- Mental health challenges are hitting every aspect of our society, from kids in elementary school to our oldest citizens, and having an impact on our economy.
- Breaking the stigma of having mental health and addiction issues can help us at least discuss the problem.
- Connecting people to each other helps prevent mental health problems, and prevention is key to working against the crisis.
- The pandemic was a tipping point in the mental health crisis. While the region has made strides in the conversations had around mental health, mental health itself remains a problem.
Panelists included Crystal Allen, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dayton; Tristyn Ball, director of prevention and early intervention at the Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board; Kelly Blankenship, associate chief medical officer of behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital; Barbara Marsh, director of counseling and wellness at Wright State University; and Greta Mayer, CEO of the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Clark, Greene and Madison Counties.
The event was sponsored by the Dayton Daily News, Wright State University and the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. It is part of a series that the Dayton Daily News is working on looking at the state of mental health in the area.
WATCH A RECORDING OF THE EVENT BELOW
“People opened their hearts to share stories of pain as well as beautiful glimmers of hope, and we’re so grateful that they trusted us with their stories,” said Ashley Bethard, editor and chief content officer of the Dayton Daily News.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The state of mental health is dramatically changing, said Sarah Hackenbracht, president & CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.
“We are living through a transformation of how and where behavioral health services can be provided, and we must see these changes through so that another generation has better opportunities to improve their behavioral health before they have to set foot into a hospital’s emergency department,” she said.
Sue Edwards, Wright State University president, said mental health has become a key part of the work she is doing at Wright State.
“Hopefully tonight, this is going to be an educational opportunity, and it’s going to be a great dialogue,” Edwards said to those who came. “And I just want to thank you for putting mental health first and foremost.”
Keynote speaker and local businessman Scott McGohan talked about his recovery journey and called on the community to break the stigma around mental health.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
“Silence is where shame grows. Silence is where guilt grows. Silence is where comparison takes root,” he said. “When we say something, the world changes. It changes for all of us.”
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