Turning Point Hosts 14th Annual Town Hall Meeting Feb. 13 at Skokie Public Library

Turning Point Behavioral Health Care Center hosts its 14th annual Town Hall Meeting on mental health care Friday, Feb. 13 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. registration and breakfast; 10 a.m. panel) at the Skokie Public Library, located at 5215 Oakton Street. A panel of elected officials and local experts will discuss the impact of the current political and economic climate on mental health services. The Town Hall meeting is open to the public. Admission is free and reservations are not required. For more information visit www.tpoint.org or call Turning Point at 847-933-0051 ext. 442.

Turning Point CEO Ann Fisher Raney said, “Each year at our Town Hall Meeting, we welcome more than 100 community members who are avidly interested in understanding the complexities of mental health funding, service provisions, and public education. This forum provides lawmakers and residents with a unique opportunity to strengthen our collective capacity to respond to challenges in providing mental health services.”

Panelist attendance is subject to change based on their schedules and availability. Scheduled to appear are:

Panelists: Suburban Director for U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky Ann Limjoco; Illinois State Senators Daniel Biss and Ira Silverstein; Illinois State Representatives Robyn Gabel and Laura Fine; Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, and Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen.

Local experts: Skokie Public Library Director Carolyn Anthony; NAMI-CCNS (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Executive Director Nancy Carstedt; Skokie Director of Health Catherine Counard; Niles Township Social Worker Jackie Walker-O’Keefe; Open Communities Coordinator Jackie Grossman; Skokie Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Howard Meyer; New Foundations Center Executive Director Sue Shimon; Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois Public Policy Social Worker Marvin Lindsey, Skokie Human Services Director Maureen Murphy, CJE Senior Life’s Manager of Consumer Assistance Danielle Clemens, and Regional Director for the State of Illinois Human Services Department’s Mental Health Division Dan Wasmer.

TURNING POINT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE CENTER, established in 1969, is an outpatient mental health center that provides expert, affordable mental health care to all. For more information about Turning Point visit www.tpoint.org