HACKENSACK—May is Mental Health Month and it was spotlighted at the first Bergen County Health Fair at the Bergen Plaza Conference Center in Hackensack.
From 3 to 6 p.m. on May 15, several hundred people strolled through the first floor conference room where they received information and handouts from exhibitors wearing neon green Stigma Free shirts.
The Stigma Free initiative, a national alliance promoted in 70 Bergen County communities, encourages people to eliminate shaming and shunning people with mental health issues and addictions. Stigma Free initiatives also provide emotional wellness resources to individuals and families in need.
All the exhibitors were eager to assist visitors and provide information about their services as well as the Stigma Free Initiative.
“We started our Stigma Free program here in 2013, and it is growing all over the world,” said Maryann Uzzi, founder of the Paramus Stigma Free initiative. “We were even asked to help bring it to the United Kingdom.”
Bergen County Department of Health Services Division of Mental Health Director Michele Hart-Loughlin greeted people as they made their way into the conference center for the free event. She emphasized the importance of having a health fair.
“We want to let people know that we have many ways to help people with mental health issues,” she said.
There was a flyer given out that listed a number of these resources:
• A mental health urgent care clinic that anyone can call 24 hours a days. 365 days a year. The clinic, operated by Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., offers kind, compassionate care to adults in need of treatment.
• A program that helps families return to a state of calm from the midst of chaos. The program is operated by Care Plus NJ, a mobile response crisis stabilization service of the state’s Children’s System of Care. The program provides eight weeks of in-home support services at no cost to the family.
• A $300 stipend for conducting a community cleanup. Organizing a community cleanup is a great way to foster community connections, get outside and do a good deed—all things that promote emotional wellness, they said.
• A myriad of programs that help individuals who have a substance use disorder get on the road to recovery.
• West Bergen Mental Health Care, which offers specialized services to individuals who live with Level 1 Autism.
• An adult day care that allows men and women over the age of 55 to continue functioning independently in their community in a therapeutic setting provided by Vantage Health System’s Northern Valley Adult Day Health Center.
The above mentioned organizations and service providers all had exhibits at the health fair. In addition, there were representatives from the Bergen Family Center in Englewood, the Englewood Department of Health and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, CASA and New Bridge Medical Center, Bergen County Board of Social Services and Council on Compulsive Gambling, with a total of 30 exhibitors.
This first health fair was a huge success, as evidenced by the large turnout and interest displayed by the attendees.
