The call by the opening keynote speakers for developing systems of care for children's mental health focused on the importance of social marketing and adopting a public health approach . Dr. Blau noted that people with mental illness die 25 years younger than those without one. To continue to address this disparity and the lack of mental health services for children and their families - and let's not forget the issue of the stigma of mental illness, he then went on to state that ...you have heard me say it before, and I will never stop saying it - we are all social marketers.
Dr. Satcher continued on the theme of improving services by calling for a public health approach to mental illness - referencing the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Illness that was published when he held that position. He stressed the need to:
Address stigma head-on
Balance the health care delivery system with more emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion
Assure quality of care
At the end of the meeting, Greg Frankson, a social change activist and spoken word artist, was invited to the podium to recap the meeting. It was an inspiring several minutes as everyone in the hall listened intently to his three offerings. Here's one he graciously gave me permission to publish here.
Sense of Urgency by Ritallin
joy, love, health and hope
helps the kids and the youth learn to live and cope
i said joy, love, health and hope
open your hearts and your minds to expand their scope
i say – ring the alarm! ring the alarm!
gotta do what we can to reduce the harm
locksteppin’ together moving arm in arm
did you hear Dr. Blau? yo, ring the alarm
gotta work hard to deal with the twenty percenters
1 in 5 kids would benefit from mental health centers
and it presents a challenge met with a system of care
hey there – those kids need you so you best be prepared
we need a sense of urgency – let me say that again
we need a sense of urgency because it’s best to depend
that this is life and death serious for kids who died
tormented deep inside and moved to youthful suicides
when the hope is snuffed in droves our youth are leaving their schools
where do they go? what do they do? without the basest of tools
fall through the cracks by the thousands lacking means and ways
gather ‘em all and fill Yankee Stadium in less than thirty days
we know the language of stigma shot with venom and gall
but what’s galling is the seven in ten we let fall
through the cracks breaking backs of youth who should stall tall
but you know what’s really crazy? doing nothing at all
so the time to act is now – grand and small across a range
of community initiative that pushing us all to rearrange
explode the notion that these kids are nuts and strange
cuz you’re standing at the precipice of permanent change
and so joy, love, health and hope
helps the kids and the youth learn to live and cope
i said joy, love, health and hope
open your hearts and your minds to expand their scope
i say – ring the alarm! ring the alarm!
gotta do what we can to reduce the harm
locksteppin’ together moving arm in arm
did you hear Dr. Satcher? yo, ring the alarm
what’s the use of big brains if ideas get ignored?
what’s the use of science applied to no effect across the board?
if stigmatized so they can’t realize potential and goals
are we surprised if kids and youth throw in their hands and fold?
each and every minute, in it opportunity abounds
so listen up to this message and yo i hope it resounds
we need a sense of urgency – we gotta fix that truck
cuz this is an emergency – from what i’ve heard I’m struck
by the way passionate leaders frame it so you can win
cuz it’s not failure but low aim that’s the original sin
so fight the stigma and promote the virtue of sound mind
with children and youth central to the core design
set up the systems that support us all with wisdom and speed
and treat us equal based on age, gender, color and creed
for you cannot be afraid to fight your way upstream
it’s an investment to ensure the kids can hope and dream
it’s an investment granting power to each girl and boy
to have good health, exist in love and live each day with joy
these aren’t proprietary secrets that I just revealed
so let’s all take up the challenge from across the field
because joy, love, health and hope
helps the kids and the youth learn to live and cope
i said joy, love, health and hope
open your hearts and your minds to expand their scope
cuz yo – joy, love, health and hope
helps the kids and the youth learn to live and cope
i said joy, love, health and hope
open your hearts and your minds to expand their scope.
© A. Gregory Frankson, 2008. All rights reserved.
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