 While for 40 years the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota has been supporting people with mental health issues and their families. The group is celebrating the milestone by meeting with 40 communities to address health needs. Mal Meyer has more from Bemidji. The group says that while significant changes have been made to the mental health field, there is still a lot of work to be done. Sue Abder Holden says she hopes people will learn about the history of the movement and how communities are being affected by mental health issues. She says there is a strong sigma in different reactions when someone is hospitalized for mental illness over other diseases. And we really want to break down those barriers. We want people to send those get well cards to bring those meals and make sure that people feel supported in their own communities. Nami hosts a variety of law advocates, support groups, educational events, and help hotlines. One provider said education is the key for change. So when people are able to learn more about an issue they're less afraid about it and more able to speak to it. Those attending the Bemidji event shared personal and professional struggles in the field. It's a struggle to see all of the efforts sometimes and I know I'm in the minority but to see all of the efforts go to the youth and adults and we forget that there's a huge population of older adults that are struggling with mental illness. As Nami points out while the issue is getting more attention it just isn't where it could be. People often say we have a broken mental health system but when you look at our history the reality is we don't have a broken system we never built it. In Bemidji I'm Mal Meyer, Lakeland News. The organization will hold more meetings across Minnesota from now until mid-December. More information on the times and locations can be found at the web address you see right there on the screen. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.