I am moved and inspired by the courage of Pastor Rick Warren to open up a platform for the conversation of mental health and what the involvement of churches and faith based organizations might look like.
Friday, Rick Warren and Saddleback Church hosted The Gathering on Mental Health and the Church a one-day event designed to encourage individuals living with mental illness, educate family members, and equip church leaders to provide effective and compassionate care to any faced with the challenges of mental illness.
This is a conversation that matters as studies show that one out of every four adults in America will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lives.
In fact, several of the staff from the Orange County Rescue Mission and the Hurtt Family Health Clinic were able to attend in hopes of gaining deeper perspective on the populations that we help in the scope of services that we offer.
Morning crowd waiting for the doors to open to a sold out event at Saddleback Church.
Mental illness often plays a role in homelessness and affecting those that we serve at the Orange County Rescue Mission, which is why is it so valuable to have the Hurtt Family Health Clinic available under our umbrella of services.
Through partnerships and licensed therapists, all clients of the Orange County Rescue Mission are able to receive behavior health counseling and free medical services through the Hurtt Family Health Clinic. Those same services are available to the public enrolled with MSI, Medi-Cal or a sliding scale based on income.
I am encouraged and excited to see how this event and Rick Warren’s stance on the issue will cause faith based services to step up and offer better care to those suffering with mental illness.
To continue the conversation and gain more information on the event at Saddleback today, visit this link.
To learn more about the scope of services at the Hurtt Family Health Clinic, visit this link.
