Our Mission: 
To improve care and treatment for persons who may have an illness by influencing public policy and practice and to promote mental health through education, advocacy, public information and prevention activities. 

The Mental Health Association of Erie County, Inc. (MHA): 
Represents a powerful nationwide coalition dedicated to improving mental health care and treatment.  For more than 40 years, the Mental Health Association has provided essential services to families, individuals and organizations throughout Erie County. 

The MHA: 
Dates back to the mental health reform movement of the late 1950’s and early 1960's. With the discovery of new medications and treatments, the MHA worked in its formative years to promote and protect patient’s rights following discharge from the hospital. During this time, the MHA Board of Directors also worked to establish children’s mental health services.  Over the years, the MHA has functioned as a central resource on mental health issues in our community.  The MHA responds to community needs such as school violence and adequate funding for mental health services. 

The MHA: 
Continues to provide services to children, families and older adults through collaborations with other human service organizations while providing vigorous advocacy on behalf of mental health consumers and family members.

The Bell:
Nearly 50 years ago, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) issued a call to asylums across the country for chains and shackles that restrained patients. The NMHA took these tools of mistreatment and forged them into a powerful beacon of freedom: the 300-pound Mental Health Bell. Today, as the symbol of the Mental Health Association, the Mental Health Bell continues to ring out hope for millions of individuals with mental illnesses.