You are here
MHA News From National: September 22, 2016
In this update:
- Annual Conference Update
- What's Up with Congress?
- What We're Reading
- Where in the World is Paul Gionfriddo?
- Did You Know?
- Affiliate News
We hope you’ve marked your calendars for June 14-16, 2017, because MHA’s 2017 Annual Conference is going to be even bigger and better than before! We already have some exciting speakers lined up, so be sure to keep an eye out for an announcement coming soon.
This year’s conference theme of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll has already gained quite a bit of attention. Why did we choose to focus on such sensitive issues? As MHA’s founder, Clifford Beers, once said, “I must fight in the open.” This year’s conference is going to follow his lead and cover the issues that need to be talked about openly and candidly.
Registration Opens October 17
Are you ready to secure your spot for June? Conference registration will be open Monday, October 17. Be sure to check out the conference website then to secure the early bird price.
Call for Proposals Out October 17
Interested in speaking at the 2017 conference? Requests for proposals will be going out October 17, the same day registration opens. We look forward to reading what are sure to be engaging and interesting proposals! For more information, be sure to check out MHA’s 2017 conference website at www.mentalhealthamerica.net/annualconference.
What's Up with Congress?
Congress is currently trying to pass a budget before the 2017 Fiscal Year begins, October 1. It is possible that the Senate will vote on The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016, S. 2680, before recess but if not, we anticipate that it will be taken up in the lame duck session.
What We're Reading
MHA's Paul Gionfriddo quoted:
The Hill: Senate takes step toward bipartisan mental health deal
VOA news: Suicide Has Ripple Effect on Families, Communities, Societies
LA Times: Clinton has enough policy to fill a book, while Trump has said little about how he'd govern
MHA's America Paredes quoted:
Revelist.com: 14 comics that honestly depict what mental illness feels like
MHA's Nathaniel Counts cited:
Learning Collaborative on Health Equity & Young Children: Young Child Primary Pediatric Practice Transformation – Medicaid Financing to Improve Child Health Trajectories
US News and World Report: Advocates Worry Mental Health First Aid Skirts Serious Mental Illness
Vice: Why Mental Health Disorders Emerge in Your Early 20s
Sage Surfer: Consumer Engagement in a High Tech World
Associations Now: Fire Fighter Group To Open First-Of-Its-Kind Treatment Center
Bleacher Report: I’m Not the Lone Wolf
Where in the World is Paul Gionfriddo?
Having presented to the Clubhouse USA conference in Crystal City, VA, this week, Paul will be in the office one more week before heading to Jacksonville, FL to present on Tuesday, October 4 at the 2016 Florida Mental Health Summit, a statewide summit sponsored by MHA of Northeast Florida Affiliate. Then he will head directly to Enfield, CT, to give a lecture at noon on Wednesday, October 5, as the featured author of the month for the Asnuntuck College One-Book Program. Paul will be discussing Losing Tim, and the lessons it offers for the importance of intervening B4Stage4.
Did You Know?
MHA Releases Smoking and Smoking Cessation Infographics
Last week MHA released a new series of infographics depicting the real risks and effects of smoking and mental illness. The infographics cover how smoking and mental illness are related and the case for quitting.
For questions, contact Danielle Fritze at dfritze@mentalhealthamerica.net.
MHA To Stream Opera Based on Elyn Saks Memoir
What better way to celebrate National Recovery Month than a mental health-themed opera? This month, MHA is partnering with Elyn Saks of USC and Kenneth Wells of UCLA to provide a live streaming of The Center Cannot Hold, an opera based on Saks’ memoir detailing her experience living with schizophrenia. Visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/opera to view the full opera and learn more about the behind the scenes work. You can also check out The Washington Post's article, Turning madness into music: A former psychiatric patient’s life is now an opera.
Be sure to also join us on September 29 at 12:30 pm ET/3:30 pm PT as a participant in a Twitter Chat with MHA, Saks, Wells, NIMH, Partners for Strong Minds, and Glenda Wrenn from the Satcher Health Leadership Institute.
For questions, contact Theresa Nguyen at tnguyen@mentalhealthamerica.net.
Save the Date for Destination Dignity
On World Mental Health Day (October 10th), MHA is joining up with our affiliates and other mental health advocates for the Destination Dignity March and Rally. We will meet at the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool for a kick-off rally, and then will march
through Washington, D.C. to the Washington Monument to demand dignity for individuals affected by mental health conditions.
We hope you can join us on October 10th! Even if you can’t attend in person, we still invite you to participate online. Share your reasons for demanding dignity using #MHDignityMarch on social media!
For questions about Destination Dignity, contact Debbie Plotnick at dplotnick@mentalhealthamerica.net.
MHA Seeks Participants for Focus Groups on Tardive Dyskinesia
Mental Health America is conducting focus groups to learn about the challenges faced by people living with Tardive Dyskinesia. Participants will receive a $250 honorarium for their time.
To learn more or participate in a focus group, contact Patrick Hendry at phendry@mentalhealthamerica.net
Webinar Opportunities
The Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County held a webinar on Thursday, September 15, 2016, to highlight their Be Merge and Be Merge for Infants and Children online trainings. These trainings are for doctors, nurses and behavioral health professionals to learn more about integrated care and ‘merging’ behavioral health professionals into primary care settings. The trainings were recently updated and recertified for continuing education credits. For more information about the online trainings, go to http://www.mhapbc.org/bemergecertification or email info@mhapbc.org. MHA Affiliates interested in the September 15th webinar can get access to the presentation here.
MHA of Tippecanoe Recieves Surprise Posthumous Donation
Mental Health America of Tippecanoe County received a posthumous donation of $272,000 from Ingeborg MacLane for their supportive housing program. This program secures housing for people who face issues of mental illness and homelessness, and also provides individualized support and care for the beneficiaries. Read more from the JConline article.
Feedback on NFN?
Want to see more or less of something? MHA welcomes your feedback! Please send any thoughts and suggestions to me at mpernell@mentalhealthamerica.net
this page