[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 136 (Tuesday, August 16, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING MRS. MARIA EUGENIA OSUNA, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL 
                    ILLNESS (NAMI), SAN DIEGO REGION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JUAN VARGAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 16, 2022

  Mr. VARGAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Maria Eugenia 
Osuna of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), San Diego 
Region. Mrs. Osuna served as the Outreach Coordinator for this 
organization for ten years. She is currently retired and is a resident 
of the Castle Park community in the City of Chula Vista, CA.
  Mrs. Osuna has been recognized for her long years of service with 
NAMI, during which she founded and organized various support group 
programs throughout San Diego County to help minority parents who have 
children with mental illness.
  Before for her professional career with NAMI, Mrs. Osuna served as a 
volunteer for the organization, because her son was diagnosed with 
paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 17. Both her father and brother 
were diagnosed with mental illnesses, and both committed suicide. Mrs. 
Osuna did not want her son to suffer the same fate.
  After realizing that resources for minority families with mental 
illness were limited, Mrs. Osuna took NAMI's 12-week program to learn 
more about her son's illness, and she began to assist other minority 
families with similar situations. Through her time and commitment, Mrs. 
Osuna was formally offered a position with NAMI.
  Mrs. Osuna created and organized support groups for Latinx parents 
who have children with a mental illness. Her support group programs 
were the first in San Diego County to be held in Spanish. Mrs. Osuna's 
goal has always been to provide education, support, and advocacy to 
minority families, as well as to dispel misconceptions and stereotypes 
on mental illness.
  Mrs. Osuna is to be honored as the 51st District Constituent of the 
Month, particularly during National Minority Mental Health Awareness 
Month, for her outstanding commitment to supporting minority families 
with education and advocacy on mental health awareness, as well as all 
her service and efforts that have helped those in need build a brighter 
future.

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