[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF MORRIS COUNTY'S 60TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2013

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Mental 
Health Association of Morris County; located in the Borough of Mountain 
Lakes, New Jersey, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.
  The Mental Health Association of Morris County is a local chapter of 
the New Jersey Division of the National Mental Health Association, now 
known as Mental Health America. In earlier days of mental health 
treatment, asylums often restrained the mentally ill with chains and 
shackles. With the advent of better understanding came more humane 
treatments, and the cruel practice was halted. In the early 1950s, 
Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for 
their discarded fetters. On April 13, 1956, the McShane Bell Foundry in 
Baltimore, Maryland, recast these into the Mental Health Bell, to be a 
sign of hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over 
mental illnesses. The bell, now the symbol of Mental Health America, 
serves as a powerful reminder of the invisible chains of 
misunderstanding and discrimination that continue to bind people with 
mental illnesses.
  The Mental Health Association of Morris County was incorporated in 
1953, when a small number of people in recovery from mental illness and 
their families decided to bring the advocacy organization local, for a 
better mental health system of care. The mission of this organization 
is to promote mental health and to support and empower people in 
recovery from mental illness through effective services, education, and 
advocacy. Within the community of Morris County, the Mental Health 
Association provides services to those who are most devastated by 
mental illness, giving them hope for recovery. They employ peer workers 
who have gone through similar struggles to help coach the next 
generation of mentally ill. The organization aids those in need 
transition from homelessness to housing, and from psychiatric hospitals 
to the community. Additionally, the Mental Health Association of Morris 
County serves as advocates of community education, improvement of 
services, policies, and resources, and promotes self help.
  The goal of independence for those suffering, both financially and in 
conducting their lives, is an important aspect of promoting wellness. 
Financial support and counseling allows mentally ill people to live 
independently in their permanent housing opportunities where they might 
otherwise end up in expensive institutional or jail facilities. Their 
Peer-to- Peer Support Line, staffed by those recovering from mental 
illness, also provides cost-efficient access to counselors if the 
mentally ill person is suffering from a psychiatric emergency. These 
services reach over 3,000 people per year. The Mental Health 
Association of Morris County has a staff of 85, a volunteer Board of 
Directors, and over 100 volunteers working to achieve this mission, on 
a budget of only $6 million. They are a lead county agency in promoting 
recovery and wellness from people with mental illness and their 
families. They continue to embody a just and humane approach to 
promoting integration into a community in which all people with mental 
illness are accorded respect, dignity, and the opportunity to achieve 
their full potential, free from stigma and discrimination.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
the Mental Health Association of Morris County as they celebrate their 
60th anniversary.

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