The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act (PAIMI) Advisory Council gathered in different parts of the state to better understand DRC’s work in that area, and to further community advocacy through collaboration.

A group that advises DRC’s work decided to take a different approach to their advocacy in 2024. This approach meant digging in regionally, knowing that the combination of relevant regional information coupled with in-person engagement would help the advisory group best support people in their community, and DRC’s work at the same time. That’s how the PAIMI Advisory Council decided to host regional meetings with DRC.

The PAIMI Advisory Council (PAC) is a federally required Council, responsible for providing oversight to the services DRC provides under the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Act. DRC’s PAC members come from around the state to advise our board and staff about issues in the mental health community. This important work includes helping to shape DRC's mental health advocacy plans and participating in the planning of our annual goals and priorities.

Rather than presenting information to the PAC all at once, PAC Chair Roque Alas Bucton suggested organizing meetings by state region—Southern California, Central California, and Northern California. Sharing updates related to each region helps PAC members share updates within their own peer networks and community. This regionality also allowed for more accessibility for PAC members who have trouble traveling because of their disabilities.

Taking an in-person regional approach allows for more nuanced conversation with DRC staff about initiatives within workgroups that best support people in the local community and how that also reflects statewide.

Breakthrough

The PAC hopes the meetings can become an annual in-person tradition, to support new PAC members who volunteer for four-year terms. Learning about cases DRC is working on in the region helps prepare PAC members to understand the overall impact of DRC’s legal support for individuals with mental health and behavioral health needs. Being part of the larger peer network, PAC members have the responsibility of letting the community know about DRC’s advocacy work and how that influences California state mental health legislation and available services for those at the intersection of mental health disabilities and other disabilities.