Q:  Where is NAMI Scott County located?  Where is your office?

A:  NAMI Scott County is a volunteer organization, with an office at 1706 Brady St. Suite 101,Davenport, IA. 52808.  Call the voicemail telephone number, 1-563-322-8870. and someone will call you back.

Q:  Does NAMI, in support of the mentally ill, provide therapy?

A:  No, NAMI provides education programs about mental illness, support groups for family members and persons with mental illness, and advocacy to improve services for people with mental illness and to combat the stigma sometimes associated with it.

Q:  I need to talk to someone to see if NAMI can help with my needs.  Who do I call?

A:  NAMI Scott County continues to develop our lending library which is full of educational materials about mental illness, including both books & DVDs.
Stop by the NAMI office to check out these helpful resources anytime between 10am-2pm, Monday through Friday - 1706 Brady St, Suite 101, Davenport, IA 52803.  Call us anytime 563-322-8870.

 Q:  How can I join NAMI and how much does it cost?

A:  There is a link on our home page that will take you to a membership form, which includes information about fees.  Print it out and send it to the post office box address on the form.

Q:  What is mental illness?

A: Mental illnesses are biologically-based diseases affecting the brain and/or nervous system. Symptoms can be seen in the behavior of the affected person, in that person’s thinking and/or emotions. Mental illnesses call for a bio-psycho-social approach in treatment, indicating that in addition to the doctor and nurse, a psychologist and a social worker are often needed for effective treatment.  Ongoing research is continually developing better medical treatments.   Like other illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, there are many ways that people with these illnesses and their family members can alleviate symptoms and make the quality of life better. 

Q:  If I think I have a mental illness, what should I do?

A:  A diagnosis can be made by a mental health professional.   There are many highly qualified professionals in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.  Scott County and Rock Island County each have a comprehensive community mental health center (Vera French at 383-1900 in Davenport and Robert Young at 779-2999 in Rock Island).  There are also private psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, and community agencies, such as Catholic Social Services and Lutheran Social Services, that can refer you to mental health professionals if you need that kind of help.

Q:  How can NAMI help me?

A:   If you need a support group, click on the Support Groups button on the home page.  If you need to learn more about mental illness, there is much information in the Helpful Links section of this website.  Every year, NAMI Scott County offers series of classes for family members, and for people who have mental illness, and for parents or caregivers of children with mental illness.  You can find out more about these classes by clicking on the Education button on the home page.

Q:  Does NAMI provide advocacy for individual people with mental illness,

like if I feel I've been treated unfairly in some way?

A:  It depends on your situation.  Try attending a support group to see if you can get advice from people who have some similar issues.  For locations and times, click on the Support Groups button on the home page.

Q:  Can NAMI help me obtain entitlements or a job?

A:  No, but we can direct you to community resources that may be able to help.

Q:  What is NAMI Scott County's lending library and how can I access it?

A:  NAMI Scott County library has materials about mental illness.  It is located in the Job Link area of Frontier Community Support Program, at 311 E. 2^nd Street, Davenport.  John Niers checks out the materials to NAMI Scott members.  The library is also available to people who take the NAMI Scott County education classes Family to Family, Peer to Peer and Visions for Tomorrow.

Q:  Does mental illness affect children, if so, how?

A:  Mental illnesses are biologically-based diseases that can affect children.  The symptoms are seen in their behavior over a period of time.  If  you are concerned about a child in your care, you probably want to talk to the child’s  pediatrician or a mental health professional to get their opinions.

Q:  How can I volunteer for NAMI and what could I do?

A:  NAMI has many volunteer opportunities.  These range from serving on one of the committees (membership, communications, advocacy and programming) to helping with our annual NAMIWalks, or bringing a dish to the summer picnics or December Christmas party, to serving on the board of directors or helping with a class or support group.  Contact volunteercoordinator@namiscott.org