Copyright Star Tribune
Chances are, either you or someone you care about has a mental illness or has had one. Despite the prevalence of these conditions — which include depression, anxiety, addictive disorders and schizophrenia — there’s still an unfortunate stigma accompanying them. Achieving parity in the care and insurance coverage provided for these medical concerns vs. other disorders also unfortunately remains a challenge. All of this is why the recent leadership change of a vital Minnesota nonprofit matters. The Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has long been one of the state’s most vigorous advocates for better mental health care and access to it. It’s often one of the first places families struggling with a new diagnosis turn to for resources. Last month, longtime NAMI Minnesota leader Sue Abderholden retired after more than two decades on the job. The new executive director is Marcus Schmit, 40. He grew up in Red Wing and has served as a congressional staffer for now-Gov. Tim Walz, a state Department of Corrections assistant commissioner, and director of advocacy for Second Harvest Heartland. He most recently served as the executive director of Hearth Connection, a Minnesota nonprofit aiding the homeless. Schmit: It starts with the mission, right? I’m really passionate about the mission. It just impacts so many people. I wasn’t looking to leave Hearth Connection ... [where] we really doubled down on the important work of supportive housing, which is, you know, the housing and the services that people who have long histories of mental illness challenges really need. As I went through that process, I just realized what an opportunity it [would be at NAMI Minnesota] to apply that experience in policymaking, both as a main advocate and in nonprofit leadership, rooted in my public service background involving housing, homelessness, food security, corrections and health care. Mental health is the through line on all of this. But you know, it’s also personal experience, and I’ve had my own challenges. Schmit: I’ve navigated cyclothymia, which is like a mild form of bipolar, and never really understood that this was something that wasn’t normal. It was my wife who encouraged me to look into it. And that was two years ago, so I was navigating the condition for a lot of my teen and adult years. It’s been life-changing getting medication to help me manage that. It’s made me a better husband and better dad. It’s just made me more confident and comfortable in my own skin, too. If at the end of the day, one of the things that I’m able to accomplish by talking about it is to help bring more people into a conversation that will get them more comfortable getting the help that they need, then I will feel very proud of that. I’m not Sue, and I have the utmost respect for her. I’ve worked with her for probably 15 years, as a congressional aide and in a number of the different roles that I’ve played. She’s got big shoes to fill. I think I do have a strong record of being an effective advocate. I know how the Legislature works, and I have great relationships with a number of legislators and staff. I always think it’s good to have a fresh set of eyes to come in. I’ll continue to build on Sue’s legacy and apply a lot of what I’ve learned through experience and working with some great leaders to help an organization that does incredible work level up and continue to meet the moment. I’m going to work hard every day, and I’m going to do my best to fill those shoes. I’m kind of bringing a little bit of my own energy to this role. Schmit: Just the fact that people have to wait so long right now to get in to see somebody, to help them get the care, treatment and support that they need is one of the most significant challenges facing greater Minnesota, kind of writ large, certainly within the mental health space. Bringing more resources and engaging with community leaders and legislators who are representing those areas to think about how we want to build on the infrastructure that’s in place to provide more resources and grow more sustainable workforces in those communities is really important. So policy that’s informed by those challenges is going to be a priority for me. I think it’s a great way to continue to make mental health a bipartisan issue too, because we know that, at the end of the day, it’s an issue that really transcends politics, and so policy should be shaped by that experience.
