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NAMI StigmaBuster alert: September 9, 2005
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www.nami.org/stigma

Contact: smarch@nami.org

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NAMI Creates Special Fund for Hurricane Relief
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Stigma often means that people with mental illnesses are
marginalized or forgotten. NAMI is responding to the
tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to try to make sure that that
does not happen to the estimated 500,000 people in
Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi who live with serious
mental illnesses.

NAMI™s national network of affiliates and volunteers are
working to coordinate and supplement assistance with state
and local agencies in the Gulf region and evacuation
communities.

A comprehensive Resource Guide is available on the NAMI
Website and being updated frequently.

http://www.nami.org/Templat....D=26242

To support these efforts, donations can be made on-line to
the NAMI Katrina Hurricane Relief Fund.  Additionally,
NAMI has set up an account with Wachovia Bank to receive
donations under the NAMI Katrina Hurricane Relief Fund.
You can donate at any Wachovia Bank branch to account
number 2000024603407. People can locate the nearest
Wachovia location by visiting their Web site at:
http://www.wachovia.com/ Contributions to NAMI earmarked
for the Hurricane Relief Fund also can be mailed to 2107
Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201.

http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=Donate

Funds raised will go directly to help consumers. Every
contribution will help, whether it™s $1, $5, $25, $50 or
more. What™s important is the NAMI spirit that binds us as
a community.

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Media Opportunity: The Infinite Mind
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This week, The Infinite Mind radio  show is
broadcasting œIn the Wake of the Storm: A Special Report,?
on more than 260 public radio stations nationwide. (The
program can be downloaded for free as an MP3 or RealAudio
at http://lcmedia.typepad.com/katrina/). Beginning
September 14, the show will focus on œA Road to Recovery,?
highlighting the additional stresses being placed on a
mental healthcare system already subject to Medicaid
budget cuts.

http://lcmedia.typepad.com/katrina/

The broadcast offers NAMI state and affiliate leaders an
opportunity to contact in advance the local public radio
stations that broadcast the show to offer local consumers,
family members and psychiatrists for local interviews or
panel discussions to follow the national portion of the
broadcast.

http://www.lcmedia.com/stations.htm

These stations are already familiar with the show; contact
their station managers or programming directors. Public
stations which do not presently carry the program can be
encouraged to do so”for free”by recording it from the
public radio satellite or requesting a special CD.

http://www.npr.org/stations/

For more information or questions about localizing the
program, please call The Infinite Mind™s outreach
coordinator, Anna Todd O'Neal at 877-765-6610 (toll free)
or email her at [email=Anna@LCMedia.com.]Anna@LCMedia.com.[/email] Persons participating
in local broadcasts who need background information on
current issues should browse the Policy Section of the
NAMI Web site or contact NAMI Media Relations at
[email=bobc@nami.org.]bobc@nami.org.[/email]

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=P...News_and_alerts

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œHead Cases? Premieres Wednesday, September 14
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Where does humor end and stigma begin? Fox TV™s Head Cases
which premieres on September 14 at 9:00 PM ET (check local
listings) may set a standard. The first episode is
borderline.

In the show, two consumer lawyers are paired for peer
support. One lives with anxiety disorder; the other
with œexplosive disorder? (An actual DSM-IV diagnosis).
Offensive, stigmatizing language hurled at them is
authentic. But according to Fox, the show™s central plot
line will show the characters "gaining the upper hand on
those who attempt to stigmatize them [and] triumphing over
adversity.?

NAMI will monitor the show and raise concerns with the
network. The second and third episodes may be as important
as the first in making an overall judgment.

Please tune in and let us know what you think.

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Stella March, National Coordinator
NAMI StigmaBusters


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