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On the last Thursday
of every month at 7:00 PM, NAMI Athens holds meetings that feature
speakers, videos or slide shows about mental health-related issues.
Special
speakers are also sometimes scheduled on last Thursdays at the
Athens Public Library (see the most recent Speaker Series link in
the right column).
In addition, NAMI
has organized biannual conferences
on recovery featuring the wisdom and unique insight of recovered,
high-functioning mentally ill. The Athens area mental health entities
and schools/departments from both Ohio University and Hocking
College contribute financially. The day long conferences draw
audiences of between 125 and 150 which are comprised of recovered/recovering mentally ill, family members, health professionals,
and students in various health service and counseling disciplines. CEU credit is given to professionals.
Following the 2009 conference, Professor Debra
Doak, who had brought a good contingent of Washington State
Community College School of Nursing Students and Faculty to the
conference, commented in a letter to a conference organizer:
". . . the lives of all my
students were changed that day (and mine as well).
I got a different perspective . . . I want you to
know, too, that the other WSCC instructor there, Carol
McAuley, was the speaker at our pinning ( . . . to
a group different from the group that attended the NAMI
conference); she talked to the graduates about the
experience that day, particularly about Tammy and what
Tammy said she needed from nurses (the kindness and
compassion). Carol challenged them all to be that
nurse of whom Tammy spoke. As I said before, the
ripple effect of educating nurses is incredible . . .
that combined with the ripple effect of those speakers
that day is more far-reaching than I think we'll ever
know."
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Related stories
See stories on current and former speakers on the
topics listed below:
See more information about
past Recovery and Hope conferences:
2007
2009
See a story about the Athens
Foundation Funding that helped make the 2009 conference possible
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