(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County (IA) Community Wellness Coordinator Grace McAfee reports, that on May 9th (2024), the Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness hosted a free Mental Wellness Panel at the Griswold Community Center. The event included a mental wellness resource fair and a panel presentation of experts from our community. The free meal for the panel event was sponsored generously by the Healthy Cass County Coalition with funding from the Healthiest State Initiative Grant and Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Resources and community groups that were present at the resource fair were NAMI, Senior Life Solutions, Catholic Charities, Veteran’s Support, Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Cass County Public Health, Cass County ISU Extension, Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Services, and Thriving Families Alliance. This aspect of the event was a great way for community members to see how many mental wellness resources they have in their community.

McAfee says panelists for the event included Erika Kirchhoff from Thriving Families Alliance who spoke on resilience. She gave tips and tools on how to become mentally resilient through life’s challenges. Mary-Beth Roskens from Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Services explained how therapy sessions work and how to find therapy services. Debrenee Grajeda a mental health therapist from Catholic Charities gave different tools to take care of your mental health daily. Melanie Fell and Carolyn Bruck explained how the Atlantic School District provided therapy services in the schools without students missing a lot of class time.

At the end of the panel presentation, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions. The panelists were able to share their expertise on dealing with mental health at the workplace, how to respond when a youth is struggling with their mental health, and how to get students involved in the therapy program at the Atlantic School District.

Grace McAfee says “This was a great event for all members of the community to gain tools to improve their mental health and to see the resources available in Cass County. The Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness is grateful to all those who helped make this event a success. We look forward to bringing more events like this to Cass County to help reduce the stigma of Mental Health”

The Cass County Coalition for Mental Wellness is a part of the Healthy Cass County Coalition. You are invited to connect with either group by contacting Grace McAfee, Cass County Community Wellness Coordinator, at 712-250-8170 or mcage@casshealth.org. You can also follow the coalition on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HealthyCassCounty/ for local wellness events and tips during Mental Health Awareness Month and all year round!