What: Press conference to address youth depression and suicide

When: March 1, 2006; 9:45 a.m.

Who: Mentalhealthleaders, Congressional leaders, musicians and youth

Where: 340 of the Cannon House Office Building

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to suicide prevention, intervention and healing: by providing a single point of entry to community-based crisis services through innovative telephony and internet based technologies; by bringing national attention and access to services for post partum depression and other women’s mood disorders; through education and advocacy; through formal research and evaluation of crisis line services; and, by championing the need for national funding for community-based suicide prevention crisis services.

Mental Health Liaison Group is comprised of over 50 national organizations representing consumer, family members, advocates, professionals and providers.

###

2001 North Beauregard Street
12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
Contact: Reese Butler, 202-669-8500
[email protected]
www.hopeline.com

For Immediate Release

Take Action: Policymakers and Musicians Rock the Hill for

Mental Health Parity and Suicide Prevention

On March 1, 2006, the Kristin Brooks Hope Center, which owns and operates the National Hopeline Network, 1-800-SUICIDE, Subcity Records with the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG) will hold a press conference in 340 of the Cannon House Office Building highlighting the kickoff of 5th Annual Take Action Tour, and to advocate for passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, and for full funding of federal suicide prevention, mental health, and addictions treatment programs and services.

While sponsors of mental health parity have been invited to speak, Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Grace Napolitano (D-CA) are confirmed speakers along with the Take Action Tour’s headline acts Matchbook Romance and Silverstein; Miss New Mexico 2005, Ane Romero; Reese Butler CEO of the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and founder of 1-800-SUICIDE. MTV and FUSE have confirmed they will cover the event.

KBHC and Hopeless Records have partnered with SubCity Records and Hot Topic for the 5th Annual Take Action Tour, which includes a number of popular Alternative, Indie and punk bands that will travel to 48 cities nationwide. With estimated ticket sales expected to pass one million, the Tour provides valuable information on mental health issues and suicide prevention. Proceeds from the tour help support 1-800-SUICIDE, the Youth America Hotline (a peer youth-to-youth crisis line), and the 800-GRADHELP line which provides crisis services to distressed graduate students. Together these crisis lines receive more than 2,000 calls a day from individuals-- the majority of whom are in crisis requiring community behavioral health services, emergency rescues, and other crisis intervention services.

KBHC with the Mental Health Liaison Group will also use this opportunity to call for passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, to advocate for full funding of the suicide prevention programs contained within the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, and to restore proposed cuts in Medicaid that could adversely impact the availability of, and access to essential behavioral health services to our nation's most vulnerable citizens.

The Kristin Brooks Hope Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to suicide prevention, intervention and healing: by providing a single point of entry to community-based crisis services through innovative telephony and internet based technologies; by bringing national attention and access to services for post partum depression and other women’s mood disorders; through education and advocacy; through formal research and evaluation of crisis line services; and, by championing the need for national funding for community-based suicide prevention crisis services.

Mental Health Liaison Group is an advocacy coalition comprised of 52 national organizations representing consumer and families, professionals and providers.

###

Back to Mental Health Issues Index