For over forty years, I’ve wrestled with a mental healthcare system that’s more labyrinth than lifeline, watching loved ones, friends, even strangers, fall through the gaping cracks. Then, the final blows: my sister, my father, tragically, swallowed whole by the darkness. I couldn’t breathe.
When I started to breathe again, as we all do, Access Navigation started to take shape.
This lifeline was just an idea, until these incredibly good humans materialized: Joanna Crowell, April Myers, Joyce Cozenza, Amanda Olson, Brian Parent, Sugi Yi, Chad and Leah Lynch, Angelo Ferlioto Alyssa DeSena, Alli Blair, Sam Lyman Becky Geotch and Brian Fountain… They are the reason this project was born, the reason we stand ready to fight, ready to serve.
It all starts with faith. Faith in ourselves, faith in each other, faith in the power of a community that refuses to be silenced. We have to get together. We have to start talking. We have to believe that change is possible. Because when we stand together, we become the change.
WE are going hyperlocal, forging bonds, providing real connection. This is about reclaiming your power, finding your voice and truly connecting.
Please support our efforts. Donate your time, extra funds,or even your voice. Let’s tear down the walls of this broken system and build something better, something real. Something that honors those we’ve lost, and gives hope to those who still fight. ( Thanks so much for your support, even reading this blog in completion makes a difference!)
We can’t do this without you. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any ideas that you think might help. It’s “all hands on deck” time. Xo Ei
Sources:
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicide Facts at a Glance. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/data.html
[2] American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2022. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics.html
[3] National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI Budget Fact Book. https://www.cancer.gov/about-nci/budget
[4] National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). NIMH Budget. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/budget
[5] National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). NIAID Budget.
[6] National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). NHLBI Budget.
