Executive Director Paul Johansen welcomes the gathering at Zucchini's.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — NAMI Berkshire County is celebrating 40 years of breaking down stigmas and supporting mental health.

The local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness held its annual meeting at Zucchini's Restaurant on Wednesday. Between fundraising and sponsorships, the organization brought in nearly $91,700 in the last year and invested about $28,000 into its programs.

The 40th anniversary also comes with change, as Paul Johansen was hired as the new executive director and the nonprofit moved to an office space at 141 North St., Suite 301 in downtown Pittsfield.

Johansen said he finds it important and rewarding work because mental illness cuts across all barriers, affecting all types of people regardless of factors such as race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic class.

"It's been very rewarding just reaching out and talking to other leaders and other nonprofits and other organizations about how we can collaborate," he said, explaining that if you look for common ground, you can always find it and figure out where interests overlap.

He has both a personal and professional interest in the field and has even worked with fellow Yale alumni to settle a case against the Ivy League for having detrimentally poor mental health support for students.

Incorporated in 1984, the non-profit's mission is to improve the quality of life for local residents with mental illness and their families through support, education, and advocacy.

In the last year, more than 200 people have been reached through support groups; over 150 have received education through youth mental health retreats, youth mental health first aid training, and a workshop for community health worker students at Berkshire Community College; more than 600 people through awareness efforts, and over 400 through advocacy.

In October 2023, NAMI executive directors across the country met in Washington, D.C., for Capitol Hill Day to meet with senators and representatives and asked for expanded mental health crisis response services.

Additionally, a mental health resource guide was created and citizen monitor volunteers were trained to visit behavioral health units at Berkshire Medical Center monthly and solicit feedback about where additional supports would be effective.

Board President Ruth Healy pointed out that the organization's expenditures were around $30,000 higher than its yearly revenue and support.  

"A nonprofit is not intended to make a profit but that does put us in a hole so we are really trying to ramp up grant funding and fundraisers of any kind," she said.

"Every dollar helps."

During the event, Kevin O'Hara incited laughter and a few tears when he read two Christmas stories from his 2021 book, "A Christmas Journey." O'Hara was a psychiatric nurse at Berkshire Medical Center for more than 30 years and details the experience in his other book "Ins and Outs of a Locked Ward."

Awards were presented to three individuals for their contributions to the community. Rae Langsdale received the Eunice E. Zorbo Member of the Year Award, Officer Hunter O'Neill received the Eunice E. Zorbo Citizen of the Year Award, and Dr. Deborah Buccino received the Silver Ribbon Mental Health Advocate Award.

Langsdale is a board member and is said to go above and beyond for members of the peer support group that she facilitates.

"I'm just extremely honored. This is a wonderful organization, I love working with it, and I love the support group that we have in Pittsfield," she said.

"Everybody is just wonderful. We've got a great group that likes to get together and not just talk about their issues but even play games together and watch movies together."

O'Neill has implemented a joint diversion response team at the Pittsfield Police Department, a unit that consists of crisis intervention trained officers and co-responders who focus on communication and building a positive rapport with an individual suffering from mental illness and substance abuse issues.

Board member Abigail Hunt, who works in the office at the police department, saw that he had a passion for humanizing the badge and bringing this kind of service to a vulnerable community.

"What Hunter did is he made sure that we had officers on each shift who were dedicated to these calls so not only are they constantly interacting with these individuals but they're giving them comfort," she said, pointing out that it also offers an alternative to arrests and provides the support that people need.

The officer wrote his Master's thesis about the effects of mental illness stigma on law enforcement officers and their relationships within the community.

"It's very much still in its infancy and it's got a long way to go," he said about the program.

 "But I find it to be very important and very rewarding work so we're just going to continue pushing on and hopefully we can make some great strides in the community here."

Buccino was recognized for helping to create the Southern Berkshire Community Care Coordination which addresses issues school children and their families face through collaboration with different agencies.

"I think what's really important about it is we really have to focus early on so that we can address issues with the kids so then we'll hopefully have less problems with age," she explained.

"And the health systems here aren't always recognizing that so we're having to get grant supports and community supports to do this kind of work."

The project began before the COVID-19 pandemic and was especially needed after the effects of the unprecedented time.

"This is what I love about the Berkshires and this is the collaborative community part," Johansen said.

Looking into the future, he would like to expand NAMI's reach more into North and South counties, explaining that the new office allows for potential events that bring people together such as book clubs.