Thanks to your interest and participation in our last health project, "FAT: What No One Is Telling You," our efforts to raise awareness about the science and stigma behind obesity were a nationwide success! We'd like to continue this energy by inviting you to reach out around our newest installment in TAKE ONE STEP: A PBS Health Campaign.
"DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows" is a powerful new documentary on clinical depression that will air nationally on PBS on May 21. Since the National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately 18.8 million American adults have a depressive disorder, we feel that this film will strike a chord with individuals, families, and communities across America. As you probably know, the disease is not discriminating, seeping into all age, race, gender, and socioeconomic groups. Depression stalls careers, strains relationships, and sometimes ends lives.
But depression is treatable, and tpt is reaching out to offer facts, help, and hope around the disease. To this end, we've secured two national partners, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and YMCA of the USA. They'll help us stage screenings and panel discussions in major cities and on college campuses, as well as hold summits in partnership with local PBS stations designed to encourage mental health providers to strategize with public and private institutions. In addition to these "on-the-ground" initiatives, we've also created a destination Web site that will provide multi-media tools and resources to educate about this all-too-common disorder.
We invite you to stand with us in our quest to eliminate stigma and offer solid information around depression. There are several ways you can share DEPRESSION's message with your community:
Beginning in April, consider holding a public screening in your community followed by a panel discussion between local mental health experts. For any public events you plan to hold (which should take place prior to the May 21 broadcast), please coordinate with Dan Klores Communications, so they can include the events in their regional media outreach. Please contact Brian Moriarty at 212.981.5252, or by email at Brian_Moriarty@dkcnews.com.
To help you plan such outreach events, log on to our resource Web site at www.tpt.org/depression/outreach. We're constantly adding new tools and features to help you engage your community and connect with your outreach colleagues nationwide. Look for helpful items such as broadcast and film information, artwork and branding from the film, promotional suggestions, fact sheets, and helpful links.
