A fine “Service Above Self” opportunity occurred in 2012 on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain when Southeast Louisiana Hospital, a large out-of-date state mental facility in Mandeville, was closed after more than 60 years. Soon the legislature sold the entire 300-acre complex of one-and-two-story, 1950s-style buildings to St. Tammany Parish. (A Parish in Louisiana is comparable to what a county is in the rest of the United States.) Multiple government agencies and non-profits saw this as an opportunity to usher in a 21st century center for caring that is a shining light for mental health communities throughout the U.S. and the world. The newly named “Safe Haven” is a multi-year project to create a collaborative healing environment for the behavioral health continuum by creating a high-quality, coordinated, sustainable and humane network of care anchored in St. Tammany Parish.

“WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY- The lessons from Corona”
BY Rita Aggarwal
Of the few positives that Covid -19 seems to have thrown up for the world at large, one of the major benefits is the fact that it has thrown the mental health concerns centre stage. Every person on this earth has suffered and is suffering mentally and psychologically if not physically. Physically ten percent of the world population has suffered the virus, but the mental impact has been extensive and intensive too. A decade ago, WHO had declared that a silent pandemic of ‘Depression’ is going on globally and will strike the world in a big way in 2020 when it will be known as the second leading cause of death after CVDs (heart diseases). Little did WHO know that Covid 19 will strike as a pandemic resulting in depression multiplying.
The April/May magazine for Rotarians in Great Britain & Ireland featured a number of articles on Mental Health issues - including an interview with former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Frank Bruno.
Our thanks to Editor Dave King for allowing us to share this magazine.
Click on the image to view a copy online.
During these difficult times during the Covid pandemic, many people will be suffering from Mental Health issues in some form or another. It has been seen that during lockdown and the current time, peoples’ mental wellness has been affected and in some cases, this can result in Domestic Abuse occurring.
The great thing about going virtual this year is that our Breakout Sessions ran through July making it convenient to attend most of them!
Members of our Board of Directors and others presented a session on Transforming Leadership through Mental Health Awareness. To view the hour+ program, click here.