On 22 April 2008, a state-wide teleconference launched the board of directors of the new OCSC, or Oregon Consumer/Survivor Coalition. Here’s the news release, and how you can become active.
Tracey Dumas is president of OCSC.
NEWS RELEASE – 23 April 2008 –
PLEASE FORWARD! https://mindfreedom.org/as/act/us/or/ocsc
New Oregon state-wide coalition of groups representing
mental health consumers & psychiatric survivors launches.
First board of directors and assembly of organization
representatives of “OCSC” officially begins.
Board unanimously elects Tracey Dumas, PhD first President.
Yesterday, 22 April 2008 was Earth Day. And there was some Earth- shaking news for the future of mental health care in Oregon.
Yesterday, the state-wide voice in Oregon for mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors became a little stronger. And if their plans go well, that voice may become a lot stronger.
After a year of planning and development, a state-wide teleconference facilitated by nonprofit attorney David Atkin launched the board of directors and assembly of organization representatives for the new alliance in Oregon.
For short, the name of the group is OCSC which stands for “Oregon Consumer/Survivor Coalition.”
The longer name is Oregon Mental Health Consumer and Psychiatric Survivor Coalition. Incorporation was on 31 August 2007 via a grant from McKenzie River Gathering Foundation through MindFreedom Oregon to supply technical assistance, and after months of preparation and discussion of principles, mission, bylaws, the first board officially began yesterday afternoon Tuesday, 22 April 2008.
The start-up board of directors resides in all five regions of Oregon identified by the start-up committee, which felt that geographic diversity in the large State was a high priority:
OCSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
- Tracey Dumas – President
- Rebecca Edens – Chair
- Rebecca Eichorn – Vice President
- Mark Fisher
- David Oaks
- Erik Palmer
- Beth Quinn – Secretary
- Rollin Shelton
- Nancy Snider – Treasurer
- Amy Zulich
Tracey Dumas of Eugene, Oregon, OCSC’s first board president, experienced involuntary electroshock at the age of 19, and yet went on to win her PhD in sociology from the University of Oregon. Tracey is a well-respected leader of mental health clients, and is widely admired in Oregon and nationally.
For a Register-Guard newspaper article about Tracey’s work challenging psychiatric drug company abuse, including a photo of Tracey, see:
https://mindfreedom.org/kb/psych-drug-corp/eli-lilly/reconsidering-psychiatric-drugs
or if that link doesn’t work go to:
Also made official yesterday were the 14 initial sponsor organizations in the coalition. Each group of mental health consumers/ psychiatric survivors in the coalition has a representative on an “assembly” to hear throughout the year from the grassroots and — after this start-up — to elect future board of directors. More groups are welcome to invited to join:
OCSC ASSEMBLY
- # Safe Inc. – representative: Donalee Smith, Springfield
- # MindFreedom Oregon – representative: David Oaks, Eugene
- # State of Oregon Mental Health Consumer/Psychiatric Survivor Advisory COUNCIL – representative: Rebecca Eichorn, Salem
- # BEARS – representative: Marie Parcell, Corvallis
- # Project ABLE – representative: Nancy Snider, Salem
- # OCTA-Peer LiNC Oregon – representative: Rollin Shelton, Portland
- # Empowerment Initiatives, Inc. – representative: Rick Snook, Portland
- # Rainbow Clubhouse – representative: Beth Quinn, Bend
- # ShelterCare Consumer Council – representative: Tracey Dumas, Eugene
- # Oasis of Klamath County – representative: Pam Speaker
- # GOBHI Consumer Caucus – Baker Co – representative: Erik Palmer
- # Lane County Mental Health Consumer/Psychiatric Survivor Advisory Council – representative: Joyce Ann Findley
- # The Union Drop-In Center in Grants Pass – representative: Mark Fisher
- # A Place of Our Own – representative: Rebecca Edens, Tillamook
OREGON COALITION APPLIES TO JOIN USA COALITION
In their first order of business, the new OCSC board voted unanimously to apply to become one of the sponsors in The National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO), which unites state-wide organizations in the USA representing people diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities. For info about NCMHCSO see:
Most USA State governments provide some level of support for the state-wide voice of mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors, such as a state-wide conference, newsletter, office of mental health consumer affairs, etc.
Oregon is one of the minority of USA States to provide no funding at all for such state-wide activity since that budget item was totally eliminated in 2003. In the words of Oregon’s official State motto, the historic beginning OCSC “flies with her own wings.”
For a newspaper article in _Street Roots_ about the OCSC launch see:
http://www.streetroots.org/past_issues/2008/04_01/news_mental_health.shtml
or use this web address:
YOU ARE INVITED TO FIND OUT MORE — BECOME ACTIVE IN OCSC!
To ask questions, make suggestions and find out how about your organization may join the coalition assembly, contact board member Mark Fisher by e-mail at:
To stay in touch with OCSC, join the free public e-mail announcement list OCSC-NEWS here:
http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/ocsc-news
To network with others and ask questions about OCSC you may join a free moderated discussion list:
http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/ocsc-talk
For background about OCSC including bylaws, geographic regions, and more, see:
https://mindfreedom.org/as/act/us/or/ocsc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ URGENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* * * YOU CAN HELP GET OUT THIS IMPORTANT NEWS TO THE GRASSROOTS ! ! ! * * *
PLEASE TELL other Oregonians personally.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS ALERT to all appropriate places ON and OFF the Internet!
Please PRINT OUT and post this, especially where Oregon mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors may read it.
– end –
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