Call Declined

By: Lemonada Media
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  • Summary

  • In times of need, who do you turn to? What systems do you believe are there to catch you if you fall? Is there a way to interrupt generations of trauma and family violence? What might the world look like if we decriminalized mental illness, substance use disorder, and poverty? Call Declined follows the lives of two extraordinary women, Kamisha Thomas and Aimee Wissman, and the captivating story of how they fell through a frayed safety net and how resilience, friendship, and the power of creativity enabled them to survive the grim walls of the Dayton Correctional Institution. It is a story of how art became their north star and inspiration for what was to come when they finally were released from prison.

    Call Declined is hosted by Melissa Beck, the executive director of the Sozosei Foundation.

    To learn more about our country's mental health system, check out the episodes in this feed marked Call For Help, hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs, which explores the promise and perils of the nationwide rollout of the 988 hotline.

    Call Declined is presented by the Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The Foundation’s goal is to increase access to mental healthcare in order to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Learn more at www.SozoseiFoundation.org.

    The Sozosei Foundation extends special thanks to Aimee Wissman and Kamisha Thomas, visionary artists and co-founders of The Returning Artists Guild whose creativity, resilience, and lived experience inspire us to build a world where mental illness is not a crime. To learn more about the Guild visit www.thereturningartistsguild.org.

    Please note that this podcast contains mature content, including explicit language and discussions about drug use and other potentially sensitive topics. The views expressed are solely those of the participants and do not reflect the opinions of the Sozosei Foundation, podcast host or sponsors. Listener discretion is advised. This content is intended for mature audiences and is not suitable for all listeners.
    2024 Lemonada Media
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Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology
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Episodes
  • Introducing: Call For Help

    Introducing: Call For Help
    Jul 14 2022

    For decades, mental health has been criminalized and those in dire need of urgent support often don't receive it. Call For Help explores the gut-wrenching human stories that led to the new national 988 hotline for suicide prevention and mental health crises, now available from any phone in America. Hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs with special correspondent Zak Williams and available on August 16. Presented by Sozosei Foundation, and supported by The Jed Foundation, NAMI, and The Just Trust.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 min
  • Call For Help (Official Trailer)

    Call For Help (Official Trailer)
    Aug 1 2022

    988 is being promoted as a 24/7 national hotline to handle mental health emergencies. In theory, it could reimagine crisis response in America, minimizing police contact and connecting callers to mental health, substance use, and suicidal crises services. In reality, most states aren't ready for 988. On top of that, decades of criminalizing mental illness have caused widespread wariness of trusting the hotline. Call For Help uncovers what crisis response looks like in America, and what it will take for 988 to work. Hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs with special correspondent Zak Williams and available on August 16. Presented by Sozosei Foundation, and supported by The Jed Foundation, NAMI, and The Just Trust.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    3 mins
  • Call for Help: The United States of Crisis

    Call for Help: The United States of Crisis
    Aug 16 2022

    For far too long, the United States has put mental healthcare on the back burner. Through enormous advocacy and the initiation and rollout of the 988 hotline, a theoretical lifeline is now at the fingertips of every American. But in a country with a deep history of criminalizing mental health, will 988 live up to its potential? Today, Stephanie explores how 988 came to be, along with all the promise and peril it carries. Weekly special correspondent Zak Williams shares his personal mental health journey, how stigma impacted his father, Robin Williams, and how the actor’s death inspired him to become a mental health advocate. We also meet Congressman Seth Moulton, mental health advocate Keris Myrick, Executive Director of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline John Draper, and Director of the Sozosei Foundation Melissa Beck.

    SHOW NOTES

    Get to Know 988

    Learn about your state’s plan for funding 988.

    https://reimaginecrisis.org/map/

    Advocate

    Email your representatives and sign a petition to request crisis services that are unique to your state and your community.

    https://nami.quorum.us/crisisadvocacy/

    988 Policy

    Dig into policy documents, resources and much more information.

    https://www.sozoseifoundation.org/sozosei-foundation-updates

    Listen to UBU

    Keris Myrick’s podcast Unapologetically Black Unicorns.

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unapologetically-black-unicorns/id1568804071

    Watch Zak’s Documentary

    To learn more about Zak’s mental health journey and advocacy, you can watch the Oprah and Prince Harry’s documentary series “The Me You Can’t See”.

    https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-me-you-cant-see/umc.cmc.4amwght1qtt8ioilwr0mgnf6d

    Call for Help is presented by Sozosei Foundation: A catalyst for ideas that nurture creative solutions for healthier communities. Learn more at SozoseiFoundation.org.

    The Jed Foundation is a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. Visit JedFoundation.org for more information.

    NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization. Learn more at nami.org.

    The Just Trust is a group of funds one hundred percent dedicated to advancing criminal justice reform, state-by-state and across the country. Visit TheJustTrust.org to learn more.

    CREDITS

    Call for Help is a Lemonada original, presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story-editing were done by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Zak Williams and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support.

    Follow Stephanie on Twitter and Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

    You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

    Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.

    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    43 mins

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