The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) To Host National Convention in Denver

Mental health advocates from across the country will join together July 6-9, 2016

News provided by

Jun 28, 2016, 11:05 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, will host the 2016 NAMI National Convention in Denver. This year's convention will call participants to action with a theme of Act. Advocate. Achieve.

The gathering will feature four days of learning about new research, policy initiatives, recovery strategies and much more. There will be more than 150 speakers and 100 presentations on such topics as advancing recovery through technology and research; ending criminalization of mental illness; addressing the mental health impact of violent tragedies and mass shootings; identifying and intervening early on with mental illness in youth; assisting veterans and military personnel, as well as updates from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and others.

WHY: Nearly 2,000 attendees from across the country will embrace a theme of Act. Activate. Achieve through exploration of the future of mental health, driving advocacy, building a movement, leveraging technology, and strengthening the organization. The convention will include:

Top-notch researchers and clinicians providing information and tools to advance and sustain recovery from mental illness;
Important perspectives on recovery from people living with a mental illness and their families; and
The country's keenest minds and savviest policymakers offering strategies and tactics to effectively advocate for changing the mental health system in our nation.

WHO:

Available spokespeople include NAMI Chief Executive Officer, Mary Giliberti; NAMI Senior Policy Advisor, Ron Honberg; and NAMI Medical Director, Ken Duckworth, M.D.
Featured speakers include Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado and The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy.
Workshop participants include Michael Kehoe, Chief of Police (Retired), Town of Newtown Police Department, Newtown, Conn and AJ DeAndrea, Sergeant, Arvada Police Department, Arvada, Colo., who will discuss how communities deal with the impacts from mass shootings, including cases in Colorado.
Rick Raemisch, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, will be honored with the Sam Cochran Criminal Justice Award, recognizing outstanding work in the criminal justice system to deal fairly with people living with mental illness.
View the full convention schedule here.