On September 26, Access Living will host a town hall meeting on stigma and mental illness. This is a critical issue for millions of people in our country, as ignorance and stereotypes about people with mental illness pervade every aspect of our lives. Studies have shown that people with mental illness die about 25 years younger than people who do not have mental illness, due to disparities in health care. The New York Times, recently ran an opinion piece on how stigma about mental illness results in subpar care. You can read that story at: nytimes/2013/08/11/opinion/sunday/when-doctors-discriminate.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1&. The town hall will include a presentation from Dr. Patrick Corrigan, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, a nationally known authority on stigma and mental illness. There will also be a panel presentation by survivors of mental illness about their own experiences. Finally, there will be an open mic session for attendees to share their thoughts. The town hall is on Thursday, September 26 from 2 to 4:30 p.m., at Access Living, 115 W. Chicago Avenue in Chicago. ASL interpreters will be available. Additional disability accommodations are available upon request. Please refrain from wearing perfumed products in deference to those with sensitivities to chemical substances. RSVP to Marilyn Martin at [email protected]. We hope you can join us for this timely and important session
Posted on: Thu, 15 Aug 2013 22:51:01 +0000