GREENFIELD — Hospital officials and a local church are planning a mental health event, filled with discussions about the services the community provides.
The second annual Rise Above It event, an evening with food, speakers and fellowship, will take place Nov. 6.
The event is hosted by Park Chapel Christian Church, 1176 E. McKenzie Road, and will begin at 4:30 p.m. with a vendor fair. A free dinner will be available at 5 p.m., and presentations from community leaders will be from 6 to 8 p.m., according to a news release.
The Rise Above It series, hosted by Hancock Regional Hospital and Healthy 365, aims to help county residents learn to cope with life’s challenges and stresses, and help them become more comfortable discussing their mental health.
The event was spurred by Stacey Butterfield, director of adult ministry at Park Chapel Christian Church and a member of the hospital’s system of care governance board. Butterfield wanted to create an event that would allow her church to serve the community and promote awareness of mental health.
The first event featured several individuals talking about their mental health challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and substance abuse, as well as one individual who spoke about his mother’s death by suicide. The organizers hoped by presenting speakers who frankly discuss their struggles and challenges, county residents will better be able to spot signs of mental distress in themselves and others and be encouraged to get help.
A follow-up event, held in April at the Landing Place, a youth support organization, provided a resource fair to teens and their families, as well as a variety of breakout sessions on topics including addiction, smoking and vaping, anger management, anxiety and depression.
Amanda Everidge, the hospital’s healthy community coordinator, said the event in November will be a combination of those two events: a resource fair connecting those in need with services and agencies in the community, and speakers who will talk about what the community is doing to address mental illness and substance abuse in Hancock County.
To RSVP, contact akirkpatrick@ hancockregional.org or 317-468-4177 by Nov. 2.
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What: Rise Above It
When: doors open 4:30 p.m. Nov. 6
Where: Park Chapel Christian Church, 1176 E. McKenzie Road
RSVP by Nov. 2 to 317-468-4177 or [email protected].
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