Links to organizations providing useful information

Quick Links

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides research information which helps people make more informed decisions and improves the quality of health care services.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA website provides a plethora of information ranging from ADA design standards to an information line to new or proposed regulations.

American Civil Liberties Union

The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of the Constitution’s protections and guarantees.

American Association of Suicidology

We are dedicated to the understanding and prevention of suicide. Are you or someone you love at risk of suicide? Get the facts and take appropriate action. Be aware of the warning signs.

Best Practice Guidelines for Consumer-Delivered Services

Mark Salzer and Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA Best Practices Team Wrote These Guidelines

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

The mission of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is to protect and advance the rights of adults and children who have mental disabilities. The Center envisions an America where people who have mental illnesses or developmental disabilities exercise their own life choices and have access to the resources that enable them to participate fully in their communities.

Boston University's Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Spring, 2004

Phyllis Solomon authored "Peer Support/Peer Provided Services Underlying Processes, Benefits, and Critical Ingredients"

Brain Injury Support Groups

Erie-Brain Injury Education and Support Group
HealthSouth Erie Rehabilitation Hospital
3rd Wednesday 3:30 - 4:00PM
Call Jennifer Abbott at 814-878-1358.

Erie-Brain ISG of Erie
Glenwood United Methodist Church
3rd Tuesday 5:15 - 6:30PM
Call Nanette Crawford at 814-452-5519.

Bring Change 2 Mind

This organization was formed to provide quick and easy access to accurate information about mental illness for people who have misconceptions about mental illness.

Center for Change

Center for Change is a leading residential treatment center for eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

CHADD improves the lives of people affected by AD/HD.

Childrens News

This children's news site is a product of the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania (MHAPA) and its partners across the state. Our goal is to provide information on children's mental health issues in Pennsylvania - advocacy efforts, events, policy, etc.

Consumer Driven Services Directory

The CMHS-supported National Mental Health Consumer Self-Help Clearinghouse has developed a directory of consumer-driven services.

Council of State Governments

Council of State Governments Mental Health Tool Kit - Fostering Recovery through State Action

DearShrink.com

The mission of DearShrink is to provide you with easily accessible, authoritative information and assistance from an award-winning psychiatrist and writer.

Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania

The DRN is a statewide, non-profit corporation designated as the federally-mandated organization to advance and protect the civil rights of adults and children with disabilities.

Education Law Center

For thirty years, the Education Law Center (Phone: 412-258-2120) has worked to make good public education a reality for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable students –poor children, children of color, kids with disabilities, English language learners, children in foster homes and institutions, and others.

Erie SPROUT

SPROUT is intended to provide Erie County, Pennsylvania parents, caregivers and youth with information to help make informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones. The website provides a community calendar, and promotes connections with mentors and other support groups.

Equal Employment Opportunities Commission

The five-member commission makes equal employment opportunity policy and approves most litigation. This site also provides information on discrimination by type; laws, regulations and guidance; filing a charge of discrimination, statistics, etc.

Erie County Department of Health

Mission Statement: The goal of the HIV/AIDS Education & Training Program is to provide accurate up-to-date education to raise the level of awareness in order to prevent the spread of HIV infection.
The Erie County Department of Health promotes abstinence as the only sure way to prevent HIV infection.

Erie KIDS

Erie KIDS (Knowledge Involvement Discipline Support) is a program dedicated to teaching others about child psychology and how to care for the emotions of children.

Feeling Blue Suicide Prevention Council

Feeling Blue Suicide Prevention Council is a community-based organization dedicated to preventing suicide, reducing the stigma associated with suicide, and supporting those people affected by depression or by the loss of a loved one to suicide.

Gamblers Anonymous

Gamblers Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from a gambling problem.

Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives

American Psychiatric Association, consumer-oriented Web site that seeks to inform and educate the public about mental health treatment and resources. HealthyMinds.org should be a source for providing understanding and hope for anyone seeking information on their mental health.

Hope to Healing

Sharing the Hope, Sharing the Healing of Mental Illness Recovery

Institute for Recovery and Community Integration

The Institute for Recovery and Community Integration offers a number of dynamic training packages geared toward personal recovery, the development of peer support, community integration and systems transformation.

Jasper the Therapy Dog

Jasper is a Certified Therapy Dog. His one mission is to make people smile, laugh and interact in meaningful ways.

Memorial of Recovered Dignity

This memorial exhibit raises awareness of and restores dignity to the hundreds of thousands of consumers who died and where buried in unmarked graves on the grounds of physchiatric hositals nationwide.

Mental Health America

Mental Health America is the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness - working to improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million individuals with mental disorders, through advocacy, education, research and service.

Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania

The Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania works on behalf of mental health through advocacy, education and public policy.

Mental Health Recovery: What Helps and What Hinders

A National Research Project for the Development of Recovery Facilitating System Performance Indicators, October 2002

Mercy Center for Women (MCW)

We provide long term (up to 1 year) transitional housing and support services to homeless women with or without children. We provide many services for women including personal development.

Narcotics Anonymous

Erie County Area Narcotics Anonymous(ECANA) has announced the meeting schedule from January, 2009.

Nar-Anon

Lake Erie SERENITY Area Nar-Anon members are relatives and friends who are concerned about the addiction or drug problem of another.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Erie County

A non-profit, grass roots organization made up of family members of those with mental illness, mental health professionals, and consumers of mental health services. Our mission is to promote the quality of life of persons with serious mental illness and their families through support, advocacy, education and outreach.

National Association of Peer Specialists

The mission of NAPS is to further promote the interests of our organization and our members to the community. We strive to make a difference by educating the public and expanding our reach.

National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

Many different reports including the survey "Mental Health Transformation Survey, April 1, 2005"

National Center for Learning Disabiliities

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life.

National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations

The National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO) will ensure that consumer/survivors have a major voice in the development and implementation of health care, mental health, and social policies at the state and national levels, empowering people to recover and lead a full life in the community.

National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center

NCSTAC’s purpose is to strengthen consumer organizations by providing technical assistance in the form of research, informational materials and financial aid.

National Depressive Manic Depressive Association/The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

DBSA is the leading patient-directed national organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. The organization works to ensure that people living with mood disorders are treated equitably. In addition, the alliance maintains a spanish language forum at dbsalianza.org

National Institute of Mental Health

NIMH’s mission is to reduce the burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain and behavior. Our goal is to generate research that will transform prevention of and recovery from mental disorders.

Network of Care

Network of Care is a interactive, single information place where consumers, community-based organizations and municipal government workers all can go to easily access a wide variety of important information.

Northwestern Legal Services

Northwestern Legal Services is a private non-profit corporation dedicated to providing free legal representation to low income people with civil legal problems. Client eligibility is based on the type of case involved and financial and asset guidelines.

Office of Mental Health/Mental Retardation of Erie County, Pa

We administer the County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Program and assure that all necessary mental health and mental retardation services are available to the citizens of Erie County.

Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (1-877-356-5355)offers a wide variety of drug and alcohol services available to children and adults in conjunction with the Health Department’s Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs (BDAP). This line is a general information and referral line for people seeking information on mental health and subvstance abuse services in Pennsylvania.

OpenMindsOpenDoors

OpenMindsOpenDoors is a Pennsylvania initiative aimed at ending discrimination against people with mental illnesses. Approximately one in five people in this country live with a mental illness. People who have needs just like everyone else, and demand basic rights just like everyone else.

PA Department of Public Welfare

Provides information about services for low-income Pennsylvanians, services for Pennsylvanians with disabilities, services for children in Pennsylvania, services for families in Pennsylvania. It also provides news and media updates.

PA Health Law Project

PHLP is a nationally recognized expert and consultant on access to health care for low-income consumers, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. For more than two decades, PHLP has engaged in direct advocacy on behalf of individual consumers while working on the kinds of health policy changes that promise the most to the Pennsylvanians in greatest need.

PA House of Representatives

This site enables users to keep up-to-date on current happenings including legislation dealing with the mental health field.

PA Senate

This site enables users to keep up-to-date on current happenings including legislation dealing with the mental health field.

Parenting with a Mental Illness: Programs and Resources Guide

The UPenn Collaborative on Community Integration has published this coprehensive resource to help parents, providers, and advocates find information about programs in their area.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance Pennsylvania

PPARxPA is a program that connects qualified, low-income people with discounted prescription drugs, direct from the pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Peer Specialist Alliance of America

Peer Specialist Alliance of America (PSAA),a new national trade association, promotes the emerging profession of Certified Peer Specialist.

Pennsylvania Department of Education

The mission of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is to assist the General Assembly, the Governor, the Secretary of Education and Pennsylvania educators in providing for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of education.

Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA)

A statewide membership organization representative of the individual and collective expression of people who are or have been recipients of mental health services.

Pennsylvania Training and Tecnhical Assistance Network

The mission of Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services.

Psychologists at Law Group

This Group is a treatment advocacy center that provides expert evidence and opinions in adult and youth criminal cases, adult and children personal injury, mental capacity for civil proceedings and Children Act & Family proceedings.

Senior Resource of Northwestern Pennsylvania

Savvy Senior is a media/information service devoted to baby boomers and senior citizens, and the families who support them.

Stairways Behavioral Health

Stairways offers mental illness treatment and other services, including residential facilities, to children and adults who are mentally ill in Erie Pennsylvania. Treating brain diseases such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

StrengthofUs.org

This online community is for young adults living with a mental health condition and those who have a family member or friend affected by a mental health problem.

Stop Anxiety Symptoms.com

This site is intended to help fellow sufferers become independent. The author shares things she has learned and things that have worked for her.

Stop Stigma associated with Mental Illness

SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination & Stigma Associated with Mental Illness (ADS Center)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

SAMSHA has established a clear vision for its work - a life in the community for everyone. To realize this vision, the Agency has sharply focused its mission on building resilience and facilitating recovery for people with or at risk for mental or substance use disorders. SAMSHA is gearing all of its resources toward that outcome.

Suicide Prevention Action Network USA

SPAN USA is dedicated to preventing suicide through public education and awareness, community engagement and federal, state and local grassroots advocacy. By empowering those who have been touched by suicide, SPAN USA seeks to advance the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

SPRC promotes the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and enhances the nation’s mental health infrastructure by providing states, government agencies, private organizations, colleges and universities and suicide survivor and mental health consumer groups with access to the science and experience that can support their efforts to develop programs, implement interventions and promote policies to prevent suicide.

Support The Journey

Support the Journey provides messages and products that help us to remember our potential for recovering from emotional illness. The MHA receives a portion of the sales price for these items.

University of Illinois at Chicago

Peer Outcomes Protocol Project

US House of Representatives

Provides legislative resources including but not limited to the 2007 calendar, accessing the laws of the United States, finding bills, amendments or debates, etc.

US Senate

Provides information on senators, committees, legislation and records, art and history and a visitors’ page, etc.

Value Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania

VBH-PA provides mental health and substance abuse services to Medical Assistance recipients in 14 Western Pennsylvania counties.

Works For Me-Pa

Works for Me is a FREE resource that can direct you to agencies and programs that help people with disabilities in Pennsylvania who want to work, and improve their financial security. You can work without losing your financial security or health care benefits. Works for me is here to help answer your questions about working!

Wrights Law

At Wrightslaw, our mission is to provide parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys with accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy so they can be effective catalysts.