On Friday, May 13, 2022 at 8:00am at the Oxford Civic Center join together for the Out of the Shadows Summit. The Out of the Shadows Summit is a one-day mental health conference for individuals with mental illness, family members, advocates, and professionals.
Nearly one in five adults in the US – roughly 53 million people – are living with mental illness, according to data collected in 2020 by the National Institute of Mental Health. Two years later – with a pandemic, social unrest, inflation, and a war in Europe – these numbers have only increased.
On May 13, local mental health advocates will host the fourth Out of the Shadows Summit at Oxford Civic Center, 8 am to 4:30 pm, to shine a spotlight on mental health in Northeast Alabama. Established in 2017, this will mark the first time the annual event has been held since 2019, due to the pandemic.
“The program is especially relevant when considering the prevalence of mental illness in our state and the stigma associated with mental health disorders,” said Julie Nix, director of Counseling Services at Jacksonville State. “COVID-19 has certainly impacted those numbers.”
The event is co-presented by Jacksonville State University, Gadsden State Community College, Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama, Regional Medical Center, Highland Health Systems, National Alliance on Mental Illness of Alabama and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.
The program will include speakers, exhibitors, lunch, the opportunity for professionals to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and free HIV and Hepatitis C screenings. Topics will include:
- Old Wine in a New Cracked Bottle: State of Mental Health Care in Alabama
- Prevention Education Through Coalition Building and Community Involvement
- The Involuntary Commitment of Mentally Ill Persons
- Umbrella of Dementia
- Message for Living: Inspiration, Motivation and Rejuvenation
Registration is $60 for professionals – who may earn five CEUs at the event – and $5 for the general public. Sign up on the JSU Continuing Education website, www.jsu.edu/ceo, or by calling 256-782-5918.
