City Holds First Community Mental Health Day This Weekend

You are not alone.

There are resources available to help. 

Those are two main take-aways City of Hoover officials hope everyone leaves with after attending the Community Mental Health Day on Sunday, January 22nd. 

This is the first time the City has held such an event. It runs from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and will be held at the Finley Center on the Hoover Met Complex campus. 

"One of the main things I wanted to do is bring awareness to the community that there are resources we have available to them," says Reggie Parker, the City's Behavioral Health Coordinator.

"I think because of the stigma that's been around for so many years, people have not looked into trying to find different resources that could assist with anxiety, depression and other things that go on in our lives. I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to come together as a community and bring people that have some knowledge, skills, and abilities to share with the general public."

The first part of the program will go from 12:00 to 2:00 and will focus on discussions surrounding mental health and public safety. The second half, from 2:00 to 4:00, will cover a variety of topics. Parker hopes the general public will come for the entire day and leave more aware.

"It is not so much that people are struggling, but I want people to be balanced. I want people to know what's going on with them. I want the community, if they do have someone in the family that's having mental health issues, to be knowledgeable about how to assist them. If someone themselves has a mental health situation, I want them to be able to get the help the need so they can get back to a life in which they can be productive and move forward."

Some of Sunday's presenters include:

*Dr. Rita Jablonski who will touch on Dementia

*Anjuli Thompson who is addresses trauma based issues 

*Danny Duvall who will speak on the connection between the mental and the spiritual part of the our lives 

*Dustin Chandler who will speak on developmental disabilities

*Leaders with the Hoover Police and Fire Departments

"I want folks to understand they're not alone because we're made for relationships," Parker stresses.

"And I think when we break down some of that stigma, it can pull the community closer together. Our motto is make Hoover a better place to live, work and play. That's what I'm trying to do with this event."

Mayor Brocato Delivers State Of The City Address

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato delivered his seventh State of the City Address to a capacity crowd this week at the the Hyatt Regency- Wynfrey Hotel. The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the event which was held Tuesday. AmFirst Credit Union served as the sponsor.

During his address, Brocato covered five main topics pertaining to the City including public safety, quality of life opportunities, economic development drivers, schools and the financial climate of city government.  

You can view the entire speech by clicking this link: 

https://youtu.be/nvv-c0FP-yI