BILL NUMBER: ACR 110	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 1, 2012

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Fletcher
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Block, Ma, and Wieckowski)

   (Coauthors: Senators Correa, Evans, Fuller, and Steinberg)

                        FEBRUARY 14, 2012

   Relative to California Mental Health No Stigma Week.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 110, as amended, Fletcher. California Mental Health No Stigma
Week.
   This measure would declare the week of  March 4, 
 May 20,  2012, through  March 10,  
May 26,  2012, as California Mental Health No Stigma Week.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, It is in the best interest of the state to increase
awareness regarding the negative stigma associated with mental
illness; and
   WHEREAS, Stigma is a very real problem for people who have a
mental illness; and
   WHEREAS, Every person needs and deserves to feel a sense of
belonging, and not be excluded or ostracized; and
   WHEREAS, The most formidable obstacle to future progress in the
area of mental health is stigma, and the nation has the power today
to tear down that obstacle; and
   WHEREAS, Throughout our great state, there are efforts by public
and private mental health agencies that work tirelessly to educate
the public about the harmful effects of stigma; and
   WHEREAS, Some of the harmful effects of stigma include trying to
pretend nothing is wrong, refusal to seek treatment, rejection by
family and friends, work or school problems or discrimination,
difficulty finding housing, being subjected to physical violence or
harassment, and inadequate health insurance coverage of mental
illnesses; and
   WHEREAS, Of California's approximately 36.8 million residents,
close to 1,175,000 adults live with a serious mental illness and
about 422,000 children live with serious mental health conditions;
and
   WHEREAS, While one in five Americans live with a mental disorder,
estimates indicate that nearly two-thirds of all people with a
diagnosable mental illness do not seek treatment, especially people
from diverse communities; and
   WHEREAS, Despite civil rights laws, such as the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, people with mental illnesses often
experience discrimination in education, housing, health care, and the
workplace; and
   WHEREAS, According to the California Mental Health Services
Oversight and Accountability Commission's report of 2007, a public
education campaign can improve the public's awareness of unmet needs
and reduce the harmful effects of stigma and discrimination; now,
therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the week of
 March 4, 2012, through March 10, 2012,   May
20, 2012, through May 26, 2012,  as California Mental Health No
Stigma Week; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.