A Message of Freedom and Hope for DC: Breaking the Stigma, Freeing Our Community’s Voice

SILVER SPRING, MD. (September 28, 2000) – A powerful message of freedom and hope was delivered today at the Stigma Reduction Forum: Breaking the Stigma, Freeing Our Community’s Voice, in downtown Washington, DC. This first-of-its-kind event brought together an impressive array of advocates, policymakers, and professionals in the addiction disorders field for a 1-day interactive forum on combating the stigma associated with substance abuse. The event served as a community sounding board on the role of stigmatization in substance abuse, treatment, and recovery. The forum’s opening remarks were given by Sue Rohrer, RN, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and Project Officer, Addiction Technology Transfer Center; Dr. Larry Siegel, Senior Deputy Director for Substance Abuse Services, and Administrator, Addiction Prevention Recovery Administration; and Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, President and CEO of Danya International, Inc. Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director, CSAT, also discussed the CSAT’s current efforts on reducing stigma. Four panel presentations—Stigma Why?, How Has Stigma Affected Me?, The Stigmatization of Professionals in the Field of Substance Abuse Treatment, and Where Do We Go From Here?—explored the issue and provided a platform to discuss solutions. The moving panel presentations included representatives from the recovering community, treatment providers, and policymakers. Danya International, Inc., and the DC/Delaware Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) hosted the event. A video and a post-event white paper on stigma reduction will be available from Danya International, Inc., 8737 Colesville Road, Suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or by calling (301) 565-2142.

About Danya International, Inc.

Danya's mission is to have a social impact through development and implementation of innovative communication, research, and technology programs. The company provides breakthrough solutions in the areas of public health communications, research and evaluation, information technology, education and training, program management support, and health product development. Danya is a member of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA ). Danya is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, with offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and Nairobi, Kenya. To learn more about the company, visit www.danya.com.