The Paso del Norte Health Foundation seeks letters of intent (LOI) from eligible organizations to further the Health Foundation’s goals under the Think.Change initiative to reduce stigma and negative bias associated with mental health and substance use conditions. The LOI must include one of the following interest areas:

• Implementation of evidence-based training to reduce mental health and substance use-related stigma and bias among people (i.e., teachers, landlords, service industry workers) who have frequent contact with individuals with a mental health condition and are less likely to receive on-the-job training.

• Implementation of evidence-based education for individuals and families with lived experience. Programs may address emotional well-being, mental illness and substance use conditions, symptoms, management, and treatment options.

• Implementation of evidence-based navigator training for individuals willing to serve as peer support, system navigators, or volunteer presenters, including people with lived experience.

The Health Foundation uses the LOI process to welcome various proposals from diverse applicants. After review, the Health Foundation will invite selected applicants to submit a full proposal.

Mental health and emotional well-being are described as an overall positive state of one’s emotions, life satisfaction, sense of meaning and purpose, and ability to pursue self-defined goals. The term is inclusive of behavioral health and recovery from conditions related to mental illness, substance use, and addiction.

Mental Illness Stigma Defined

Corrigan and Gelb (2006, 2014) define mental illness stigma in two forms:

Public stigma - defined as the prejudice and discrimination suffered by people with mental illness when the general population endorses stereotypes, and Self-stigma - defined as the injury to self-esteem when a person with mental illness internalizes stigma.

Positive social environments also play an integral role in mental and emotional well-being and in preventing adverse health outcomes (Hatzenbuehler, 2011). The World Health Organization (2005) explains that stigma about mental disorders and discrimination against individuals with mental illness and their families prevent people from seeking mental health treatment. Research supports the idea that individuals with more mental illness information are less stigmatized than misinformed individuals (Penn, Couture, 2012).