Northern Arizona Woman Wins National Mental Health Award

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



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