Prevention News
Thinking About Prevention
June 05, 2008
At the Prevention Summit last month, one priority policy that found a good deal of consensus among participants, and across all of the age groups represented there, was the idea of marketing mental wellness and reducing stigma. Specifically, the strategy of creating and supporting a campaign to market mental wellness was the #1 ranked and prioritized policy at the final vote.
Now it's time to start thinking about what such a campaign might look like. And, as we continue to compile data from the results of the Summit and begin to formulate action plans, we would like to invite you to help us by sharing your thoughts about this.
Read full article: Thinking About Prevention
Prevention Summit: A Good Day of Hard Work
May 20, 2008
If some good-natured moaning and groaning occasionally rippled through the Prevention Summit on May 13, 2008, it was only because the participants, which numbered well over 200, knew the importance of staying focused for a full day's work.
By any measure, the event was a success. The demographically matched and balanced group, representing all
age groups and many organizations within Washington state who have a stake in mental health policy, prioritized
issues that have been in discussion since the release of the Washington State Board of Health report,
Mental Health–A Public Health Approach:
Developing a Prevention-Oriented Mental Health System in Washington State [
771KB].
Next: In the coming weeks, we will provide a full report on the results from the Summit, including the direction of future policy efforts. Meanwhile, we invite you to relive the day with us by viewing a collection of photos that we gathered from the event.
On the Road to the Prevention Summit: Cowlitz County
May 06, 2008
A wan sun and a pale blue sky greet visitors and Cowlitz County mental health advocates and community members on a brisk spring morning in Longview, Washington. It's sunny, but cold. The Prevention Summit is a month away, and it's time to talk about making mental health work.
In the run-up to the Prevention Summit, public meetings like this have been taking place across Washington State. Citizens and government workers gather to express their concerns and sense of priorities about how to make a system with ever-dwindling resources work better.
In Cowlitz County, prevention is a topic near and dear to them. They still talk about a government study on public health issues produced here some 20 years ago. Its now legendary preface tells a parable about cliff bluffs on the ocean and rocks below, and a choice between whether to spend money on building a fence up top, or on enhancing the emergency services that collected casualties at the bottom.
Read full article: On the Road to the Prevention Summit: Cowlitz County
What Would Prevention Look Like for Mental Health?
March 19, 2008
At times, preventing mental illness may seem to be a lot like the weather. Everybody talks about it but nobody does anything about it.
But that's not entirely true. Last year's report from the Washington State Board of Health,
Mental Health–A Public Health Approach:
Developing a Prevention-Oriented Mental Health System in Washington State [ 771KB], identifies a number of successful
programs as well as several more fruitful avenues worth pursuing.
Read full article: What Would Prevention Look Like for Mental Health?
Can Mental Illness Be Prevented?
Feruary 15, 2008
First, the easy part. The principles of prevention in sustaining better physical health are well-known and simple:
- Screen regularly for cancer and catch it early – recovery odds improve
- Exercise and maintain a proper diet – risk of heart disease shrinks
- If people all around you are catching colds, take vitamin C – you might not get a cold
Read full article: Can Mental Illness Be Prevented?
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