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At this point in our nation's history, the stakes are not only high for mental health stakeholders, but for virtually all communities that care about human welfare and dignity. The challenges posed by such problems as massive federal and state budget deficits make our jobs more difficult, but also give us greater incentive and opportunities to pull communities together to fight for common needs. Cutbacks in crucial health and human services funding must be restored and expanded in the nation's capitol, state capitols and communities across the United States.

Although mental health funding has clearly been on the decline, new opportunities come with the release of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Report. Today, the leadership of the Center for Mental Health Services and the larger Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is focused on creating radical change in systems based on the principles of recovery. On other key fronts, majorities on both sides of the US Congress support the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act, [which is similar to New York's Timothy's Law except chemical dependency services are not covered] and the consumer/citizen advocacy movement is increasingly engaging policymakers on mental health reform.

The President's New Freedom Commission Report illustrates that there is a growing recognition that end users of mental health and substance abuse services are central to positive change. Adults, youth and families who are empowered as activists and come forth with their hard won experiences in recovery from a mental disorder, make the best transformers of systems. In the crucial area of prevention, communities that work to strengthen their resiliency and ability to support all of their citizens can change the health status and quality of life of many millions of Americans.

At the same time, we must educate other health and human services communities about how mental health issues are integral to their concerns and why they need to support and work with the mental health movement. The mental health community has done this successfully in some notable instances, but much more could be done. For example, several labor unions have supported federal parity legislation because they recognize that it's in the best interest of their members to have adequate mental health insurance coverage. The unions "get it." And yet, how many of the mental health organizations are talking about the negative impact poor working conditions have on mental health? Or discuss the relationship between a living wage and good mental health, not just for those of us who use mental health services, but for everyone?

If we want to reach out to communities that we haven't worked with before, we have to think outside the narrow purview of "traditional" mental health issues and how mental health impacts a range of people and situations, including the social institutions that serve them. And, we can't just recognize the mental health needs of a subset of people who have a specific diagnosis. For example, in addition to bringing adults and children out of psychiatric institutions and into the community, we need to reach out to the children languishing in foster care and juvenile justice facilities for want of mental health services. Whether or not they have a diagnosis, these children are part of our community. As mental health advocates, we have both an opportunity and an obligation to work together with the children's advocates, advocates for low-income populations, and other organizations that fight for these young people every day.

This is not to say that there aren't many examples of the mental health community working collaboratively with other disability, health and human services communities. One shining example is the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. All the disability groups compromised and worked together for the common good.

When some members of Congress tried to take people with mental illnesses out of the bill, the rest of the disability community stood behind us. Likewise, when there were efforts to remove people with HIV/AIDS from the bill, the mental health community stood firm on their behalf, along with the other disability groups. The final result was landmark civil rights legislation that protected people with a range of disabilities. Although it's rarely quick or easy, when we work across communities on a common goal, the results can be astounding.

Crucial elections are before us across the United States. It is a time to give careful and balanced consideration to the strengths of each and every one of our proposed elected leaders. And, it is a time for those who care about social justice—about compassionate and effective health and human services—to work together.