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In this issue:

• Welcome from Executive Producer Phylis Geller
• What is DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows?
• DEPRESSION Grant Recipient Spotlight
• Outreach for All!
• Coming Soon
• Contact Information
• Subscription Information

We know that over 21 million American adults have a depressive disorder, and that treatments are widely available. Still, many never seek help. If this disease is so widespread, why the silence? We are excited that outreach professionals across the country are joining us in our efforts to lift this stigma, and offer information, hope, and help to people dealing with (or helping a loved one cope with) depression.

DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows is a 90-minute primetime special written, produced and directed by Larkin McPhee for tpt and WGBH Boston, premiering May 21, 2008. Immediately following the documentary, broadcast journalist Jane Pauley moderates nationally recognized mental health experts as they share their insights in a half-hour panel discussion titled Caring for Depression, with Jane Pauley. Together the programs make of up the fourth installment of PBS’ initiative TAKE ONE STEP: A PBS Health Campaign, which also includes FAT: What No One Is Telling You; HIDDEN EPIDEMIC: Heart Disease in America; and The Truth About Cancer.

This monthly newsletter will describe opportunities for outreach surrounding the DEPRESSION documentary, important dates and production insights of interest to outreach, programming, promotion/communications and station development personnel. Designed with you in mind, the DEPRESSION newsletter will also be a place where stations and partner organizations can exchange ideas. We hope to regularly hear from you so we can publish news of your successes, help resolve your questions, and work together to reach your community with the important messages of this documentary – there is hope and there is help for those living with depression.

Some important updates about DEPRESSION outreach at this point:

• TAKE ONE STEP grantees are moving forward: As you may know, 11 stations nationwide received grant funding from CPB and PBS to hold leadership summits in their communities. Read more details below.
• Free resources are available for all: In addition to the DEPRESSION grants, tpt has partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and YMCA of the USA to create online resources for all PBS stations. Downloadable tip sheets are available and an Outreach Toolkit is being finalized – find all of our resources at www.tpt.org/depression/outreach.
• Promotional tools are available: Bookmarks and customizable posters are now available (while supplies last!). Bookmarks (maximum of 100 per station), posters (maximum of 10 per station), and 30 minute screeners (one per station) are available upon request – email Heidi at hvanheel@tpt.org today!

I hope you find our online resources helpful as you work to build healthier communities. We would love to know which items you find most useful and how you incorporate them into your work; please send any comments or suggestions to our Outreach Specialist Heidi Van Heel, at hvanheel@tpt.org. We sincerely look forward to working with you in the coming months.

Phylis Geller
Executive Producer, TPT

DEPRESSION is on PBS. The documentary DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows premieres nationwide on May 21, 2008, at 9pm ET (check local listings). The film navigates the disease’s complex terrain, highlighting the latest scientific research and innovative treatments. Depression is also explored through the voices of families and individuals coping with its wide-ranging effects, offering greater awareness and diminished stigma around a disorder that ultimately touches everyone.

DEPRESSION goes deeper. After the 90-minute documentary, broadcast journalist Jane Pauley hosts Take One Step: Caring for Depression, with Jane Pauley. This 30-minute panel discussion with nationally-recognized mental health experts includes practical help and hope for those attempting to identify, treat, or cope with depression.

DEPRESSION is on the Web. The destination website for DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows not only complements the film by offering expanded interviews with key documentary participants, but also introduces unique content found only online. Streaming video of expert interviews offers additional up-to-the-minute insight on vital mental health topics, and downloadable resources and online links provide credible information about this very treatable condition. These tools can enhance any outreach initiative; check out www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/depression for more information.

DEPRESSION reaches out. PBS' TAKE ONE STEP health outreach campaign, which also includes 2007’s HIDDEN EPIDEMIC: Heart Disease in America and FAT: What No One Is Telling You, is modeled on proven social marketing techniques, emphasizing that small behavioral changes can add up to big wins. DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows is one of the latest installments in this campaign. Eleven public television stations across the country received grant funding to increase their communities' knowledge about depression, lessen stigma, and connect people with support. For more information about these projects, see the Take One Step Outreach Grantees page.

DEPRESSION Outreach Grant Spotlight

Most communities offer help to those with depression through a group of loosely knit resources. Seldom do professionals in the medical and behavioral sectors get to sit down together to talk about community needs and resources around depression, and it is even more rare that these discussions also include policy makers, business professionals, educators or community leaders. Thanks to the generous support of CPB and PBS, eleven public television stations were awarded grants to convene leadership summits designed to do just that.

Congratulations to the following stations!

We are very pleased with the community summits the stations have designed; they are as inspiring as they are diverse. The summits are focused on depression and related illnesses with services targeted to specific audiences, such as adolescents, elderly, minority communities, members of the military and their families, etc. These well-defined goals will offer measurable results and impact within their communities. To find out more about their outreach plans, visit: www.tpt.org/depression/outreach/grantees.

We sincerely hope that non-grantee stations or community organizations will also reach out to their communities to share the hopeful message of DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows. Jump onboard an existing health-related outreach activity, either within your station or in your community. Or access DEPRESSION's outreach website, which features all programmatic resources, as well as a customized toolkit offering support and suggestions on planning your own initiative. Find them all at www.tpt.org/depression/outreach.

You could also invite organizations to join any station-based DEPRESSION activities you might choose to stage. More detailed information is included in our toolkit, but consider these "teaser" suggestions:

• Think about partnering with local mental health providers to stage a community health fair at your station or other easily-accessible location; feature DEPRESSION (or portions of the film) as the "keynote" event around which the health fair is staged.
• Plan a smaller endeavor, like an informal brown-bag discussion series on mental health issues for your employees.
• Schedule an event that is "between" simple and grand, like a screening of DEPRESSION for your station's members and/or board.
• Work with your station's programmer to plan and broadcast a theme night or theme week around mental health productions.
• Suggest a mental health segment for an ongoing local series.
• Involve your public radio station, and plan a call-in program with a local mental health expert that follows the DEPRESSION broadcast.

Remember, inviting community health organizations to participate in such events brings a wider perspective, more expertise and additional resources, and helps build relationships for future outreach projects. So start brainstorming, consider the following potential community partners:

There are many people who can assist your station's outreach efforts or answer questions about DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows.

• For questions about outreach and station relations, contact Roselle Kovitz (rosellek@comcast.net) or Sallie Bodie (s.bodie@comcast.net) of Bodie & Kovitz Communications, or Heidi Van Heel (hvanheel@tpt.org) at Twin Cities Public Television.
• For questions about promotion or promotional tools, contact Brian Moriarty (brian_moriarty@dkcnews.com) of Dan Klores Communications, or Heidi Van Heel (hvanheel@tpt.org) at Twin Cities Public Television.
• For questions about the production or other inquiries, contact Heidi Van Heel (hvanheel@tpt.org) at Twin Cities Public Television.

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