Event Will Address Mental Health Issues, New Feelings of Anxiety and Fear Due to COVID, and Share Community Resources
(September 2, 2021) Long Branch, NJ – Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, will host a free virtual expert panel event titled “Managing Your Mental Health” on Friday, September 10th at 11 a.m., coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day. The event will provide support and behavioral health resources to members of the community who are coping with existing mental health issues or who may be facing new feelings of anxiety, stress, and fear due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the physical toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on New Jersey residents and individuals across the country, the pandemic has also had a substantial impact on mental health. According to survey data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 30% of adults aged 18 and over reported symptoms of anxiety or depression between late July and early August 2021, an increase of nearly 20% from the same period in 2019.
Monmouth Medical Center has the largest and most comprehensive behavioral health program in Monmouth County, with treatment provided to adults, children and adolescents and adults diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. The panel will feature Monmouth Medical Center mental health experts Stan Evanowski, LCSW, LCADC, Administrative Director of Behavioral Health; Stephanie Petrucha, LCSW, Director of Outpatient Behavioral Health; Donna Martini, LCSW, Program Director, Early Intervention Support Services Program; Tia A. Susak, BSN, RN, Children’s Crisis Intervention Services Unit; and Johnna Malter, MA, Child and Family Crisis Clinician, Psychiatric Emergency Screening Services.
Moderated by Emmy-nominated journalist and former NY1 News political reporter Molly Kroon, the free community panel event will explore the effect COVID-19 has had on mental wellness. During the event, panelists will answer frequently asked questions around coping with mental health issues, the additional mental health challenges brought on by the pandemic, and how to manage your mental health. Experts will also share information on the variety of mental health resources and support available to the community.
“Our goal as a hospital and as a system is to deliver quality, patient-centered care, which means that in addition to prioritizing our patients’ physical health and safety amid the pandemic, it is equally important to identify and address the toll it has taken on our community’s mental well-being,” said Eric Carney, President and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus. “By hosting this expert panel, we’re continuing to raise awareness around the heightened mental health challenges our community is currently facing as well as serve as an educational resource for people who are struggling by letting them know there is help available and how they can access it.”
The webinar is free and open to all. Those interested in attending can register at: https://www.mmcevents.org/managing-your-mental-health.
ABOUT MONMOUTH MEDICAL CENTER
Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital, is a regional teaching campus for Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As the first hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties, Monmouth Medical Center offers the most experienced surgeons in robotics and other minimally invasive procedures as well as bariatric and joint and spine surgery. Monmouth Medical Center delivers more babies annually than all other hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined and the fourth most in the state. The hospital offers access to the region’s top cardiologists and the award-winning, nationally recognized RWJBarnabas heart centers. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has conferred Magnet® recognition for Monmouth Medical Center, one of just 509 U.S. health care organizations out of more than 6,300 U.S. hospitals to achieve Magnet recognition. It is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to consistently receive an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization. RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside patients, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH
RWJBarnabas Health is the largest, most comprehensive academic health care system in New Jersey, with a service area covering nine counties with 5 million people. The system includes 11 acute care hospitals – Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, Community Medical Center in Toms River, Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset in Somerville, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton in Hamilton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in Rahway and Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, three acute care children’s hospitals and a leading pediatric rehabilitation hospital with a network of outpatient centers, a freestanding 100-bed behavioral health center, two trauma centers, a satellite emergency department, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state’s largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, fitness and wellness centers, retail pharmacy services, affiliated medical groups, multi-site imaging centers and an accountable care organization.
RWJBH is New Jersey’s largest private employer – with more than 35,000 employees, 9,000 physicians and 1,000 residents and interns – and routinely captures national awards for outstanding quality and safety. RWJBH and Rutgers University have partnered to create New Jersey’s largest academic health care system. The collaboration aligns RWJBH with Rutgers’ education, research and clinical activities, including those at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - and Rutgers University Behavioral Health.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Brennan
(732) 923-5005
Elizabeth.Brennan@rwjbh.org