KQED | Hope on the Street : About the Program : Outreach Efforts

HOPE ON THE STREET
OUTREACH PROGRAM AND PARTNER INFORMATION

Background

The struggles of people who are homeless and have mental illness -- and their families and the neighborhoods where they live -- are receiving renewed attention. Community programs in California are offering an array of services, from better housing to more jobs and job training to more support groups and socialization efforts. In addition, an increasing number of people who have mental illness are ending their silence, shattering societal stereotypes.

In accordance with renewed efforts to implement reform in community mental health programs, KQED is one of several stations to receive a Sound Partners for Community Health grant to produce, in collaboration with various community partners, locally conceived programming and outreach projects that address improving the quality of mental health care. Mental health clients, mental health and other health-care professionals, and the general public believe that there is hope for people who have mental illness, even those living on the street, and that many can lead stable and fulfilling lives when given access to quality care.

Outreach Program

Stigma, shame and discrimination prevent an estimated 80 percent of individuals who have mental illness from seeking treatment. Frontline mental health care workers -- especially primary care physicians and educators -- need to understand how these factors prevent individuals from seeking help.

The core of the community engagement activities consists of four mental health awareness/education events in the Bay Area that use Hope on the Street as the springboard to exploring issues raised in the film. The theme of each event is tied to recovery, and each targets a different part of the mental health community.

These four events are designed to reach major mental health care stakeholders, including

media makers, who have the power to affect broad perceptions about mental illness.
educators, who often are the first to see signs of mental disabilities and who have a forum for teaching about stigma.
mental health care workers, who guide those in need of assistance through the system and who must face head-on the quality of mental health care in the Bay Area.
mental health clients and their families, who must navigate the mental health care system while confronting their own misconceptions about mental illness.
key representatives of mental health community organizations and policymakers, who have the power to make improvements in access to mental health services while confronting fiscal and political constraints.

In celebration of Hope on the Street's nationwide broadcast beginning April 1, KQED worked with The Carter Center and Georgia Public Broadcasting to host a special community outreach event to promote Hope on the Street's broadcast on Georgia Public Television. The screening of the documentary was followed by a open question and answer period with producer, Michael Isip, who started this project as a Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism. Other panelists included: the anonymous narrator of the documentary, a mother whose son has schizophrenia and has spent time living on the streets; and Ray Guevara whose struggles with bipolar disorder, subsequent recovery and outreach work are featured in the documentary.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter delivered the opening remarks. The event was moderated by Thomas Bornemann, Ed.D., Director of the Mental Health Program at the Carter Center. More than 200 people from the general public and mental health community attended the event and gave the film a standing ovation. Hope on the Street was broadcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting on May 18. For more information, contact John Moor, Public Information Office, Carter Center, jmoor@emory.edu.

Bay Area Outreach Events

October 10, 2002, 5:30 to 9 p.m. -- Media and Mental Illness: Shattering the Stigma

Bay Area journalists and mental health community representatives joined together at U.C. Berkeley's graduate school of journalism to discuss the power of the media in shaping public perception of people who have mental illness and how to improve media coverage. Otto Wahl, professor of psychology at George Mason University, was the keynote speaker, along with a distinguished panel that included: William Brand, Oakland Tribune; Rob Elder, San Jose Mercury News (ret.); Nguyen Qui Duc, KQED Public Radio's Pacific Time; and Michael Isip, producer, Hope on the Street. A clip from the documentary was also shown.

Dr. Wahl's presentation focused on the stereotypical images and language that permeates movies, television and the press. And the journalists in the panel discussed the challenges of reporting on mental illness, specifically, the sensitivities around language usage. The feedback from the more than 100 people in the audience was overwhelmingly positive. Most attendees said that the Hope on the Street clip shown during the event was very helpful in exemplifying a sensitive portrayal of people struggling with mental illness.

Co-sponsors for the event were: the Alameda County Council of Mental Health Agencies; KQED Public Broadcasting; Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services; the Alameda County Mental Health Board; Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services; the Mental Health Association in California; California State University Hayward's Institute of Mental Health and Wellness Education; and San Francisco State University's Mental Health Education and Workforce Development Initiative.

Contact: Mike Lippitt, Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, lippitt@bhcs.mail.co.alameda.ca.us or (510) 567-8100
Location: North Gate Hall, U.C. Berkeley (corner of Euclid and Hearst streets), Berkeley, Calif.

March 1, 2003 -- Promoting Mental Health in Our Schools: A Major Mental Health Symposium for Educators and Frontline Professionals

The one-day symposium was hosted by the Mental Health Education and Workforce Development Initiative of San Francisco State University's College of Extended Learning. Specifically designed for teachers (preschool to postgraduate) and frontline professionals, the seminar addressed mental health and illness indicators, resources, new approaches and treatments, and the role of cultural and ethnic mental health belief systems. The emphasis of the event was on hope, recovery, and the importance of early identification and intervention for long-term mental health and wellness.

Robert Corrigan, SFSU's president, delivered the opening remarks. Dr. Elliot Aronson, named by the American Psychological Association in 2002 as being among the "100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century," presented the keynote address, "After Columbine: Increasing Empathy, Compassion and a Sense of Well-Being in Our Schools." Dr. Ernie Rodriguez of San Mateo Community College's Psychological Disabilities Project spoke about cultural/ethnic considerations in mental health. A clip from Hope on the Street was shown followed by a moving presentation by Ray Guevara, one of the people featured in the documentary. The more than 500 people in the audience found the day's proceedings -- with the numerous speakers and several breakout sessions to choose from -- to be very informative.

Contact: Dede Ranahan, Mental Health Education and Workforce Development Initiative, demerris3@attbi.com or (510) 886-5938
Location: South San Francisco Conference Center, 255 S. Airport Blvd., South San Francisco, Calif.

May 9, 2003 -- Building Hope on the Street, The Culture of the Homeless, Mentally Ill

This full-day training conference on how to successfully engage the homeless, mentally ill was hosted by San Francisco Community Mental Health Services of the Department of Public Health, City and County of San Francisco. This training was designed to increase cultural awareness and sensitivity around homeless individuals who have mental illness as well as identify best practices for engaging and improving the quality of care. Cultural issues for discussion included the diversity of the homeless population with mental illnesses, the challenges faced and the resources available in response to their special needs.

James Tate, Mobile Support and Treatment (MOST) Team to the Homeless, served as the conference's "master of ceremonies". The morning session opened with a screening of KQED's documentary, Hope on the Street, followed by a panel discussion, "Engaging the Homeless Mentally Ill, What Works What Doesn't", moderated by Michael Isip, the documentary's Director and Producer. Panelists included Alex Barnes, outreach worker of the MOST Team, (best practices and challenges faced by senior population); Scott Clark, MOST Consumer Advisory Board, (substance abuse perspective); and Octavia Dijon, Leland House (transitional youth perspective). A recognition award was presented by Chris Daly, San Francisco Supervisor (District 6), to Byron Yoanidis, for his support of and special friendship with John Joseph, who has schizophrenia. Read the text of the resolution (requires teh free Adobe Acrobat Reader available here). Both were featured in the documentary, Hope on the Street.

The afternoon session opened with a Spoken Word performance by the Po' Poets Project of Poor Magazine, followed by the keynote address, The Culture of Homelessness, by Marykate Connor, Caduceus Outreach Services. Participants were then separated into six smaller working groups to discuss and examine several case studies facilitated by the AB2034 Integrated Services. The approximately 160 mental health professionals that attended, including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, mental health case managers, peer counselors and health workers working in community mental health programs, indicated the conference provided thought provoking, highly relevant and needed information.

Contact: Juliet Valerio, Office of Cultural Competence, CMHS, (415) 558-5915
Location: Hiram Johnson Auditorium, 455 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, Calif.

June 24, 2003 -- Preserving Hope on the Street

A half-day event hosted by the Mental Health Association of San Francisco brought together key stakeholders in mental health policy to discuss how San Francisco's proposed budget cuts will impact delivery and access to mental health services. A screening of Hope on the Street, was followed by a roundtable discussion moderated by KQED's, Dave Iverson, and included panelists: Dr. Jorge Partida, San Francisco Department of Public Health; Jo Robinson, San Francisco Jail Psychiatric Services; James Tate, Mobile Support and Treatment Team to the Homeless; Alonzo Carmichael, Tenant Advocate, Mental Health Association of San Francisco. Discussion focused on how organizations within the mental health community could work together to share resources in order to continue providing services to those most threatened by the proposed budget cuts.

31 participants from various mental health organizations and community programs identified the most at risk services, including outreach and high end services for special needs such as dual diagnosis training. They also discussed how cuts can ultimately result in additional costs in other areas, such as jail and hospitalization days. Most were in agreement that in order to protect services the mental health community needs to enhance their cooperation by using limited resources more efficiently. In addition, the establishment of an independent funding stream for services separate from funds that come from state and federal programs would be highly desirable because it would reduce barriers to cooperation between departments. In order for this to be realized, the political will to spearhead a change in the current system would be needed. A number of participants are eager to continue this dialogue and convene again to discuss how they can collaborate and create a more united, influential force in order to give a higher profile to mental health concerns in the community.

Contact: Belinda Lyons, belinda@mha-sf.org or (415) 241-2929

Location: KQED, Boardroom and Atrium, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, Calif.

Our Partners

The Mental Health Education and Workforce Development Initiative (MHEWDI) at San Francisco State University's College of Extended Learning strives to bring the education system and the mental health system together as essential partners in serving the mental health needs of the community. The initiative is focusing on four strategic areas: mental health/human services workforce education and training that includes the education of mental health clients/consumers; mental health education for mainstream teachers/faculty (preschool to postgraduate); an enhanced, comprehensive system of accessible and effective supports for college students who have mental disabilities; and mental health education for the culturally diverse communities of the greater Bay Area. (Note: MHEWDI dissolved in April 2003.)

In addition, the MHEWDI's advisory committee of approximately 60 representatives from a wide range of mental health organizations has been pivotal in the development of the content for the Hope on the Street documentary, outreach materials and events. Please note that the MHEWDI is dissolving in April 2003.

Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services is working to provide a comprehensive network of integrated programs and services for all people who have serious psychiatric disabilities, regardless of age, ethnicity, language or geographic location, in order to minimize their number of hospitalizations, stabilize and manage their psychiatric symptoms, and help them achieve the highest possible level of successful functioning in their community of choice. It also provides mental health crisis and recovery services following major disasters and is working to improve its substance abuse services -- prevention, treatment and rehabilitation -- in order to reduce the illness, death, disability and cost to society that results from substance abuse. For more information, please go to http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/health/behavior/behav.shtml.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health's Community Mental Health Services-San Francisco Mental Health Plan offers a full range of specialty mental health services provided by a culturally diverse network of community mental health programs, clinics, and private psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists. For more information, please go to http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/PHP/MHP.htm.

Through education, advocacy and service, the Mental Health Association of San Francisco is dedicated to providing dynamic leadership to the entire community, in all its rich diversity, by building resources for, fostering the strengths of, meeting the needs of and improving the lives of all who are challenged by mental illness. For more information, please go to http://www.mha-sf.org/.

The Carter Center Mental Health Program seeks to improve the services and treatment for the millions of people who suffer from mental illness every year and their families. The fellowships offered through the program are designed to enhance public understanding of mental health issues and combat stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness. The fellowships are open to print and broadcast journalists with a minimum of two years of professional experience. Each fellow is awarded a $10,000 grant and two expense-paid trips to the Carter Center to meet with program staff and advisors. Projects are tailored to the experience and interests of the fellows, who consult with the program's distinguished advisory board and Mental Health Task Force members. For more information, please go to www.cartercenter.org.

Grant Information

Sound Partners for Community Health seeks to increase public awareness of specific health issues and facilitate citizens' involvement in making decisions affecting health care by fostering partnerships between public broadcasters, community organizations and additional media entities. By utilizing a variety of programming and community engagement techniques, the alliances supported by Sound Partners help equip individuals to participate in community problem-solving around local health issues. Sound Partners is a program of the Benton Foundation and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, please go to http://www.soundpartners.org/.