On Monday evening, June 15th, the Healthy Outcomes Partnership of the Somerset Hills will host a panel discussion and community forum: “Who Pulled the Rug Out?  A Community Conversation About Economic Uncertainty and How it Affects Us All”, at Bernards High School, from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.  I am writing to tell you about my involvement in this new group, and to urge you to attend the event and to invite others as well.

The Healthy Outcomes Partnership is a new coalition of human service organizations and individuals concerned with public and mental health, youth and family development, adolescent medicine, community education and a variety of related areas of expertise.  Spearheaded by the Somerset Hills YMCA, the group was formed to address common barriers to healthy relationships — among them, stress, anxiety and depression, substance abuse, serious mental illness, and the manifestations of all — and to help people access the resources they need to address these problems and live healthier, happier lives.   Our long-term goal is to create a referral and resource center to do just that.

But, in our earliest meetings, we recognized that, right now, our community is facing a crisis caused by current economic turmoil, which by all reports has raised stress and anxiety levels to all-time highs.  The event on June 15 will feature several panelists who will talk about the impact of economic uncertainty from the global/financial markets, community and family/individual perspectives, but our primary objective for the event is to create a true “community conversation” – opening the floor to people who have been affected by the recession, to hear about their experiences and how they are trying to cope.   Most important, members of the Healthy Outcomes Partnership and other organizations will offer resources, contact information and direct assistance.  We are excited to have as our moderator for the evening Michael Aron, talk show host and senior political correspondent for NJN.

I hope you will consider coming to this important event and that you will forward this message to others who you believe would benefit or be interested.  I’ve attached a flyer that provides all the details, and which can be either sent electronically or reprinted and distributed.

Please contact me, Steering Committee Chair Lauren Luik (laurenl@mcspr.com) or Somerset Hills YMCA staff member Susan Kamins (skamins@somersethillsymca.org) if you have any questions.

Attached Flyer.