Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
September 1, 2004, Vol. 04-89

Reducing Discrimination and Stigma a Focus at Alternatives: Register for the Conference Now

Conference registration space is running out quickly, and it is important to act now if you would like to attend Alternatives 2004 -- the national mental health conference organized by and for mental health consumers and survivors. To register, contact Horizon Meetings at (800) 776-1286.

Alternatives 2004 will be held from October 13 - 17, 2004, at the Denver Marriott City Center in Denver, Colorado. In its 19-year history, the Alternatives conference has received national recognition for its role in promoting the use of recovery principles in mental health systems and in supporting the self-determination of consumers. This year, the conference will focus on these themes, as well as diversity issues, consumer-delivered services, and community integration.

National efforts to combat the discrimination and stigma associated with mental illness will be a special focus of the conference. At the conference, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration�s Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (SAMHSA ADS Center) is sponsoring a number of workshops, speakers, and other opportunities to learn about the state-of-the-art in combating discrimination and stigma.

Prominent experts will present on model programs and the latest discrimination and stigma research. Featured speakers include Patrick Corrigan, Psy.D., Director, Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research; Carmen Lee, Director, Stamp Out Stigma; Ramiro Guevara, Director, In Our Own Voice, and Shannon Flanagan, Project Director, SAMHSA ADS Center Project, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Throughout its history, the Alternatives Conference has been sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This year�s theme �Achieving the Promise of Recovery: New Freedom, New Power, New Hope,� was chosen to echo the themes of the report of the President�s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and to support the goal of mental health system transformation.

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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.