News Release Details
AVON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 15, 2006--Magellan Health Services, Inc., the nation's largest manager of mental health and substance abuse services, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) today announced that Magellan has signed on as the exclusive sponsor of NAMI's national Provider Education Program. Through the sponsorship, Magellan will support the expansion and further enhancement of the program and will reach out to its provider network to recruit and encourage participation among them.
Designed for clinical staff and caregivers who work in the mental health field, the NAMI Provider Education Program presents an insightful, first-hand view of consumer and family experiences with serious mental illness and helps providers gain greater appreciation for the challenges those consumers and families face.
"This sponsorship enables us to partner with an organization that's committed to reducing the stigma experienced by people with serious mental illness and improving the services they receive," said Russell C. Petrella, Ph.D., chief operating officer for Magellan's Public Sector Solutions group. "It also demonstrates our commitment to offering our providers access to educational programs and information that can enhance their experience and knowledge in working with consumers and families."
The education program is conducted over a 10-week period for three hours each week, and is offered several times per year. Each session includes short lectures and group discussions. The lectures are led by a teaching team consisting of two consumers with mental illness who are knowledgeable about their own conditions, have a supportive relationship with their families and are dedicated to helping others with recovery; two family members of someone with mental illness who were trained by NAMI to teach the program; and a mental health professional who is either a family member or a consumer with mental illness. By the end of the training program, providers will have developed tools to support consumers and family members as they work toward individual recovery goals.
"We deeply appreciate Magellan's support of our Provider Education Program," NAMI National Executive Director Michael Fitzpatrick said. "One of our goals is to make it more accessible to a broader provider audience, and that is exactly what this sponsorship allows us to do. Our program is available in 19 states, and with Magellan's help, we can now quickly bring it into five more."
Started in 1995, NAMI's Provider Education Program is currently offered in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as in Washington, D.C. NAMI and Magellan will announce the five additional states that the program will expand into during a joint workshop at NAMI's 2006 annual convention in Washington, D.C. in June.
Typically, providers must pay a fee for the program sessions to cover the stipends and travel expenses of the teaching team, in addition to paying for printing of course materials. Through Magellan's sponsorship, however, all of these fees are covered so that providers may attend at no cost. Magellan will also supply posters for providers to circulate to their staff so that others may sign up for the program. CEU credits are available to those providers who participate.
About Magellan: Headquartered in Avon, Conn., Magellan Health Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:MGLN) is a leading specialty health care management organization. Its customers include government agencies, health plans, and corporations.
About NAMI: Founded in 1979, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with serious mental illness and their families.
CONTACT: Magellan Health Services, Inc.
Media Contacts:
Christine Barnhart, 410-953-2421
or
Erin Somers, 410-953-2405
SOURCE: Magellan Health Services, Inc.