INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Former Washington Post reporter and author Pete Earley will give the keynote address at the annual Mental Health Symposium hosted by the Mental Health Collaborative of Indian River County, Friday Jan. 6 at the Indian River County Administrative Complex, 1801 27th St., Building A, Vero Beach. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m., with the program at 2 p.m. and a reception to follow at 4:30 p.m.
There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required no later than Monday Jan. 2 and may be made by calling Lisa Kahle at (772) 567-2166 or emailing mentalhealthcollaborativeofirc@gmail.com.
A self-described storyteller, Earley is the author of 13 books including the 2007 Pulitzer Prize finalist Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness.
“Crazy” describes Earley’s personal experience navigating the mental health and criminal justice system in an attempt to find help for his son who was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.
This experience led him to become a national advocate for mental health reform, which has taken him to 46 different states and multiple countries to speak out against troubled mental health systems.
Earley will explain why jails and prisons have become defacto asylums and what can be done to turn mental health back into a health care issue instead of a criminal justice problem.
Joining Earley as a guest speaker will be Michael Thompson, Director of The Justice Center for the Council of State Governments. Thompson is recognized nationally as an expert in criminal justice reform and will share his work on policy initiatives to improve outcomes for people with mental illness while increasing public safety and reducing government spending.
To offer a scientific perspective, renowned researcher and inventor Dr. Mark Gold will join the panel to explain the biology of mental illness and addiction. Dr. Gold is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida and holds the title of Donald R. Dizney Eminent Scholar.
He has devoted his life’s work to developing models that show the effects of tobacco, cocaine and other drugs on the brain and behavior. The symposium is expected to attract a broad representation of municipal, county and statewide elected officials as well as mental health advocates and professionals from throughout Indian River County. The purpose is to provide education and emphasize that with early diagnosis and treatment, recovery is a realistic expectation for many people who suffer from diseases of the brain.
The Mental Health Collaborative of Indian River County is a group of public and private mental health funders who work in conjunction with local providers to increase access, decrease duplication and facilitate community-wide support of mental health issues.
For more information, or to reserve a seat the symposium, contact Lisa Kahle at (772) 567-2166 or mentalhealthcollaborativeofirc@gmail.com.
