CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
October 21, 2003, Vol. 03-94

ADS CENTER WILL HOLD TELECONFERENCE AND INTERNET TRAINING ON WORKING WITH THE MEDIA TO ADDRESS DISCRIMINATION AND STIGMA

TO REGISTER, ALL EMAIL RESPONSES MUST GO TO kkarg@mhasp.org
OR CALL Kevin Karg at 800-688-4226, Ext. 290.

Dear Colleague:

You are invited to participate in a virtual training session via the Internet and the telephone on the topic of "Working with the Media to Address Discrimination and Stigma": countering negative images of people who have mental illnesses in the news and entertainment media, rewarding the media for positive images, and encouraging the media to present positive images more frequently.

This session is sponsored by the Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center), a project of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The session is free to participants.

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Time: 2:00 p.m. -- 3:30 p.m. Eastern

The training will offer the expertise of Dr. Thomas Bornemann, Mental Health Program Director of the Carter Center; Lea Ann Browning-McNee, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Community Development, of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA); and NAMI Communications Director Bob Carolla; and it will include a question-and-answer session.

Participants will learn about how programs such as the Carter Center's Journalism Fellowships, NMHA's annual Media Awards, and NAMI's Stigmabusters have made a difference in media coverage of mental health issues. They will also gain strategies for addressing discrimination and stigma through the media.

The presentation will take place during the first hour, to be followed by 30 minutes of discussion with the presenters.

If you can access the Internet and the telephone at the same time, you will be able to follow the PowerPoint slides that will accompany the telephone presentation on the Internet. However, if you would like to participate by phone only, a hard copy of the PowerPoint presentation will be sent to you before the call so that you can follow along.

All participants will receive a confirmation e-mail and agenda within 48 hours of responding to this invitation. That email will include log-in instructions for the call.

To register for this teleconference, please send an email to kkarg@mhasp.org stating that you want to participate. For more information, please call Kevin Karg at 800-688-4226, ext. 290.

Reminder: Please let us know if you would like to participate by phone only, and materials will be sent in advance of the call.

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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.