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In 2017, MIAW takes place Oct. 1-7. NAMI will promote the theme of “Into Mental Health: Inspired, Informed, Involved” during #MIAW. The campaign will focus on the power of starting inspiring conversations, getting informed to know the right thing to say and encouraging people to proudly proclaim that they are #IntoMentalHealth!

You can play a significant role in growing the movement. Here are some resources to help make MIAW successful.

Let the community know what you’re doing by putting out a press release. A press release can let other people know about the events you’re holding and get people interested in attending. It might even result in a local media outlet covering what you have going on. Download a sample press release.

Browse through logos, print graphics, social media images and more to help raise awareness. Get #IntoMentalHealth graphics.

Encourage public officials and community partners to support the cause by proclaiming the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week in their communities, or submit an item about MIAW to your local media.

• Download the sample proclamation.
• Download the sample article.
• Download the sample letter to the editor.

Learn more at NAMI.org

The 31st Annual Research & Policy Conference on Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Behavioral Health will be held March 4-7, 2018 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown Hotel.

Since 1988, this annual conference has been a leader in promoting the development of the research base essential to improved service systems for children and youth with mental health challenges and their families. Sponsored by the Department of Child & Family Studies, this gathering brings together more than 500 researchers, evaluators, policy-makers, administrators, parents, and advocates.

Here is your chance to be a part of this important conference!  The Conference Planning Committee invites you to submit proposals for research benefiting children, youth and their families.  The deadline to submit a proposal is 11:59 pm Pacific Time on October 27, 2017.

Special interest topics this year include:

• Youth and Young Adults – Research, policy, and services to support the behavioral health needs of older youth and young adults.
• Evidence-based Practice (EBP) in Systems of Care – Examples of current research and technical assistance integrating and supporting EBP in systems of care, both in the US and Canada.
• Innovations in Wraparound – Leaders in Wraparound management, supervision, evaluation, QA, and research will present an array of cutting-edge developments in care coordination for youth with complex needs.
• Behavioral Health Equity – Showcasing the latest evidence-based research and discoveries, innovative programs, and effective policies advancing behavioral health equity among vulnerable populations both domestically and globally.
• Institute for Translational Research in Adolescent Behavioral Health (Institute members only) – Includes presentations of results from translational research projects along with discussions by leaders in the field regarding current trends in implementation science.
• Child Welfare – Co-sponsored by Casey Family Programs and the Florida Institute for Child Welfare, this track showcases new developments in community-based and other interventions to prevent or mitigate the impact of child maltreatment.

General topic areas this year include:

• Community-based policies, services, and strategies addressing disparities.
• Systems research on processes that impact effectiveness.
• Research on family, youth, and young adult roles in behavioral health services.
• Implementation of Evidence-based practice research and policy.
• Innovative approaches to research and evaluation in complex behavioral health settings.
• Community-based policy approaches addressing Substance Abuse/Dual Diagnosis services.
• Early childhood behavioral health.
• Building capacity to provide coordinated behavioral health community responses to American Indian/Alaska Native families.
• Research on Wraparound and care coordination for youth and families with the most complex and costly needs.

Learn more about the conference on the Child & Family Studies website, view the Call for Proposals flyer, or submit a proposal.

Sheila Procella joined the Air Force in 1974 to “see the Earth,” she said. She enlisted at the tail end of the Vietnam War, shortly after graduating from high school. Although she never left her home state of Texas during eight years of service, her office job proved to be its own battlefield.

“Some of us actually went to war, some of us had war right here in the states, going to work every day knowing we are going to be harassed,” said Procella, now 62 and living in Plano.

At the time, fewer than 3 percent of service members were women. Procella recalls the daily barrage of sexual comments, gestures and men grabbing her inappropriately. And one of her superiors made it clear that her hopes of moving up the career ladder depended on having sex with him.

“He was kind of discreet about the way he put it, but his one advance and my one acceptance of his advance led to my promotion,” Procella said.

At the time, Procella, who served in the Air Force until 1979 and then went on to the Texas Air National Guard until 1982, accepted the common belief that reporting the incidents would be bad for her career. “It definitely wasn’t talked about, you definitely did not report your superiors for any kind of harassment,” she explained. “At the time that it happens you sweep it away like you’re going to be OK.”

But it wasn’t OK, and after her military career, Procella found herself dependent on alcohol and drugs to cope.

Eventually, she came to associate her deep depression, anxiety and panic attacks with the harassment and assaults during her military service. Procella, who had also experienced childhood sexual abuse, was diagnosed with military sexual trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in 2014, nearly three decades after her service. Today she has a 70 percent disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

There are many others like Procella, who served decades ago but are just coming to terms with their experience.

A 2015 study published by the American Psychological Association asked 327 female veterans in Southern California about their experiences with sexual trauma. They divided the respondents into two groups — those who served before the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, and those in uniform afterward. Nearly half of those in the earlier group reported sexual contact against their will during their military service. In the later group, reports of unwanted sexual contact dropped to 30 percent.

A majority of those who reported sexual abuse met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis, the researchers said.

And a study published last year in the journal Women’s Health Issues found that women ages 45 to 54 reported more sexual harassment and assault while in the military than other age groups.

Read more on DallasNews.com

World Mental Health Day is approaching. Observed on October 10th every year, the day is meant to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts in support of mental health. This is an opportunity for all of us to talk about mental health issues through a public platform, and what more needs to be done to provide access to mental health care for people worldwide.

Globally, more than 300 million people suffer from depression. Depression and anxiety disorders are common mental disorders that have an impact on our ability to lead our lives and interact with others. In addition to these staggering numbers, more than 260 million are living with anxiety disorders. Many people live with both.

Mental health is a serious issue for everyone. So this October 10th, Outspeak is running content designed to give you the information you need to have a healthy understanding of the issues facing mental health and mental health care in America.

Because mental health is a deeply personal issue, Outspeak wants to hear from you. They want to know what improvements you’d like to see in mental health care, success stories, personal stories of struggle, the benefits of mental health care, and everything in between.

If you currently have a video, or are interested in creating one related to World Mental Health Day, send it to Outspeak via Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #WMHDay. Or email your submissions to social@outspeak.tv.

Your video has the opportunity to be featured on HuffPost’s massive social media pages, on Outspeak’s social media, and you have the chance to be featured in an article onHuffPost.com. For an example of how these features look, check out Outspeak’s recent #YourVoteYourVoice election campaign.

Learn more at HuffPost.com

September 27, 2017, National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day(NGMHAAD) is a chance to communicate about HIV in this community and the important and longstanding role that gay men have had in addressing the HIV epidemic in our nation.

To support your work around NGMHAAD, here’s a select list of resources for digital and traditional communication.

HIV Testing

This suite of HIV.gov resources promotes knowledge of one’s HIV status and access to related services:

• The HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator is a tool that allows you to search for testing services, housing providers, health centers and other service providers near your current location. Apps for the locator are available in the iTunes store and on Google Play .
• Webmasters can embed the HIV.gov widget in your sites.
• This shareable video about the Locator shows how health and social support providers can use this tool to talk with people at risk for HIV and those who are living with HIV.
• Succinct explanations of HIV testing, prevention and care and related issues are available in this HIV.gov basics section.

Personal Stories

This observance is a chance to spur conversation that build individual awareness of HIV, encourage knowledge of one’s HIV status and support engagement in prevention and care. For these conversations, HIV.org offers ready-to-go digital stories:

The Positive Spin videos and microsite feature the personal experiences of five HIV-positive, gay Black men who have successfully navigated the HIV care continuum from diagnosis to treatment and, ultimately, to viral suppression.

HIV.org also recommends the videos from the Doing It campaign from the CDC’s Act Against AIDS initiative.

Social Media

The hashtag #NGMHAAD connects you to the conversation on social media. If you have a story to share related to this observance, use the hashtag #mypositivespin  and #NGMHAAD . Here is a short list of federal social media platforms to follow and like:

Twitter:

• @HIVgov 
• @CDC_HIV/AIDS
• @DrMerminCDC
• @talkHIV 
• @HRSAgov

Facebook:

• HIV.gov
• CDC HIV
• HRSAgov

Visuals

Both HIV.gov and CDC have NGMHAAD visuals for your use. HIV.gov has the logo for the day and more on our NGMHAAD resource page. CDC has banners, social media images, and other graphics ready for your use.

Be Informed

If you want more information about the historic contributions of gay men to the fight against HIV, check HIV.gov’s timeline of HIV and AIDS.

Members of the public—including individuals, stakeholders, and organizations—are invited to provide comments on the proposed Healthy People 2030 framework for consideration by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The framework will guide the selection and prioritization of objectives for Healthy People 2030.

This round of public comment will be open until September 29, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. E.T.

If you would like to submit a comment, please register or log in. You may review comments without registering. Submit a Comment.

You may comment on individual sections or leave a general comment on the entire framework. Review the draft framework.

Comments should be clear, concise, and specific to the proposed concepts and language. All comments will be moderated. Only comments that meet the guidelines below will be published.

Public comment is an essential part of the multiyear development process for Healthy People 2030. HHS will carefully review the comments received during this public comment period and they will inform the final version of the Healthy People 2030 framework.

Please note: HHS is not accepting proposals for objectives to be included in Healthy People 2030 at this point. The public will be invited to comment on proposed objectives in the future.

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) maintains an online public comment database for the purpose of facilitating public input and participation in the development of our programs. All submitted comments are reviewed prior to being published online and should adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Comments must be related to the stated purpose of the request. Public comments are requested for specific purposes, which are stated at the top of online comment collection forms. Comments unrelated to the stated purpose will not be published.
2. Comments must be suitable for online publication. Comments that contain profanity, inappropriate images, copyrighted materials, or that are intended to defame specific individuals (i.e., slander or libel) or groups of individuals (i.e., derogatory or discriminatory remarks) will not be published.
3. Comments must not contain information that is exempt from public disclosure. Public availability of comments is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIA exempts certain types of information from public disclosure. Comments that contain information that is exempt under FOIA will not be published. visit: https://www.foia.gov/faq.html#exemptions.

Learn more at HealthyPeople.gov or email HP2030@hhs.gov with any questions about public comment.