NAMI-Athens: Projects

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."

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