May 07, 2019

Health law conference to examine nation's mental health dilemma

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. — The 20th annual SIH/SIU Health Policy Institute, “Beyond Stigma: Developing Workable Behavioral Health Policies,” is May 17 at SIU Carbondale’s Hiram H. Lesar Law Building Auditorium.

Registration fees range from $50 to $75 and include a continental breakfast and lunch at the conference location. Continuing education credits are available.

The registration fee is waived for students and faculty of SIU Law and SIU School of Medicine, and members of select other groups. See the registration page for more details and registration options.

Register online or at the door

While online registration is open until Friday, onsite registration will be available the day of the program at the Carbondale location. The symposium runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 17. An interactive simulcast will be available at the Memorial Center for Learning and Innovation in Springfield and Illinois State Bar Association office in Chicago.

Registration information is available through SIU Carbondale’s Conference and Scheduling Services or by contacting 618/536-7751.

Symposium will examine the scope and impact of mental illness on society

Michele Mekel, an adjunct law professor and the SIU Law director of external relations, said the goal of this year’s symposium is to create dialogue around behavioral health policy “given that mental health conditions increasingly pose challenges for millions of individuals, as well as for institutions and even the economy.” 

Nearly 45 million Americans struggle with mental health issues, and the frequency of people who are diagnosed with mental health conditions continues to rise. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

Yet more than half of those people receive no treatment for a variety of reasons, including:

  • Stigma.
  • Lack of insurance coverage.
  • Cost.
  • Lack of access to providers.

“Participants will gain an understanding of the scope of mental illnesses’ impact on society, especially marginalized populations, as well as various approaches that can be adopted in the legal, policy, and treatment arenas to effectively address at least some of the issues,” Mekel said. 

Symposium celebrating its 20th anniversary

The symposium has examined a number of critical legal, medical and ethical topics relating to healthcare for the last two decades. Through the years, the event has hosted some of the nation’s leading experts in law and medicine. 

While taking various forms through the years, this year’s symposium “offers legal and healthcare professionals throughout Illinois the opportunity to earn continuing education credits while focusing on a very timely issue of real concern locally, regionally and nationally,” Mekel said. 

Varied group of presenters

The brochure on the symposium website highlights the issues each presenter will discuss. The presenters are:

  • Tom Dart, JD, Cook County sheriff and former prosecutor and Illinois state legislator.
  • Amy Swearer, JD, senior legal policy analyst, Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.
  • Rahn K. Bailey, FAPA, ACP, Bailey Psychiatric Associates, P.A..
  • Thomas P. Conley, JD, attorney and partner, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, L.L.P..
  • Elaine Cheung, research assistant professor, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University.
  • lore m. dickey, Ph.D., LP, behavioral health consultant, North Country HealthCare.
  • Kanika Bell, Ph.D., LP, associate professor, Clark Atlanta College, and psychologist, A.T.L. Psychotherapy and Consulting Services, L.L.C.
  • John Mundt, Ph.D., clinical psychologist, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.

Program design is for a variety of intended audiences

The symposium is for a range of audiences: legal and healthcare professionals, law enforcement personnel, policy makers, faculty members and students interested in health and health policy, and the public. An array of continuing education credits are available. 

For more information, contact Michele Mekel, director of external relations, at mmekel@siu.edu or 618/453-8768.