Screening day
Lanis Dieker and Bev Cress
Saturday, October 28, 2006
NATIONAL DEPRESSION Screening Day was held Oct. 5 at the Emporia Public Library and Maynard Early Childhood Center. It was a great success! Many people took advantage of the efforts of the community to learn more about different types of depression and to obtain a free screening.
As a members of the committee, we would like to extend our heart-felt thanks and express our gratitude to all those who made this event so successful.
The staff of the Emporia Public Library was indispensable to the event — they bent over backwards to help us!
Also, a great big thank you goes to the members of the Depression Committee, the Learning Connection, Ron Scott and especially to the students from the Emporia State University Counselor Education program. We were also blessed with a superb staff of interpreters who made it possible to reach those non-English speaking participants.
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to The Emporia Gazette, all of the area newspapers, KVOE, area senior centers, assisted living centers, area ministers, and volunteers who all helped to inform the community about the event. Everyone working together made a big difference to many individuals in our community. Without their help in getting the information to the public, the event could not have been a success!
I would also encourage anyone who missed the event and suspects that they may be suffering from depression to contact a mental health professional and request a screening. Depression is a treatable condition. But only by gaining knowledge about it are we able to identify it, take action, and begin the journey toward healing.
Hats off to all those who made this event possible!
Lanis Dieker, LSCSW
Flint Hills Community Health Center
Bev Cress, Executive Assistant
Mental Health Center of East Central Kansas