Defeating Stigma In Our Shore Community: April 10th Roundtable To Focus On Reducing The Stigma Of Mental Illness

Chestertown, MD, March 11, 2002 — Washington College, Mid-Shore Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MSMHS), and Crossroads Community, Inc. are pleased to host "DEFEATING STIGMA," a roundtable discussion on changing public attitudes about mental illness. The program will be held Wednesday, April 10, 2002, at 3:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge.

The event is free and all are invited to join the discussion and reception to follow.

"Mental health care providers often lament lack of public support for their work and inadequate reporting of mental illness by the news media," said Nancy Zinn, Executive Director of MSMHS. "At this roundtable, distinguished members of the news media and state and local mental health officials will discuss ways that they might work together, in their independent roles, to reduce stigma and increase public understanding."

The panel will by moderated by award-winning author and advocate for the disabled, Hugh Gregory Gallagher. Well-known for his acclaimed critical biography of Roosevelt, "FDR's Splendid Deception," Gallagher also has authored the autobiographical "Black Bird Fly Away: Disabled in an Able-Bodied World" and "By Trust Betrayed: Patients, Physicians and the License to Kill in the Third Reich". Joining Gallagher will be Haynes Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; Denise Riley, Executive Editor, The Star-Democrat, Easton, MD; Oscar Morgan, Director, Maryland Mental Hygiene Administration; Linda Raines, Executive Director, Maryland Mental Health Association; Roger Harrell, Health Officer for Dorchester County and President of MSMHS; Janice Brathwaite, Director, Chesapeake Rural Network-On Our Own; and Lt. Gary Foster, Commander, Centreville Barracks, Maryland State Police.

MSMHS is a private not for profit 501(C)(3) organization serving the five Eastern Shore counties of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne's and Talbot. Incorporated in 1993 through a collaboration of the five county governments and mental health stakeholders, MSMHS strives to improve the provision of mental health services through effective coordination of services with consumers, family members, providers and community leaders.

Crossroads Community, Inc., is a private not for profit organization that provides services and develops supports that empower individuals with mental health needs to live, learn and work in their communities. Crossroads has been serving the mid-Shore community since 1984.