Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch visited the Clinton County community this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 9 for a mental health roundtable at Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition at 1234 Rossville Ave. in Frankfort.
The mental health roundtable heard comments from Commissioner Bert Weaver, Frankfort Police Chief Scott Shoemaker, two members of Youth RISE, Stephanie Kozuch with Clinton Prairie, Emily Hall with IU Health, Healthy Communities Executive Director Lorra Archibald, Erin Dillingham with Rossville, Sherri Davis with the Changes Program at Sycamore Springs, United Way for Clinton County Executive Director Anita Stewart, Clinton County Councilwoman Carol Price and Anne Hazlett with the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable alongside Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch.
The roundtable discussed topics such as the Preventing Youth Suicide Initiative implemented in the Clinton Prairie and Rossville school systems, how mental health affects the Latino community, the programs launched in Clinton County that directly address mental health and more.
Following the roundtable discussion, Crouch began discussing her outlook on the current state of mental health across the state, commenting that the discussion of the Clinton County community instilled hope within her.
“I am really inspired and encouraged by the work that’s going on here and the work that can be done all across the state of Indiana,” Crouch said. “I always say, you can’t change the world, but you can change the world for the people whose lives you impact.”
Crouch discussed with the roundtable and those in attendance her own experiences with mental health struggles, including the struggles of friends and family members throughout her life who have inspired her to seek better resources and opportunities to improve the mental health of Hoosiers across the state.
“My involvement and my passion for those struggling with mental illness and addiction really comes from personal experience,” Crouch said. “Having lived with people who have struggled from inherited genes, through no fault of their own–we all realize there’s genetic mental illness and addiction and there’s situational–it just always was there as something I felt like I needed to do.”
Crouch continued to state that the improvements that may be accomplished in terms of mental health will require a collaborative effort across the state rather than just a singular effort by an agency or entity.
“We have so much work to do,” Crouch said. “It isn’t work that’s going to be done by the state alone. It’s not going to be done by the federal government alone. It’s not going to be done by Clinton County alone. It’s not going to be done by the private sector alone, but if we all work together, we can really make a difference for those who are struggling, and that’s why this is so important. That’s why we founded the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable.”
Crouch concluded by stating that the importance of the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable discussion is to inspire communities and continue the conversation toward establishing opportunities to address mental health crises and aid those experiencing the crises.
“I am so encouraged, and inspired by what you’re doing here, and it gives me hope,” Crouch said.
Crouch stated that through collaborative efforts between the state, the local governments, local organizations and more, the vision for many is to provide more mental health awareness opportunities and resources for those who are struggling.
