Northern Arizona Woman Wins National Mental Health Award
May 16 2005 - 4:26PM
PR Newswire (US)
Northern Arizona Woman Wins National Mental Health Award Local
Advocate is Honored for a Lifetime of Achievement in Overcoming
Depression's Adversity ATLANTA, May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Linda Marie DiCianni always dreamed of a home she could call her
own, but when the depression that she had fought for almost 20
years robbed her of a job and a place to live, she learned what a
devastating toll the illness takes on the lives of those it
affects. For never giving up in a struggle that led her from living
homeless in the rural, isolated northern region of Arizona to
leading an organization designed to help others find a home,
security and a sense of belonging, Ms. DiCianni, Board President of
Northern Arizona Consumers Advancing Recovery and Empowerment
(NAZCARE), has been honored by an independent panel of national
mental health leaders with the 2005 Welcome Back Award for lifetime
achievement. Eli Lilly and Company sponsors the national awards
program, which is in its seventh year. Having survived
homelessness, Ms. DiCianni is dedicated to developing affordable
housing in northern Arizona -- a desirable retirement region
undergoing a rising cost of living. Thanks to her tireless
grant-writing efforts, NAZCARE, a unique organization run by and
for people with mental illnesses like depression, plans to build
eight units of affordable housing, to give people with serious
mental illness a place to call home. "Housing and meaningful
employment or community service are two vital pieces of the
recovery puzzle," says Ms. DiCianni, who now lives in a modest but
comfortable home of her own, and passionately advocates for
affordable housing with another group, the Interfaith Coalition for
Compassion and Justice. "The security a home provides can create a
sense of well-being and confidence that are crucial in recovery."
From early on in her treatment, Ms. DiCianni discovered that
support can chip away at depression's isolating barrier --
revealing a life can be rich with purpose. Her life as an advocate
began when she was discharged from a hospital after a severe
depressive episode. When she found that no routine after-care was
offered and that many in the remote northern region of Arizona
lived far from mental health services, she organized a support
group to help others like herself. Since then, her work with
several groups in the Northern Arizona mental health community has
established her as a powerful force for change. NAZCARE volunteers
operate six drop-in recovery centers in different communities
across the vast and widespread northern region of Arizona, so
people with depression are never far from support, education,
training, and a place to develop other tools for recovery. The
centers offer classes in subjects like suicide prevention, computer
skills, assertiveness and identifying and achieving your dreams, as
well as practical services like food, clothing and mentoring. "Ms.
DiCianni has shown great creativity in fostering recovery using
methods that develop a sense of community," says Jane Seys, PhD,
APRN, a psychiatric advanced practice nurse and Welcome Back Awards
committee member. "Her work is a testament to the power of support
from others in overcoming depression." Ms. DiCianni is one of six
individuals who will be honored at the seventh annual Welcome Back
Awards ceremony on May 21, in Atlanta. Sponsored by Eli Lilly and
Company, the Welcome Back Awards is a national program that
recognizes outstanding individuals who make a difference in the
depression community. In addition to her award, a $10,000
contribution from Eli Lilly and Company will be donated to NAZCARE
on Ms. DiCianni's behalf. Nominations for the 2006 Lilly Welcome
Back Awards may be submitted by anyone wishing to recognize an
individual for outstanding achievements within the depression
community. For more information, call 800-463-6440 or visit
http://www.welcomebackawards.com/. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/WBACKLOGO )
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/WBACKLOGO DATASOURCE:
Eli Lilly and Company CONTACT: Helen DelleCave of Chamberlain
Communications Group, +1-212-884-0649
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