Encouraging Women to Choose Politics

As advocacy chairperson at the Johnson County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Jane Cranston (MA ‘93) writes letters, compiles an advocacy newsletter, and works to catch lawmakers’ and citizens’ attention.

Cranston said she has been involved with NAMI, which aims to improve the lives of people who are challenged by mental illness as well as provide support for families, for four years because she sees a need.

“You would be hard-pressed to find a more deserving and less supported group than people with mental illness,” she said. “It’s a matter of civil rights—with mental illness there’s so much discrimination, so much stigma.”

Cranston said people’s hesitation to talk about mental illness means it’s not at the top of lawmakers’ priority lists and therefore research about mental illness and resources for the mentally ill don’t get the financial support they really need.

“We work to bring mental illness out into the sunshine—it shouldn’t be something that’s kept as a dark secret,” Cranston said, adding that some 20 percent of all people experience some form of mental illness, from depression to eating disorders to schizophrenia.

Cranston has tried to get people in Johnson County talking about mental illness by helping to organize panel discussions, writing articles, meeting with legislators, lobbying at the state capitol, and helping organize a walk to raise money and awareness. She also wrote a grant to distribute a book about working with learning disabled children to every teacher in the Iowa City Community School District.

NAMI, a national organization with more than 1,200 chapters across the country, also leads support groups and staffs a telephone counseling service.

“The strides we make translate into big changes in people’s lives,” Cranston said, adding that current focus areas for the Johnson County group include insurance issues, fair housing, and a jail diversion program.

Rose Marie Friedrich (BSN ‘61/MA ‘73), who has been active in Johnson County’s NAMI chapter and at the national level, describes Cranston’s efforts for the group as “outstanding and innovative.”

“Jane is an untiring champion advocating for changes in the service system through the legislative process,” Friedrich said, adding that Cranston also does a great job of keeping NAMI members informed through her e-mailed newsletter.

“She informs us of action that is needed with a ‘how to’ approach to change,” Friedrich said.

Carol Spaziani, who was among the founding members of NAMI in Johnson County in the mid 1980s, said Cranston has done an impressive job connecting with lawmakers and building a reputation as a mental illness activist and expert.

“They have to get to know you and realize that you seriously do your homework, and Jane has done that over the years, building a reputation with them as NAMI’s advocacy voice,” Spaziani said. “Pretty soon, when you do that, legislators begin to turn to you and say ‘Tell us what your interests are.’”

In addition to her work as the advocacy chairperson, Cranston also created a library of books for the Johnson County NAMI. She researched and ordered books about mental illness for the group and made them available for members and people attending NAMI meetings.

Spaziani said she’s continually impressed with Cranston’s efforts for NAMI.
“She’s serious and dedicated,” Spaziani said. “She goes above and beyond. When she undertakes a job she does it right.”

When she’s not advocating for people impacted by mental illness, Cranston teaches classroom management courses and supervises student teachers for the UI College of Education.

To find out more about NAMI , visit www.nami.org. –by Heather Spangler