Background: In 2011, after an extended investigation of Mississippi's mental health system, the United States Department of Justice found that Mississippi was “unnecessarily institutionalizing persons with mental illness” in violation of…
Last Tuesday, June 22, was the 21st anniversary of the ruling in the landmark Supreme Court case, Olmstead v L.C., which established that people with disabilities, including mental illness, have the…
Mother's Day is Sunday, May 9. We hope it is a sweet and wonderful day for all the moms reading this, but we also know it can be a day…
by Joy Hogge This past October the world lost an amazing, charming, larger-than-life advocate and icon when the much-beloved founder of Families as Allies, Tessie Schweitzer, passed away far too…
We typically finalize our plans for the weekly edition of the Ally in our Monday morning staff meeting. This Monday morning we shared our horror in response to the shootings…
Reflections from Joy Hogge during Women's History Month ... I recently watched the movie Sunshine Cleaning. I was moved by it, but it's an unusual movie and may not be to…
Every year, on the third Monday of January, our nation honors the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This commemoration is meaningful to Families as Allies for many reasons,…
No new year has ever been as anticipated and awaited as 2021. Although the stroke of midnight is unlikely to bring magical new beginnings, every new year brings the feeling…
It can be hard to find the right words this time of year. "Merry" and "Christmas" are two that come to mind. If you celebrate Christmas and are feeling merry,…
Steven Allen, Deputy Director of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, is retiring at the end of this month. Steve first visited Families as Allies in 2017, in the midst…