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Founder of SA
Spirit of Schizophrenics Anonymous
monthly conference call
Third Saturday of each month 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Spirit of SA" calls (to provide training and technical assistance to SA group leaders) might need to be moved from daytime to evening in the future because more and more leaders are working during the day. Why is this important? Because less than a generation ago most were in a hospital or on disability, so they had no daytime conflict. It is a testament to SA's power to help people recover that they now have jobs as a part of their full lives in the community." From an email to SARDAA board of directors members.
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Urban Mental Health Initiative Symposium
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008
Location: DCTV Studios 901 Newton Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.
Time: 2pm – 7pmAbout the event~
Registration: 2pm – 3pm
Panel Discussion: 3pm – 5pm
VIP Reception: 5pm – 7pmThe Aalia Group, Inc. in cooperation with Raising Expectations, Inc. (a 501c3 youth arts enrichment organization) presents the 1st Annual 2008 Urban Mental Health Initiative Symposium. This event will be hosted before a live studio audience at DCTV Studios on Saturday, November 15, 2008.
The program will present varying perspectives regarding approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses within urban communities. Our distinguished panel will be asked to grapple with the notion that specific mental illnesses are culturally based. Is there treatment appropriateness based on race and ethnicity? How can the medical community bridge the trust chasm ever present within indigenous populations? What is the outlook for a sustainable mental health care system which adequately addresses current disparities in access, diagnosis, and long term treatment?
These and other thought-provoking questions will be presented to a panel of psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical therapists, and other mental health specialists in a two (2) hour discussion format led by a distinguished moderator.
The Urban Mental Health Initiative Symposium has been planned and coordinated with the assistance of the following organizations:
· Howard University Hospital Psychiatric Department
· Black Psychiatrists of America
· The Northern Virginia Prenatal Counsel
· The National Alliance on Mental Illness
· National Institutes of Mental Health
Invited Panelists
· Dr. Melva Green, MD, MBA, MPH
· Dr. William Lawson, MD, PhD, DFAPA
· Joy Degruy Leary, Ph.D http://joyleary.com/h_index.html (Confirmed)
· Dr. Anissa Maroof, Resident Psychiatrist, Howard University (Confirmed)
· Ray Winbush, Ph.D, Director Institute for Urban Affairs, Morgan State University (Confirmed)
· Terri Williams, Author http://www.terriewilliams.com/
· Dr. Humaira Siddiqi, Chair, Northern Prenatal Counsel
· Imam Johari Abdul Malik, Director of Outreach and Communications, Dar al Hijra Masjid (Confirmed)
Expected Attendees
The event will be attended by members of Congress, political leaders, and an honor roll of scientists and researchers, leading the effort to understand, treat, and improve the opportunities for mental wellness in urban communities. The event will spotlight The Aalia Group’s commitment to promoting open, solutions-oriented dialogue and unique outreach efforts to increase the awareness and understanding of mental health challenges from the perspectives of both the patient and the health care practitioner.
Additional Viewing Opportunities
The Urban Mental Health Initiative Symposium will be aired in the following public access markets:
· Washington DC: DCTV - Comcast 95, & 96, RCN 10, & 11.
· Arlington, VA: AIM – Comcast 69, Verizon 38.
· Fairfax,VA: FPA - Channel 10, 30
· Montgomery County, MD: MD - Cable 19, 21
Additionally the program is tentatively scheduled to air on broadcast radio in local markets, and on various Internet video portals. More information on radio and Internet distribution will be available in October 2008.
About Us
The Aalia Group, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Formed in February 2005, our mission is to create unique educational opportunities by using the power of the media to promote wellness of the mind, body and spirit. We leverage our core competency as media professionals to create unique outreach initiatives involving a broad spectrum of community leadership, including Government entities, educational institutions, corporate and non-profit organizations. An enduring goal is to reach back into the community and provide substantive initiatives that positively impact the broader society.
Below are brief details of some of the work we have done over the past few years:
Accomplishments
· November 15, 2008: Urban Mental Health Symposium, hosted at DCTV, in collaboration with youth actors and writers from Raising Expectations Inc, a 501c3 DC-based youth arts enrichment organization.
· November 2008: Invited to attend the Black Psychiatrists of America’s 27th Annual Trans-cultural Psychiatry conference in San Croix, Virgin Islands.
o Documentary shorts presentation: “Health Moms, Healthy Babies” – a look at Postpartum Depression (PPD) in urban America
· June – September 2008: Spearheaded the Urban Mental Health Initiative
o Creation of a series of public service announcements focusing on mood disorders among mothers in urban populations. Additionally targeting youth between the ages of 13-22 with unique messages encouraging abstinence from the use of Marijuana.
· May 2008: Addressed the Black Psychiatrists of America (BPA) organization at Annual APA conference and highlighted The Aalia Group’s efforts to begin production on a documentary about mental health in urban America and the Urban Mental Health Initiative.
· September 2007: 2nd Appearance participating in the U.S. Department of Commerce Health and Safety Fair.
· July 2007: Invited to attend to National Medical Association Annual conference in Atlanta, GA
o Conducted documentary interviews with Shirley Marks, MD, MPH, DFAPA
§ Postpartum Psychosis and infanticide in Black mothers
· February 2007: Book publication: “Heart Broken Soulmate,” written by Randell Barkley. A personal story about postpartum depression and psychosis.
o Aalia Group partnered with the author and spearheaded speaking engagements to create a dialogue around the subject of the book in various cities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.
· September 2006: Participated in the U.S. Department of Commerce Health and Safety Fair.
o Released a new public service announcement about mothers and postpartum depression (PPD).
o Worked with the NIMH Postpartum Depression outreach center to obtain and distribute pamphlets and contact information for mothers suffering from symptomatic conditions that suggest the possibility of depression after childbirth.
· August 2006: Guest on WPFW FM Radio’s “MyND” Talk with host Dr. Pamela Brewer.
o Aalia Group’s Director of Outreach and Communication spoke directly to the community regarding the organizations efforts to create unique educational, and progressive campaigns to address the disparities in mental health services in urban communities.
· July 2006: A Meeting of the Mind’s: Informative discussion about mental health in urban communities.
o Symposium and panel discussion focusing on issues of mental health and the linkages to violence and the inevitable experiences patients have with the criminal justice system.
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