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ABILENE, Kan. - Mental illness in America is the topic of a Kansas Town Hall forum on Thursday, March 27 at the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home. The public is invited to attend this free program held in the Library Building Courtyard from 7 to 9 p.m.
"One in five Americans will have mental health problems in any given year. Unaddressed mental illness hurts individuals and their families and results in lost productivity. In rare cases, it can result in violence," said Myles Alexander, Project Coordinator for Kansas State University's Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (ICDD).
The National Issues Forum presents a framework that asks: How can we reduce the impact of mental illness in America? It presents three possible options for participants to consider as a discussion starter. 1) Put safety first 2) Ensure mental health services are available to all who need them
3) Let people plot their own course
Participants will gather in small groups to discuss the approaches and suggest policy alternatives. Each group will be led by a trained facilitator and use an issue discussion guide. In closing, the small groups will engage in a larger discussion comparing notes.
Forum participants will consider each of the three approaches, examining what appeals to them or concerns them. They will also consider what the costs, consequences and trade-offs may be for each approach.
To learn more about the Kansas Town Hall program, visit our website at www.eisenhower.archives.gov. Kansas Town Hall Partners:
"Citizenship is not a mere matter of expressing our pride in our traditions...Citizenship is the carrying forward of the ideals on which nations based on freedom are maintained and sustained."
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sept. 30, 1956
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