Make It OK Campaign (March 9, 2021)

Did you know 1 in 5 will have some kind of mental illness in their lifetime. 

Did you know 70-90% of all mental illness symptoms can be reduced with a treatment plan? Yet many people don't seek help due to stigma. 

It's OK to have a mental illness — many people do.

It's OK to talk about mental illness — talking makes people feel less alone.

It’s OK to get help with a mental illness – life can get better.  

Make It OK is a community campaign designed to reduce stigma by starting conversations and increasing understanding about mental illness. 

Our goal is to help educate Iowans about stigma around mental illness and the damage it can do. By breaking down that stigma, people with mental illnesses will feel safe to talk about them and will find it easier to ask for help in finding treatment and resources. 

The Healthiest State Initiative is starting the conversation by introducing the Make It OK campaign to Iowans. It is important that we talk about mental illness in way that are supportive and open. 

Through Make It OK we will provide Iowans with the resources to talk about mental illness so that we can all support those who are struggling to find the resources and treatment they deserve. 

Make It OK is here to help educate Iowans and get the conversations going! 

With most Iowans spending more walking hours at work than anywhere else, the workplace plays a significant role in a person’s life. Work can contribute to mental well-being, but it can also negatively affect it. 

Mental health issues are costly for individuals, employers and the economy. Stigma prevents people from getting the help and support they need. Taking concrete actions to promote and protect employee mental health has positive benefits. An integral step to becoming actively involved with

Make It OK is to become a registered workplace. becoming a Registered Make It OK Workplace demonstrates that your organization values reducing stigma for all Iowans. 

Registration is free and simple. By registering, your workplace, will have exclusive access to resources, recognition and technical assistance:
• Make It OK: Employer Toolkit
• Quarterly Make It OK Workplace newsletter
• Resources to share Make It OK with employees 
• Participate in statewide initiative to exchange knowledge and share tools, ideas and strategies to reduce stigma of mental illness
• Receive recognition for your commitment to reduce stigma of mental illness by being listed as a registered Make It OK organization on the Healthiest State Initiative's Make It OK website. 
 
The Make It OK campaign also offers ambassador training and on-site training for individual groups of employees. Finally, we have several first-hand stories from Iowans who want to share their personal stories of living with mental illness in an effort to reduce stigma for others. 

Our efforts to date have reached 16,867 Iowans and 170 workplaces in Iowa who have all signed our pledge to stop the mental illness stigma. 

Here is a link to our website for additional information regarding our campaign.

About the Presenter: 

Jami Haberl is the executive director of the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.  She works with partners across the state of Iowa to improve the physical, social and emotional well-being of Iowans with the vision to become the healthiest state in the nation. Jami has over 15 years of experience bringing together government, business and nonprofit organizations around issues tied to disaster preparedness, response and recovery and health and well-being issues. Jami received her undergraduate degree in community health education from Iowa State University and master’s degree in public health and healthcare administration from Des Moines University.