Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
September 22, 2005, Vol. 05-123

Free Teleconference: Media Startegies for Reducing Stigma Within Spanish-Speaking Communities

Changing Minds and Inspiring Hope: Media Strategies For Reducing Stigma Within Spanish-speaking Communities

Please Join Us

The SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated With Mental Illness invites you to participate in a free teleconference training titled, "Changing Minds and Inspiring Hope: Media Strategies For Reducing Stigma Within Spanish-speaking Communities."

Date: Thursday, October 11, 2005
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Eastern Time)

To participate in this training teleconference, please complete the online registration form located at http://www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov/regpage.cfm. For additional teleconference information, please refer to the Training section of the SAMHSA ADS Center web site or contact a technical assistance representative by e-mail at stopstigma@samhsa.hhs.gov or by telephone at 1-800-540-0320. Please pass this invitation along to interested friends and colleagues. Please note: Registration for this teleconference will close at 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on Monday, October 10, 2005.

Training Sponsor

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

Training Summary

Stigma continues to hinder mental health recovery for Latinos in America. Its impact is felt in the lack of community acceptance and full integration of people with mental illnesses. For Latinos, stigma can manifest itself in the form of a belief that mental illnesses result from a lack of character, divine punishment, or bad parenting; that people with mental illnesses are dangerous or cannot cope; or that mental illness is incurable. Effectively addressing these stigmatizing attitudes requires cooperation and communication across an entire community. Although accurate information about the nature of mental illness and the genesis of stigma is available, appropriate and effective distribution of that information to a Spanish-speaking public requires careful planning.

Spanish-speaking communities rely heavily on print and broadcast media for vital health information. According to Univision, the largest Spanish-speaking television network in the U.S., television is the primary media for communicating this information, followed closely by radio and, increasingly, the Internet. Accordingly, any strategy designed to foster increased knowledge and decreased stigma about mental illness within Spanish-speaking communities should utilize mass media as a resource.

Please join us on Tuesday, October 11, 2005, for a presentation on identifying factors impacting stigma and stigma-reduction in Spanish-speaking communities; effectively working with Spanish-language news media to communicate about mental illness and mental health services; and successful projects and initiatives already utilizing mass media as an educational and outreach tool within Latino communities.

Training Goals

. Identify factors that impact on stigma and stigma reduction within Spanish-speaking communities.

. Provide information and strategies for working effectively with Spanish-speaking media to communicate accurate information about mental illness and mental health services.

. Share examples of successful projects and initiatives utilizing mass media as a tool for education and outreach within Latino communities.

Event Speakers

Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, Freelance Writer Ms. Clauss-Ehlers writes a column for Hoy!, one of the largest Spanish-language newspapers. She holds a 2004-2005 Rosalynn Carter Fellowship For Mental Health Journalism through which she is exploring the impact that stigma has on access to mental health treatment, utilization of mental health services, and coping within Latino families.

Victor Ortiz, President, El Paso NAMI
Mr. Ortiz leads El Paso NAMI's Latino outreach initiative. By establishing strong partnerships with different local television stations, radio stations, and newspapers, he has garnered free broadcast time and column space that he uses to educate the community about mental illness. Victor's broadcast segments are always well received and generate considerable audience feedback each time he appears.

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Member, National Advisory Mental Health Council, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Dr. Aguilar-Gaxiola was a member of the faculty at California State University, Fresno, from 1990 to 2005 where he was actively involved in a collaborative program designed to increase access to mental health services among the Central Valley's low-income, underserved, rural populations. Currently, he is the on-site principal investigator of the Mexican American Prevalence and Services Survey (MAPSS), the largest mental health study conducted in the United States on Mexican Americans. Sergio holds several advisory, board, and consulting positions with the World Health Organization (WHO); and serves as the coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the WHO Mental Health Initiative. He also serves as a member of the Executive Board of Directors for the National Mental Health Association and serves as that organization's Chair of Prevention and Children's Mental Health Services.

Presentations

Speaker presentations will take approximately 60 minutes and will be followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer period. Participants will receive confirmation of their registration by e-mail shortly before the scheduled conference date. This confirmation message will include telephone dial-in instructions and a link to presentation materials posted in the Training section of the SAMHSA ADS Center Web site.

About the ADS Center

SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center) helps people design, implement and operate programs that reduce discrimination and stigma associated with mental illnesses. With the most up-to-date research and information, the ADS Center helps individuals, organizations and governments counter such discrimination and stigma in the community, in the workplace, and in the media.
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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.