Contact: Lori Kaye Lodes, (920) 593-3423;
For information specific to Lt. Gov. Lawton, please contact Robert Chappell, Office of the Lt. Governor, at (608) 266-3516
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Green Bay, Wis.- (Oct. 8, 2007)- Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton will lead Wisconsin’s largest observance of National Depression Screening Day with a press conference at the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Oct. 11, at 2 p.m. She will be joined by representatives of major employers and organizations to announce record-setting participation in employee depression screening.
Joining the Lieutenant Governor at the press conference will be Lee Bouche, Employee Resource Center; Paul Jadin, Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce; and Bruce Shepard, University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. They will collectively urge more Wisconsin businesses and organizations to get involved with the screening as a means of retaining healthy and productive workers.
The Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the press conference in an effort to draw attention to the fact that mental health is not only a personal health issue, but an economic one as well. Nearly one million people suffer from depression in Wisconsin and it affects everyone, directly or indirectly.
"The Green Bay Area Chamber’s support of this effort, as well as support from our business community, may help remove the stigma too often associated with depression," said Jadin.
The Lt. Governor will introduce the free, completely confidential online mental health screening she created as part of National Depression Screening Day. The screening is available at www.ltgov.wisconsin.gov. It features 20 questions; upon completion, immediate feedback is provided and, when indicated, a menu of services presented.
National Depression Screening Day is designed to identify mental health concerns in the workplace in an effort to improve employee productivity and build a better workforce for Wisconsin. The Lt. Governor’s online screening will remain accessible available after National Depression Screening Day.
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Established in 1882, the mission of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic and community development. Chamber programs include Advance, Partners in Education, Leadership Green Bay, Brown County Teen Leadership, Current--the Young Professionals Network, Good Government Council and the Small Business Council.
For more information about the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and its programs, call (920) 437-8704 or visit www.titletown.org.
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