At NRI, we envision a world where no person’s life will be limited by mental illness or addiction. We strive to provide products and services to support and enable actions to improve mental health and wellness. We are proud to adhere to the core values of lack of bias, life-enhancing value, and insight.
NRI was formed in 1987 as a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, strictly nonpartisan and independent from NASMHPD (a membership organization), to ascertain, develop, and distribute information, data, statistics, performance measures, and knowledge about mental health service delivery systems and mental health services. We work for the education of the public generally and for the education and training of public mental health administrators.
Today, NRI serves as a central catalyst in putting knowledge to work, connecting research and knowledge gained from real-world experiences with policy and professional practice in the delivery of public behavioral health services. Unique about NRI are our direct connections and access to SMHA (State Mental Health Agencies) executive staff in all 50 states, four territories, and the District of Columbia. With 100% response from SMHA’s to NRI inquiries and requests, no other research organization is so closely linked to the infrastructure of public mental health service providers.
To concentrate attention on important issues for public mental health, NRI convenes the most knowledgeable SMHA officials at every level (state mental health commissioners, researchers, data analysts, financial managers, and policy advisors) from among nearly 450 state government employees on an ongoing basis. In addition, we connect with an extensive network of experts and academics in specialized areas of mental health policy and programs, executive staff of the approximately 220 state psychiatric hospitals, mental health and related agencies at every level of government, and national organizations including groups representing consumers of public mental health services and their families. NRI can and does access these resources to consult, collaborate, and/or partner on select research projects.
We invite you to read more about NRI on this website and to consider what we can do for you. If you are a behavioral health leader, chances are our work can support you.