History and Mission
History
The Tompkins County chapter of the Mental Health Association was established in 1954, to address mental health needs in the Ithaca community. Our organization is 1 of 26 affiliates of the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) and 1 of the 200 affiliates of Mental Health America (MHA).
Mission
In cooperation with the Mental Health Association in New York State and Mental Health America, this Association will develop and maintain a coordinated citizens’ movement for the promotion of mental health and well being in Tompkins County.
As a team of Peer Specialists, we draw on our lived experience and specialized training to empower individuals, families, and groups through peer support, advocacy and the provision of services which promote mental health recovery, prevention of mental illness, and early intervention.
We advocate for the human and civil rights of people with mental health concerns on the community level through educational programs and community conversations about mental health issues, barriers to accessing support, and combating the social stigma around mental health issues.
The Mental Health Bell: A Symbol of Hope
During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.
In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell.
Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses.
Over the years, national mental health leaders and other prominent individuals have rung the Bell to mark the continued progress in the fight for victory over mental illnesses.