MENTAL HEALTH FLAG TOUR STOPS IN OHIO
May 21, 2004

During Mental Health Month, Lt. Governor and Director of Commerce Jennette Bradley signed a special Mental Health Flag as part of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio's (NAMI Ohio) Annual Conference in Columbus on Monday, May 21, 2004. Ohio was the 29th state to participate in the Mental Health Flag Tour, part of a national mental health awareness campaign spearheaded by the National Lieutenant Governors' Association. The flag was designed by Kristy Worthen of Salem, Arkansas, a bipolar disorder patient. Pictured with the flag at the Ohio Statehouse Cabinet Room are Lt. Governor Bradley, Kristy Worthen's mother Mary (c.) Kristy Worthen. (Photo by Steve Harrison / Office of the Lieutenant Governor) http://ltgovernor.ohio.gov/newsroom.htm

Flag Ceremony on 5/21/04

Lt. Governor Jennette Bradley and Kristy Worthen

Kristy Worthen

Mary Worthen

Lt. Governor Jennette Bradley and Mary and Kristy Worthen

Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Director, Ohio Department of Mental Health; Terry Russell, Executive Director, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio; Kristy Worthen; Mary Worthen; Representative Larry Householder, Ohio Speaker of the House; Glenn Thomas, Clinical Director, Ohio Department of Youth Services; and Lynn Olman, Representative Lynn Olman.

From the NAMI Ohio Conference Program: http://www.namiohio.org/NAMI2004AnnualConf.pdf

2004 NAMI Ohio Annual Conference Highlights

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley

Mental Health Flag Tour The National Lieutenant Governors Association has adopted the “Mental Health Flag Tour” as a project for its members. The Mental Health Flag Tour grew out of a Mental Health Month Awareness activity by NAMI Arkansas in May, 2002. The consumer designed and painted flag symbolically depicts the journey of a person with a serious mental illness. The National Lt. Governors Association has committed to showcasing the flag throughout the United States. NAMI Ohio and the Ohio Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health are pleased to be a part of this effort. We are most honored to welcome Lt. Governor Jennette Bradley.Bradley as she hosts the Mental Health Flag for the State of Ohio.

Governor's Office press release about Ohio flag ceremony: http://www.governor.ohio.gov/releases/052104mentalhealth.htm

TAFT, BRADLEY DECLARE "MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY"
Lt. Governor Bradley Signs Mental Health Flag Traveling Nationwide

COLUMBUS (May 21, 2004) -Citing the importance of good mental health in the lives of healthy Ohioans, Governor Bob Taft and Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley today issued a resolution designating Friday, May 21, 2004 as "Mental Health Awareness Day." May is also Mental Health Month in the State of Ohio.

Lieutenant Governor Bradley presented the resolution to Kristy Worthen of Salem, Arkansas, the creator of a special Mental Health Flag that the lieutenant governor signed today at the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio's (NAMI Ohio) Annual Conference in Columbus. The flag is part of a national mental health awareness campaign spearheaded by the National Lieutenant Governors' Association.

"Educating the public about the services available to treat persons with mental illness is important to the well-being of our citizens, " said Governor Taft. "I commend Lt. Governor Jennette Bradley and the National Lieutenant Governors' Association, the Ohio Department of Mental Health, the Worthen family and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio for their efforts in raising awareness."

"It is an honor to sign the Mental Health Flag to signal Ohio's participation in this national effort to raise awareness about mental illness and the services available to help individuals and families," said Lt. Governor Bradley. "I commend Kristy Worthen, her mother, Mary, and all those who labor daily to educate the public and fight the stigma associated with mental illness."

Ohio is the 29th state to participate in the Mental Health Flag Tour. The flag, measuring five feet by nine feet, was designed and hand painted by Worthen, a bipolar disorder patient, to let others know there is hope for people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. It features a white lighthouse trimmed in red, sitting on an island, with a beam of light shining over the water. The flag bears the word, "Shedding light on mental health issues." The flag is expected to travel to all 50 states.

Today's flag-signing ceremony also included Mary Worthen, the mother of the flag creator, Ohio Department of Mental Health Director Michael Hogan, NAMI Ohio Executive Director Terry Russell, and Terre Garner of the Ohio Federation for Children's Mental Health.

###

For more information, contact Laura Wentz at the Ohio Department of Mental Health at 614.466.2297 or Denise Lee, Ohio Department of Commerce, at 614.644.7115, or Orest Holubec, Governor's Office, 614.644.0957.

Photos of the reception in Ohio on the evening of May 20, 2004

Mike Hogan speaks at the dinner reception.	Mike Hogan and Kristy Worthen present the flag at the dinner reception.
Lynn Olman	Mary Worthen

Next Stop on the Flag Tour