Dec 19, 2024 –
As one year comes to an end and a new year begins, I look back on my time as board president of Breaking the Silence NM and forward to the work still to come. I joined the board of Breaking the Silence NM at the beginning of the pandemic and became board president in December of 2021. During this time my connection to our mission has grown.
Breaking the Silence NM continues to present “Talking Mental Health” lessons around New Mexico and educate youth about mental illness and the stigma still so often attached. We see more young people understanding what mental illness is and being willing to share their stories. We have developed new lessons about bullying and the impact of social media on young people’s mental health.
Our fund raising has become more successful with the first annual Serve it Up for Life Tennis Tournament and the first Construction Suicide Prevention Cornhole Tournament which raised a combined $55,000. Working with Albuquerque Interfaith and a coalition of other organizations working on mental health issues, we managed to free up $50,000 in funds we were owed by the state, and the millions of dollars other organizations were owed as well.
My personal journey with mental illness and behavioral health entered a new chapter as my chosen sister Phoenix, who has lived with serious mental illness all her life was diagnosed with cancer in late March. In the 25 years I have known Phoenix, I have witnessed her struggles and the discrimination she has faced. Since the end of March, I became her paid caregiver and taken her to many appointments and talked with other caregivers and many health professionals. What I have seen is that little training is given to health professionals about how to understand and identify mental illness. I have also seen how little support caregivers, health professionals, and first responders receive to support their mental health.
In the upcoming year we hope to present in more classes around the state, continue to work to address the mental health of those in the construction industry that has one of the highest rates of suicide of all professions and to begin to engage physical health professionals to address the connection between mental/behavioral health and physical health. It is my plan to go to the state legislature many times in the upcoming session and ask for more support from legislators so BTSNM can continue to expand the important work we do. Please contact your state legislator and ask them to support Breaking the Silence NM and prioritize mental/behavioral health in NM.
I want to thank my fellow board members past and present, our fantastic staff/presenters and our hard-working and dedicated executive director Ysidra Tellez. I also want to thank those who have supported Breaking the Silence NM through their donations of time and money and helping to spread the word about the work we do. Please consider becoming a monthly donor. https://www.breakingthesilencenm.org/support-btsnm/
Dan Frampton, LCSW
