Block party to bring mental health communication into the open

By JUDD WEIL 
Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The month of May is Mental Health Awareness month and Angels Care Home Health is doing their part to spread awareness with their 2nd Annual Fight the Stigma block party taking place on May 11.  

“So, the month of May is mental Health Awareness Month. It's been going on since 1949 in the US, actually been recognized,” Jaime Garcia, LPN and an account executive with Angels Care Home Health, said. “This will be our second annual mental health awareness event, our theme is Fight the Stigma. Typically speaking, stigma is a huge issue for a lot of people, makes people not want to talk about what they're going through.” 

Garcia added, mental health awareness is so much more than a lack of communication.  

“We [Angels Care Home Health] primarily serve the older population, our elderly generation,” Garcia said. “Especially that generation, they were just brought up to not talk about mental health or mental illness. The purpose of this event is to bring awareness and then also provide resources to our community.”  

Those resources could take the form of Angels Care Home Health’s behavioral program with three behavioral nurses. These nurses are trained to help with more in-depth diagnosis, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.  

There is also an anxiety and depression program and an Alzheimer’s and dementia program. The latter is geared towards loved ones and caregivers of afflicted individuals to educate them on disease management, such as progression and medication.  

Angels Care Home Health has partnered with many other local mental health providers to help spread their message of awareness and give out information in a safe and conversational community setting. 

“Horizons is very much involved, they were here last year, they provided several volunteers for my event, and I couldn't have done it without them, quite frankly,” Garcia said. “Horizons Mental Health has a whole host of services available to individuals, not just in Reno County but spread out to other counties as well.”  

Horizons Mental Health Center is part of Hutchinson Regional Medical Center’s umbrella. 

PrairieStar Health Center hosts a behavioral health department and is another partner in the Fight the Stigma block party. 

Additionally, several drug and alcohol and recovery treatment agencies will be participating in the larger event. These include BreakThru Medical Withdrawal Management with Summit Surgical Hospital, the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas, Valley Hope, and more.  

“Addiction and mental health, they go hand in hand so that's why those guys are involved,” Garcia said.  

Even though Angels Care Home Health primarily serves the elderly, they do serve younger people and the Fight the Stigma block party event is for everybody of all ages.  

It is free to the public, and all of the partner and sponsor agencies, over 30, will be handing out information on what their specific agencies do and the services they provide.  

Due to the stigma they face, a lot of people who struggle with mental health issues tend to resort to several unhealthy vices to cope. Sometimes drawing them into a healthy environment where they can speak freely, or primarily seek help without judgement, can be a challenge.  

One of Garcia’s solutions to that falls into the theme of the block party event, Fight the Stigma.  

“I did not come up with the slogan, it’s sort of a thing that is out there,” Garcia said. “To go along with our theme, I've been listed the help of local fighters.  Boxers, I've talked to the Hutchinson wrestling coach, several of the martial arts gyms around here to sort of help make that easier.”  

In addition to all of the combat sports programs promoting the event to help welcome people to the safety of the event, there will be other activities.  

“A lot of people don't like to talk about their personal experiences, but I have found that they will, like last year, they will come, and they will attend because we have a lot of other things going on,” Garcia said. “We have food, we have a bounce house, we have stuff for kids to do, activity sidewalk chalk, face painting. They may not openly talk about what they're going through, but they'll come and they'll get resources.” 

Other entertainment will include music provided by DJs 620 in The Mix.  

There will also be raffle prizes throughout the day.  

The block party is idealized as a safe place for anybody with mental health illnesses regardless of how they approach the affliction they live with every day.  

“Some people are very vocal about talking about their mental health and their struggles, and some are very private and that's just fine,” Garcia said. “My goal is to make sure that they can get the resources so that they know where to go for help, even if it's on a more private thing for them.” 

Often attempting to talk about mental health and associated illnesses is taboo in small communities due to antiquated mindsets that silently promote negative stigma. Especially in rural communities.  

Garcia places a big emphasis on communication.  

“Talking about it and continuing to talk about it, talking openly about it to everybody,” Garcia said. “Having just a few conversations or a few closed meetings behind doors amongst professionals will never, ever get the job done.”  

At the Fight the Stigma block party there will be speaking segments, as well as speaking opportunities for people to share their stories about mental health.  

People interested in wanting to share their stories at or looking for more information about the Fight the Stigma event can contact Jaime Garcia at Angels Care Home Health at (620) 728-0900. Angels Care Home Health is located at 1300 N. Main St. in Hutchinson.  

Last year, Garcia said close to 150 people attended the Fight the Stigma block party. This year she hopes for more, and hopes the event continues to grow and contribute to the changing landscape as people continue to discuss mental health in their community.  

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