News Releases

The 2017 Trauma Informed Care Conference will be September 26-29 at the Jackson Convention Center. Titled “Standing in the Eye of the Storm,” the conference brings together mental health professionals from throughout the state to build skills, knowledge, and awareness so they can effectively respond to various aspects of child, adolescent, and adult trauma. The […]

A one-day symposium on September 19 aims to address suicide prevention across all age groups in Mississippi – children and youth, adults, and elder adults who may be at risk. The symposium will be at the Jackson Medical Mall, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on September 19, and will include a number of speakers, including […]

Robert Landrum of Ellisville has been named Chair of the Board of Mental Health for the year beginning July 1, 2017. Mr. Landrum has served for the previous year as Vice Chair of the Board, and has been a board member since 1993. He became involved in mental health in the early 1980s, after his […]

Dr. Manda Griffin of Houlka has been named the Vice Chair of the Board of Mental Health for the year beginning July 1, 2017. Dr. Griffin has extensive experience in the medical field. She is a registered respiratory therapist, a licensed social worker, and a board certified family nurse practitioner. She received her bachelor’s degree […]

The Board of Mental Health recently passed a resolution honoring Mr. George Harrison, of Coffeeville, whose term that ended June 30 brings an end to more than 20 years of service to Mississippi’s mental health system. Mr. Harrison was appointed in 1996 by Gov. Kirk Fordice and was reappointed two subsequent times, once by Gov. […]

Stewart Rutledge of Oxford has been appointed to the Mississippi Board of Mental Health by Governor Phil Bryant. Mr. Rutledge is a real estate developer who will serve as the citizen representative for the First Congressional District for a seven-year term beginning July 1. Mr. Rutledge earned a bachelora’s degree in physics, summa cum laude, […]

The Mississippi Suicide Prevention Plan Workgroup was formed in April 2016 to finalize the state’s efforts in developing a formal plan to help combat a public health issue that affects people of all ages, races, and gender – suicide. Mississippi’s State Suicide Prevention Plan was released in September 2016. The three-year plan was divided into […]

July 12, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) – A town hall meeting in Tupelo on July 18 will address the growing impact of opioids in communities across the state. The meeting is hosted in a partnership with the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy, and the Mississippi […]

More than 700 people registered for the 2017 Heroin and Opioid Mississippi Drug Summit, a partnership between multiple health and public safety agencies and organizations with one single goal – to educate about the growing opioid epidemic that is affecting communities throughout the country, including right here in Mississippi. Journalist and author Sam Quinones was […]

Recent media coverage related to the release of the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) report regarding children’s mental health services in the state has focused on the fact the report was sealed by a judge for more than two years. There is an important aspect to its release that has been overlooked – the TAC report […]

June 16, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) – A town hall meeting in Hattiesburg on June 27 will address the growing impact of opioids in communities across the state. The meeting is hosted in a partnership with the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy, and the Mississippi […]

Education. Training. Collaboration. Saving lives. These are the goals of the 2017 Mississippi Opioid and Heroin Summit – an opportunity for all of us to face the epidemic that touches our families, friends and loved ones. The 2.5 day summit will be July 11-13, 2017, at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison. It will bring together 3 […]

May 30, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) – A town hall meeting in Diamondhead on June 13 will address the growing impact of opioids in communities across the state. The meeting is hosted in a partnership with the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy, and the […]

A town hall meeting in Brandon on May 23 addressed the growing impact of opioids in communities across the state. The meeting was hosted in a partnership with the Department of Mental Health, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy, and the Mississippi offices of the FBI. It was the first of several that […]

A town hall meeting in Brandon this month will address the growing impact of opioids in communities across the state. The meeting is hosted in a partnership with the Department of Mental Health, the Bureau of Narcotics, the Board of Pharmacy, and the Jackson Division of the FBI. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. […]

May 1, 2017  – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) announced in April that the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) will receive $3.58 million in federal funding to combat opioid addiction and overdose related deaths. The State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) […]

April 11, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) – The Department of Mental Health is recognizing April as Alcohol Awareness Month, joining the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in the theme of “Connecting the Dots: Opportunities for Recovery.” Each April since 1987, NCADD has sponsored Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and reduce the […]

In October 2016, the Department of Mental Health partnered with the Department of Health and the Mississippi Public Health Institute for a State Forum on Integrated Care. One of the outcomes of the forum was to develop a document to help guide integrated care in Mississippi as we move forward. The Roadmap for Integrated Care […]

March 1, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) –The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is recognizing Intellectual/Developmental Disabilies Day at the Capitol on March 22 from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. DMH employees, advocates, and others will be on hand to share information about intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). DMH operates five programs that provide services to […]

March 1, 2017 (Jackson, Miss.) –The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) is recognizing Mental Health Day at the Capitol on March 15 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. DMH employees, advocates, and others will be in the Capitol rotunda to share information about mental illness and mental health services available through the state’s public […]