For Immediate Release:
July 7, 2026
NAMI Chicago Hosts Beyond Crisis Summit to Launch New Coalition Aimed at Advancing Solutions for Serious Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions
CHICAGO — NAMI Chicago will host its inaugural Beyond Crisis Summit on July 9, 2026, at the Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center, bringing together leaders from healthcare, government, research, philanthropy, and community-based organizations to develop common understanding and identify solutions to better support people living with serious mental health and substance use conditions who repeatedly cycle through hospitals, homelessness, and legal systems.
The summit is the kick-off for a new coalition that will focus on fostering cross-sector collaboration, knowledge sharing, and action planning to build more empathetic, effective, and coordinated systems of care and supports.
“ “Many of us know firsthand what happens when a system mainly grapples with mental health if and only if the word “crisis” is associated with it: repeated emergency room visits; law enforcement involvement; frequent inpatient admissions; detentions at the local jail; toggling between sleeping at a shelter and on the street…This summit is about exploring how we can go beyond the singular lens of crisis and consider a system of care for serious mental illnesses further upstream, before individuals are left unhoused, untreated, and disconnected from their community. We are often so focused and invested in how we grapple with mental health crises that we don’t dedicate nearly enough time, resources, or coordination about mitigating these crises altogether. It could be less expensive. Less heartbreaking. More dignified.” - Matt Davison, CEO, NAMI Chicago
The day-long event will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Thomas Insel, one of the nation’s leading voices on the future of mental health care, panel discussions, and breakout sessions focused on evidence-based practices, and innovative models of care that can improve outcomes for individuals living with serious mental health and substance use conditions. Participants will hear from national and local experts, researchers, individuals with lived experience, and community organizations working at the forefront of behavioral health innovation.
Through shared learning and collaborative discussion, the Beyond Crisis Summit begins our work to identify opportunities to strengthen systems of care, reduce unnecessary crisis involvement, and improve long-term outcomes for those currently cycling from one crisis to another. Following the Summit, NAMI Chicago will convene a new community coalition that is focused on advancing both the policy changes and innovative care and supports needed to move Chicago’s mental health system beyond crisis. Information about joining this coalition is available here.
NAMI Chicago serves more than 40,000 people each year through crisis support, care coordination, education, outreach, and advocacy. In June, NAMI Chicago was also named a 2026 Gold recipient of Mental Health America’s Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health.
To learn more about NAMI Chicago and our work, visit www.namichicago.org