About the PAIMI Advisory Council

The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Advisory Council works to protect the rights of children and adults with mental illness. The PAIMI Advisory Council helps the staff and board of directors of Disability Rights Wisconsin set priorities and create policies on issues that affect people with mental illness.

Members of PAIMI Advisory Council reflect the diverse constituency served by Disability Rights Wisconsin. The Council is committed to maintaining a strong consumer voice, and requires that at least 50% of its members be people with the lived experience of mental illness, who are receiving or have received mental health services. The Council must include the parent of a minor child or youth who has received or is receiving mental health services.  In addition, the Council must include an attorney; a mental health professional; a provider of mental health services; and a member of the general public who is knowledgeable about mental illness; advocacy needs of persons with mental illness; and has demonstrated a substantial commitment to improving mental health services.

The Council is mandated by the Federal PAIMI Act, which created a national protection and advocacy system for individuals with mental illness that advocates for the rights of such individuals and helps ensure the enforcement of their civil rights.

DRW PAIMI Advisory Council Members

The Council is chaired by Tiffany Stark. If you have questions about the PAIMI Advisory Council, contact Tiffany at pacchair@drwi.org.

Council members are listed in this document (accessible pdf).

PAIMI Advisory Council Application

To learn more about serving on the Council or to apply:

• About the PAIMI Advisory Council (accessible pdf)
• PAC Member Application with fillable forms (Word document file)

Meetings

The PAIMI Advisory Council meets at least three times per year in conjunction with Disability Rights Wisconsin Board meetings. Members may also meet periodically to fulfill committee assignments. Council terms are for two years and members may be re-appointed for a second term. Travel, meals, and hotel expenses associated with meetings are reimbursed for Council members.

Listening Sessions

The PAIMI Advisory Council holds sessions for attendees to learn about DRW's advocacy assistance for people with mental illnesses and share ideas and opinions on advocacy priorities. Learn more about past sessions and view meeting recordings below:

• June 1st, 2022 Meeting Page
• August 19th, 2021 Meeting Page
• April 20th, 2021 Meeting Page
• February 1st, 2021 Meeting Page

Take Our Survey

The PAIMI Advisory Council would like to hear from your about your priorities for the PAIMI program. Take our survey and share your perspective.

Videos about DRW’s PAIMI Advocacy Work – July 2021

DRW's PAIMI program provides advocacy assistance to protect the human and civil rights of children and adults with serious mental health conditions. These June 2021 videos provide examples of DRW’s PAIMI case work and systemic work. The videos are to inform DRW’s PAIMI Advisory Council members as they help to set priorities for the PAIMI program. Thank you to DRW PAIMI staff for preparing these videos.

Navigate to the full video playlist on Youtube here.

Watch individual videos below:

• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Abuse and Neglect, Melanie Cairns
• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Community Integration / Olmstead, Mitch Hagopian
• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Justice System for Adults, Mike Soukup
• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Justice system for Kids, Phyllis Greenberger
• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Community Services, Mitch Hagopian
• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Schools and Special Ed., Phyllis Greenberger
• DRW PAIMI Advocacy - Employment, DVR, and Housing, Steven Wheeler

Join Us at One of Our Quarterly Meetings!

If you share our commitment to the rights of people with mental illness, we want to hear from you. You do not have to be a member of the PAIMI Advisory Council to attend our meetings. We welcome the attendance of other people who are willing to share their views and experiences regarding the rights of people with mental illness.

If you plan to attend one of our quarterly meetings, please reach out to us in advance by calling us at 800-928-8778 or send us an email at info@drwi.org so we know you are coming. We hope you will consider attending a meeting to find out more about the PAIMI Advisory Council and the work we do.

PAIMI is a federally-funded program and, therefore, we cannot reimburse individuals who are not Council members for transportation, meals, hotels, etc.

Thank you for your interest and we hope to see you at an upcoming meeting.