite Park, Minnesota Hybrid Event Join NAMI Minnesota on Friday, November 6 at The Park Event Center in Waite Park…

10/31/2026

Join us for the NAMI Minnesota State Conference on Friday, November 6, from 8 am to 4:30 pm whether you’re in the cities, the St. Cloud area, or anywhere else in Minnesota. For the first time, we’re bringing our conference beyond St. Paul with an in-person gathering at The Park Event Center in Waite Park in the St. Cloud area, still within driving distance of the metro area and many other locations such as Alexandria, Willmar, Brainerd, and their surroundings. If you can’t make the trip, you can participate virtually. Our hybrid format makes it easier for people across Minnesota to access the conversations and ideas shaping mental health care and support in our state.

The program will feature a conversation about our Healing Minnesota report, moderated by Angela Davis, MPR News host. Panelists Farhiya Iman of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation, Maria Cervantes of Raíces Sagradas Community Mental Health, and Darcie Davis-Gage, director of the BCBS of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral Health, will discuss community experiences, mental health needs, inequities, and opportunities.

Whether you’re a mental health professional, advocate, family member, community partner, or someone with lived experience, the conference offers opportunities to learn from others, share perspectives, and strengthen our collective efforts. With people participating from across the state, we expect this NAMI Minnesota State Conference to be our most attended ever. In-person registration is $85 and includes breakfast and lunch. Virtual registration is $50. Eligible professionals may also earn up to six continuing education credits. Don’t miss your opportunity.

Register today: https://namimn.org/namimn-events/nami-conferences/state-conference/

10/30/2026

Sleep and mental health have a strong connection. Ever notice how everything feels more overwhelming when you’re tired? That’s not your imagination. When you’re sleep deprived, your brain isn’t able to regulate your emotions as efficiently as it should. As a result, everyday stressors can feel bigger and more difficult to manage.

Learn more about News Detail at hartfordhealthcare.org

10/30/2026

A St. Paul community collaboration is the ‘secret sauce’ helping the fight against opioid addiction among at-risk refugee Karen and Karenni youth.

Minnesota's Karen teens face an opioid crisis while adjusting to a new country. In St. Paul, communities are working together to help.

10/30/2026

The general election is Tuesday, November 3! The polls are open 7am-8pm, and you have a right to take time off work to vote without losing your pay, personal leave, or vacation time: https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/election-day-voting/time-off-work-to-vote/

Make a plan and be prepared with the resources below.

- Register to vote on election day: https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/register-to-vote/register-on-election-day/
- View your sample ballot: https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/whats-on-my-ballot/
- Learn about your polling place: https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov/

10/29/2026

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 31 children nationwide have been identified as having autism. For children with autism, Halloween can be a great opportunity to engage with their local communities and share in the excitement of trick-or-treating. However, sensory sensitivities and communication differences can sometimes make the experience challenging and stressful for them. By making a few simple accommodations, you can help every trick-or-treater who comes to your door feel included in the Halloween fun.

This year, make Halloween more inclusive for autistic children with these six tips for welcoming neurodivergent trick-or-treaters.

10/29/2026

NAMI Minnesota advocated several years ago to fund locked Intensive Residential Treatment Services (IRTS) facilities as an alternative to jail for people involved in the criminal legal system. Despite state policy and funding allowing for locked IRTS since 2022, the federal government had not cleared the facilities to use Medicaid funding, creating a barrier for the majority of people who would use this service.

Last week, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that it received confirmation on the use of Medicaid funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We are pleased to announce that CMS has affirmed that locked IRTS are not considered "public institutions" and are not subject to the Medicaid inmate exclusion rule. This rule prohibits anyone who is incarcerated from using Medicaid. As NAMI Minnesota affirmed from the start, locked IRTS facilities are treatment facilities and not correctional facilities, and we are hopeful that this line of service can be grown throughout the state to serve criminal justice involved individuals with mental illnesses.

These facilities are particularly important for people who have been found incompetent to stand trial, but who would otherwise remain in jail with limited access to treatment. Locked IRTS facilities have the same admission criteria as unlocked IRTS facilities and provide up to 90 days of stabilization and residential treatment. You can read more about the decision here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNDHS/bulletins/4304669

10/29/2026

Join us for the NAMI Minnesota State Conference on Friday, November 6, from 8 am to 4:30 pm whether you’re in the cities, the St. Cloud area, or anywhere else in Minnesota. For the first time, we’re bringing our conference beyond St. Paul with an in-person gathering at The Park Event Center in Waite Park in the St. Cloud area, still within driving distance of the metro area and many other locations such as Alexandria, Willmar, Brainerd, and their surroundings. If you can’t make the trip, you can participate virtually. Our hybrid format makes it easier for people across Minnesota to access the conversations and ideas shaping mental health care and support in our state.

Whether you’re a mental health professional, advocate, family member, community partner, or someone with lived experience, the conference offers opportunities to learn from others, share perspectives, and strengthen our collective efforts. With people participating from across the state, we expect this NAMI Minnesota State Conference to be our most attended ever. In-person registration is $85 and includes breakfast and lunch. Virtual registration is $50. Eligible professionals may also earn up to six continuing education credits. Don’t miss your opportunity. Register: https://namimn.org/namimn-events/nami-conferences/state-conference/