"Access to Mental Healthcare: Options for All" 

  As someone who shares our interest in improving the quality of mental health services, we are pleased to invite you to join us for the 36th Annual Legislative Breakfast on Mental Health, Saturday, April 12, 2014, 8:30-11:30am at the UNC William and Ida Friday Center, 100 Friday Center Dr., Chapel Hill.

  A full breakfast buffet is offered at no charge to participants, however, a suggested $15 donation helps organizers to offset expenses. This annual event continues to grow and attracts between 300 and 400 registrants each year.

  This year's event will be presented as a Town Hall Forum. Members of both the Democrat and Republican NC General Assembly will serve on the panel and questions will be delivered by moderators DAVID CRABTREE (WRAL-TV) and ROSE HOBAN (NC Health News). Questions will originate from both the moderators and audience members and will focus on current issues in mental health that impact consumers and family members across North Carolina.

  Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) will deliver the keynote address on "Access to Mental Healthcare: Options for All," and Linda McDonough, Director of Just Right Academy, will speak on behalf of families and consumers of people who live with a mental health condition. Both will present vital information on mental healthcare services important to citizens across the State of North Carolina.

  The Annual Legislative Breakfast is a signature event organized in collaboration with area non-profit organizations and mental health agencies listed below, which will bring together state and local elected officials within the two neighboring MCO regions of Alliance Behavioral Healthcare and Cardinal Innovations, and beyond. The Forum will provide the opportunity for an in-depth public conversation between legislators and constituents with the goal of educating all attendees while seeking answers to questions that can improve options and outcomes for mental health consumers in our state.

  For information on SPONSORSHIP, REGISTRATION or to VOLUNTEER, please refer to the tabs at the top of the registration page. For other questions, contact Julie J. Bailey or Dana Greenwood, Co-Chairmen, at julie@mhatriangle.org or dana.greenwood412@gmail.com.

PLEASE NOTE:  SEATING IS LIMITED AND REGISTRATION IS BASED ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS. REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE WHEN SEATING LIMIT IS REACHED OR ON SUNDAY, APRIL 6TH, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.

Organizing committee member co-sponsors include representatives from:  Mental Health America of the Triangle (MHAT), UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health, NAMI Durham Affiliate, NAMI Orange Affiliate, Josh's Hope Foundation, Club Nova, Caramore Community, Inc.