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Kathy Bashor is a staunch advocate of peer and family-driven care in the behavioral health system. Her can-do spirit has resulted in the strengthening of the peer/family voice, access to care and choice in services throughout the system. Personally understanding the impact of trauma on health, Kathy led the Arizona Department of Health on a successful statewide campaign to adopt Trauma Informed Care into all aspects of the behavioral health system. Kathy earned her master’s degree from ASU where she served as faculty for four years. Kathy is retired from AHCCCS as the Bureau Chief of the Office of Individual and Family Affairs. Kathy calls herself “semi-retired” as she currently serves as President of both NAMI Yavapai and Arizona Peer and Family Coalition.
Kathy greatly values the opportunity to meet others who have met life challenges with courage and respect. Most importantly, Kathy has been able to find peace within herself.
I am deeply honored to be the NAMI Southeastern Arizona Affiliate’s Honorary Chair for the 12th Annual March for Mental Health! You have no idea what a thrill this is for me to join so many NAMI friends who have worked so hard to improve the mental health conditions in Southeastern Arizona.
NAMI has been a lifeline for me. After spending seven years in mental hospitals, I found myself faced with stigma in trying to reenter society. My only friends were those in hospitals and I had no idea as to how to initiate new friendships. My family was broken and scared by the financial and emotional stress of my hospitalizations. They did not understand the effects of being institutionalized, isolation cells or shock treatments. My parents felt guilty and blamed each other for the genes I inherited. My little sister spent a childhood feeling abandoned as her big sister received all the attention. Those years could have been very different for my family. There was no NAMI then…
Today, NAMI Southeastern Arizona offers exactly the signature programs and supports my family so desperately needed. The NAMI volunteers are those individuals who have experienced the ravages of mental illness, either themselves or within their families. These dedicated volunteers offer hope and understanding to our community through signature programs such as Family to Family and Peer to Peer. Programs structured to educate about psychiatric medications, navigating the system and learning to live with a loved one that has a mental health condition.
NAMI Southeastern Arizona provides community education which helps families recognize and reach out for support through the behavioral health system. This is especially important to young people who face tremendous pressure and often struggle to make sense of the constantly changing political environment. At times, their despair can lead to thoughts of suicide. NAMI provides support through programs designed to help educators, the community, and the judicial system identify the signs of hopelessness and intervene before it's too late. How many young people in Southeastern Arizona can appreciate the direction their lives took because NAMI was there for them?
NAMI offers grassroots advocacy that impacts policymaking and elected officials. Through our education programs, community leaders work to ensure rural areas receive their share of mental health services. NAMI Southeastern Arizona is there to listen to your needs and concerns and shares your voice with your legislative representatives.
NAMI Southeastern Arizona is the voice of mental illness for your community.
Please support NAMI Southeastern Arizona so other families do not have to face the journey of mental illness alone!
As a peer, with the support of NAMI, I was able to move on with my life. I found acceptance and support and with that push, I was able to start the recovery process. Now I am an active NAMI volunteer knowing firsthand the difference we can make in others’ lives.
Thank you,
Kathy Bashor