It has been almost ten months since the massacre of 26 students and school employees at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut reignited the national debate about gun violence as well as the treatment (or lack of it) for the mentally ill in our society.
And while Congress has failed to act on a series of recommendations since that tragedy, the North Carolina chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness hopes to elevate the discussion this week at its annual conference.
NAMI-NC executive director Deby Dihoff says the time is right to discuss mental health, school safety, gun violence, and community solutions post-Sandy Hook.
The 29th annual conference brings together school system leaders, social workers, mental health professionals, judicial and court system representatives, law enforcement, as well as individuals living with mental illness and family members.
Nelba Márquez-Greene, the mother of one of the children killed in the Newtown school shooting, will also discuss what can be done to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.
Dihoff appears on News & Views with Chris Fitzsimon this weekend to discuss the need to rebuild our mental health system in the aftermath of Sandy Hook.
Click below for a preview of Dihoff’s radio interview. NAMI-NC’s annual conference runs Friday thru Saturday in Raleigh.
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