Before speaking at Enloe hospital, Dr. Mark Ragins stopped by Club Stairways. He asked several members what surpised them most when they first came to Club Stairways. One member said it was how the club was so welcoming and non-judgemental. Dr. Ragins said he was impressed by the club's flexibility and how well the club was doing after such a short time and on limited financial resources. He also liked the organization of the club's meeting board where daily activities are discussed and assigned.

At the speaking engagement, he said that regardless of the circumstances, it is important to talk to the person not the illness. He told a story of one man who had been continuously in and out of the hospital and had amassed a huge medical record. The man was diagnosed with manic/depression and would get stabile in the hospital and then go off his medication. When Dr. Ragins met with this man, he found out that he was taking care of his mother who was a holocaust survivor and was suicidal. He was intentionally going off his medication in the hope that he would be killed during a run in with the police while he was manic. Seeing the person and not the illness helped to uncover what was really going on and start to help that man on a better road to recovery.

Dr. Ragins believes recovery from mental illness in about “doing things that give your life meaning, going on with your life and replacing professional support with self-help and other people.”