SPECIAL EVENTS

The Addiction Performance Project
Brought to you by the National Institute on Drug Abuse
A CME and CE approved program.

Monday, April 16, 2012
11:45 am – 12:45 pm

The Addiction Performance Project is a program designed to promote a healthy dialogue that fosters compassion, cooperation, and understanding for patients living with addiction. The program offers healthcare providers the opportunity to explore the challenges of working with patients and their families, to discuss how to break down the stigma associated with addiction, and to promote a healthy dialogue about addiction.

The performance begins with a dramatic reading of Act III of Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, by award-winning professional actors.

Kathryn Erbe — Detective Alexandra Eames of  Law & Order: Criminal Intent and infamous death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBS series Oz — will be the lead actress at the Addiction Performance Project at the National Council Conference. A veteran of both film and television, Erbe earned a Tony® Award nomination in 1991 for her portrayal of Mary in Speed of Darkness. She gained notice in the 1999 box office hit Stir of Echoes opposite Kevin Bacon and Dream with the Fishes with David Arquette.

The reading by Erbe and other professional actors is followed by a brief expert panel reaction and a facilitated audience discussion. The play’s key themes are used as a catalyst to discuss the experience of addiction from patient, caregiver, and societal perspectives.

The Addiction Performance Project has a limited run through 2013, and we aregrateful to NIDA for bringing this program to the National Council Conference.

Mental Health First Aid USA: Free Community Program

Mental Health First Aid teaches a 5-step action plan to offer initial help to people with the signs and symptoms of a mental illness or in a crisis, and connect them with the appropriate professional, peer, social, or self-help care. The course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis, select interventions, and provide initial help. The program also teaches about the risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and substance use disorders.Invite your board members and community partners to attend and experience the Mental Health First Aid course.