NYAPRS Note: Humble. Kind. Compassionate. Spiritual. Gentle. Inspiring. Beloved. All of these words describe California based seminal consumer-survivor movement leader Jay Mahler, who passed away this week. I never had the opportunity to meet Jay but heard about him frequently from our Alameda County friends Mary Hogdon, Khatera Aslami and Sally Zinman in the most loving and grateful terms. The following was written by Mary and shared by Sally. RIP dear man.
Between 1964 and 1966, Jay Mahler was involuntarily confined as a mental health patient, three times. During the third and last time, he was administered 14 shock treatments, twice a week, for over four months. The remainder of his ten years in Alameda County’s public mental health system included eight years at Fairmont Hospital’s outpatient clinic.
Because of that adverse experience, Jay spent the next 40 years as an activist in the Consumer-Survivor movement, improving the public mental health system and challenging the status quo at the state, local and national levels. He was a pioneer in organizing many system changes and in improving the development of patients’ rights legislation and consumer-run programs. He developed and implemented full-service partnerships and supported – housing.
In November 2003, Proposition 63 was on the ballot. Jay took six months off of work to tirelessly obtain signatures in malls and outside stores. He represented CIMH on a state group with Senator Darrell Steinberg. When Jay’s wife, Susan, became ill, he turned his attention to learning all he could to help her. Later he was able to work on implementing the MHSA.
Jay was a pioneer in the hiring of consumers in the public mental health system, and in organizing campaigns to combat stigma and discrimination. Another effort was in implementing the role of faith communities in helping people recover.
Perhaps his greatest achievement was the major role he played in bringing the recovery vision to California based on the values of consumer choice, hope, voluntariness, self-responsibility, meeting a person where he/she is, a whole health approach, and involving peers in helping one another.
Jay brought awareness to SAMHSA’s 10 x 10 Campaign and the plight of people with mental health challenges who were dying 25 years earlier than the rest of the population, often of preventable causes.
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On behalf of the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Pool of Consumer Champions (POCC), Mary wrote the following letter urging that a new voluntary Villa Short Stay program on the Fairmont Campus in San Leandro be named Jay Mahler Short Stay Program. In this way, his legacy lives on in the services provider there.
Here’s more about Jay from Mary:
Patient at Fairmont hospital outpatient for 10 years from 1966-1974
1972-1980 Joined Eden District mental health committee chaired by Gale Steele
1975-1980 Alameda Counties Mental Health Board Member
1976 formed a organization call MHCC Mental Health Consumer Concerns and had the first contract for patient rights. Consumers involved in system change was pushed.
1979-1984 appointed by Governor Brown to be on Citizens Advisory Council initiated in 1982 the year of the consumer
1977 – 1980 one of the first four consultants to NIMH National Institute for Mental Health
1985- Involved in 3 stigma campaign over the years in Alameda County
1987 Appointed by Lieutenant Governor McCarthy to the taskforce of the mental ill where the full service partnership was developed
1989- 1996 worked on the hiring of consumers in all aspects of mental health,
1997-2005- involved in bring the recovery vision to California
1998-2002 – Alameda County Mental Health Board Member
2002-2009- Chair and board of CIMH – California Institute for Mental Health
1997 – Consumer Relations manager of contra costa county
2006 consumer relations manager of Alameda County;
Started a statewide spirituality initiative in collaboration with CIMH
2007 Started the POCC – Alameda County Pool of Consumer champions