The Department of Health and Human Services is the umbrella organization for the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services, or SAMHSA.

SAMHSA’s Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center) aims to engender social acceptance and inclusion by helping people with mental health problems live full, productive lives without fear of prejudice and discrimination. They offer information and assistance to help individuals, families and communities fight prejudice and discrimination and promote social inclusion.

Formerly known as, SAMHSA’s Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma, the Center was re-named in 2008 to SAMHSA’s Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center).

The name change represents a reinvigorated purpose: “To promote a strengths-based vision, recognizing the importance of a caring, welcoming, and supportive community in helping to promote recovery and wellness for people with mental health problems.” Of course, reducing stigma and combating discrimination continue to be part of the center’s work.

The SAMHSA ADS Center offers:

• Information about what works to promote acceptance and social inclusion of people with mental illnesses.
• Training and technical assistance to help create initiatives to promote social inclusion.
• Information about how to connect with more than 50 existing international, national and local campaigns and programs.
• Information about available publications, events, research, and issues of relevance regarding prejudice and discrimination associated with mental illnesses.
• A comprehensive online library of more than 2,000 items that addresses prejudice and discrimination.
• Resources and information promoting social inclusion related to special populations such as: children, older adults, and racial and gender minorities as well as information for employers, realtors/landlords, medical providers, educators, faith groups, policy makers, and the media.

Links for consumers, families, medical practitioners and older adults lead users to the most appropriate pages on the site, where brochures, information sheets, articles and services abound.

If you’re interested in spreading accurate information about mental illness and reducing stigma, check out the ADS Center site.

If you’d like to communicate with staff on a specific topic, contact information is below:

By Phone:
1-800-540-0320. Monday-Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) with bilingual (English/Spanish) staff.

By Post:
ADS Center
11420 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852

By e-mail:
promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 3:58 pm and is filed under Hope, Mental Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.