July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As the designation would imply the month is a time for sharpening the focus on mental health topics. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 16.3 percent of Hispanic adults and 18.6 percent of Black adults are living with a mental health condition. To celebrate Minority Mental Health Month, the council on substance abuse is hosting its annual Community Mental Health Fair on Saturday, July 16th. More information is available at nami.org.
Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.