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West Linn proclaims May Mental Health Awareness Month; NAMI Clackamas briefs council on services and stigma
Summary
City Council read a proclamation declaring May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month and heard a presentation from Gary Marski of NAMI Clackamas on peer support, programs for families and jailed individuals, and the role of stigma in delaying care.
On May 5 the West Linn City Council read a proclamation declaring May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month and invited Gary Marski of NAMI Clackamas to brief the council on local outreach and peer‑support programs.
Council President Baumgartner read the proclamation, and added a personal note about family experience with mental illness. Baumgartner said later, “my mother suffered from probably undiagnosed or misdiagnosed mental illness most of my life…and getting help is very important.”
Gary Marski described NAMI Clackamas as a county affiliate that provides peer support, classes and community education. Marski told the council that the average time between first noticing mental‑health concerns and seeking help is “11 years,” which he attributed primarily to stigma. He urged the council and community to change how people talk about mental illness, citing programs NAMI offers: peer‑to‑peer recovery classes, “Family to Family” and “NAMI Basics” for parents, support groups (including LGBTQIA+ and Latinx groups), suicide bereavement support, and peer navigators who assist people and families in locating and accessing services.
Marski also described NAMI’s work inside the Clackamas County Jail: weekly classes and peer support for adults in custody. He noted that NAMI receives about 15% of its annual budget from county funding, with the balance from grants and individual fundraising, and described local fundraising and outreach events including a family conference and a September dinner/auction.
Councilors thanked the presenter and offered the city’s help with meeting space for NAMI events. There was no formal council vote related to the proclamation; staff recorded the proclamation and council welcomed NAMI’s offer to share resources and events with the city and community.
