This Saturday, at its 18th annual convention, the Massachusetts chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) will honor Boston Phoenix reporter Kristen Lombardi for her coverage of mental-health issues. In the last year, Lombardi has written about the collapsing mental-health system for adolescents (“Disorderly Conduct,” News and Features, July 6, 2000), lengthy waiting lists for psychiatric patients (“Mental Hell,” News and Features, August 25, 2000), and the need for a living wage for human-service workers, including those who work with the mentally ill (“Paying Fair,” News and Features, January 11). (Visit www.bostonphoenix.com to read these stories.)

“Quite frankly, mental illness is not a sexy issue for newspapers and I think Kristen and the Phoenix have done an honorable job,” says Toby Fisher, executive director of NAMI, who adds: “[Kristen] doesn’t just [write] a story . She calls everybody and really tries to understand the issues at hand. In fact, she probably knows some of the issues better than I do.”

NAMI will also present awards to Alice Dembner of the Boston Globe, Monica Brady of WBUR, and three state legislators: Senator Susan Tucker of Andover, Representative Angelo Scaccia of Boston, and Representative Kay Khan of Newton.

The convention, which is open to the public, takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, May 12, at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Leominster. Registration is on a sliding scale from $15 to $35. Call (781) 938-4048 or visit www.namimass.org for more information.

Issue Date: May 10 - 17, 2001