Map of Michigan CMHs with Anti-Stigma Programs
Maps illustrating Michigan CMH's with anti-stigma programs and block-grant programs compared to the population.

INITIATIVES

Allegan County CMH Services
Allegan County produced a DVD with the intent to create awareness and educate the community on issues that individuals with mental illnesses face daily.

Clinton, Eaton, Ingham CMH Authority 
Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham CMH has focused on creating partnerships with agencies and consumers to bring speakers and panels into the community that target specific groups, such as school assemblies, athletic groups, and theater goers. 

Central Michigan CMH
Central Michigan CMH received funding to start a 6 county anti-stigma initiative that will connect residents with educational activities that will challenge and change attitudes about mental illness.

Huron Behavioral Health 
Huron Behavioral Health focused anti-stigma efforts on law enforcement and rural community members using activities such as a “virtual hallucination” activity with law enforcement officers, a comedy act by a comedian with bipolar disorder, billboards and radio spots.

Kalamazoo CMH and Substance Abuse Services
Kalamazoo produced the DVD A Long Strange Trip to portray the trials people with mental illness faces to reduced stigma and increase community awareness.

Lapeer County CMH Services 
Lapeer County’s anti-stigma approach united consumers and stakeholders to educate community members, stakeholders, and consumers about schizophrenia.

LifeWays
LifeWays’s consumer committee directs an anti-stigma awareness campaign to hold activities including: consumer conferences, individual workshops, and movie screenings at a local theater. They partner with Michigan Works to hold legislative breakfasts that focus on mental illness and employment.

Macomb County CMH Services 
Consumers at Macomb County CMH Services wrote and revised their recovery stories that were highlighted in a DVD.

Muskegon County CMH Services
Muskegon County's goal is to “normalize” mental health treatment and equate it more closely to that of physical health. To accomplish this Muskegon County CMH Services use billboards and theater to portray their anti-stigma efforts and are creating an art program and film festival to highlight mental health related art and film.

Network180 
Network180 created an anti-stigma program to provide educational curriculum and speakers’ bureau services to schools, community groups and businesses about mental illness.

North Country CMH
North Country CMH consumers have developed story boards depicting their recovery stories that are being exhibited in locations throughout Michigan.

Northern Lakes CMH Authority 
Northern Lakes CMH Authority developed the Stigma Busters program that included: Establishing a speaker bureau; sponsoring a series of documentaries, art, photography, craft shows, and photography exhibits; and creating and conducting an anti-stigma media campaign that included the development of a DVD, To See What I See.

Oakland County CMH Authority/Community Network Services 
Oakland County CMH Authority initiated the Stomp Out Stigma group to focus on changing negative community attitudes towards mental illness by using techniques including:  presentations in the community, a website, and quarterly advocacy activities (town halls, letter writing).

Saginaw County CMH Authority
Saginaw County CMH Authority Created an anti-stigma documentary called 1 in 5 that has been distributed statewide and to various other locations around the country.

Shiawassee County CMH Authority 
Shiawassee County CMH Authority has reached out to the rural community by setting up booths at fairs to distribute standardized material and brochures, and posting signs on the SATA bus with the motto “I’m your neighbor, I’m your friend.”

St. Clair County CMH Services 
St. Clair County CMH Services have used art and theater to portray stigmatizing attitudes in the community and recovery from mental illness by providing theater classes to prepare the plays preformed in the community.

Wayne County

• City of Westland – Developed a sticker showing support for people with special needs and mental illnesses for people that may not recognize these needs. This sticker was given to businesses willing to display the sticker. It came with a 15 minute training to explain that individuals with disabilities should be treated with respect.
  
• YouthVille Detroit - Supported a 2 week statewide art-show hosting a combination of 38 pieces of art from 16 different counties. The show will be back in June 2009.
  
• Arc of Northwest– Launched a creative campaign, “Dream Big,” displaying posters that celebrated peoples’ experiences of success and empowerment. The campaign focused mostly on developmental disabilities, but applicable to mental health stigma.
  
• People First Group – Designed peer to peer workshops to support education on good decision making. Peers worked with peers to help each other navigate the mental health and transportation systems.
  
• Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO) – Provided art supplies for an art therapy group at their homeless center for consumers who have low self esteem associated with homelessness and having a mental illness.
  
• Pentecostal Church of God, Detroit – Is planning a celebration in March 2009 to address issues about stigma within their community to celebrate accomplishments of people with mental illness and special needs. The celebration will reach out to families to combat social stigma and create spiritual development.
  
• Children’s Aid Society – Conducted a mental health anti-stigma workshop in June 2008 related youth and children to professionals and others who work with children information on how they can eliminate stigma in forms and when asking children and youth questions. 
  
• Save Our Children, Inc. – Designed a community awareness project for children age 6-11 to combat social disapprovement based on physical manifestation of different mental illness and other disorders including eating disorders, obesity, and drug addiction.
  
• Project Care & Wayne State University – Working with peers supports to create a politically correct manual on how to address consumers and raise a discussion about stigma in different environments. This manual will be coauthored by consumers on how people can address stigma and used throughout state.
  
• The Guidance Center – Adult consumer advocacy committee, IMAGINe, participated in and hosted annual open houses to challenge stigma and promote peer support. The Guidance Center also hosted a conference called “Challenging Stigma: Promoting a Realistic, Strengths-Based View of People with Mental Illness,”  and hosted two teleconferences for agency staff: On January 17, 2007 a teleconference focused on “National Anti-Stigma Campaign (NASC) Media Outreach;” and on June 20, 2007, “Improving Provider Attitudes, Behaviors and Practices toward People with Mental Illness.”