Basking Ridge To Host Stigma Free Town Hall

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — A Stigma Free Town Hall will be held on Dec. 7 by the Bernards Township Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse and Bernards Township Health Department.

The free Town Hall meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Warren Craft Meeting Room at Bernards Town Hall located at 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge.

The Stigma-Free Communities Initiative is a program for counties and municipalities to take a stand against stigma by joining forces between township, schools, clergy, local physicians, residents, business owners and other community members to end judgment and surround people who may be suffering.

Speakers from Bernards Township as well as other local organizations with Stigma Free ordinances will present in hopes of making Bernards Township a Stigma Free town.

Currently North Plainfield is the only other town in Somerset County to have the Stigma Free status but locally both Bergen County and Morris County have Stigma Free ordinances as well as Maplewood at the township level.

Stigma is when someone views a person in a negative manner because of the way they act, because of an addiction, or because they have a mental health condition. The National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI began the StigmaFree campaign in an effort to end stigma and create hope for those affected by mental illness.

“Through powerful words and actions, we can shift the social and system barriers for those living with mental health conditions," according to the website, www.nami.org.

Also according to NAMI, people experiencing mental health conditions often face rejection, bullying and discrimination. This can make their journey to recovery longer and more difficult. Additionally, mental health conditions are the leading cause of disability across the United States. And even though most people can be successfully treated, less than half of the adults in the U.S. who need services and treatment get the help they need, usually due to fear and stigma. This can sometimes result in an average delay between the onset of symptoms and intervention of 8 to 10 years.

Students, parents, and community members in Bernards Township as well as surrounding towns are encouraged to attend. Members of the public are encouraged to RSVP and attend.

RSVP information and the program flyer can be located at www.bernardsalliance.org. For questions contact Kaitlin Cartoccio, Health Educator and Municipal Alliance Grant Coordinator at 908-204-2523 or kkordusky@bernards.org.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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