Nearly 200 Attend Mental Health Conference At NU
Nearly 200 individuals – from Niagara University and the greater Buffalo-Niagara community – participated in Changing Our Minds: A Mental Health Summit, which was held Saturday in the Castellani Art Museum.
Tasked with fighting stigma, apprising people about the signs of mental illness and teaching methods to support someone into the helping system, the conference discussions were informative, compelling and lively.
A collaborative effort of Niagara University, the Mental Health Association in Niagara County Inc. and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, the public event was emceed by 1986 NU alumna (and WGRZ-TV anchor) Maryalice Demler.
Niagara University’s president, the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., provided a moving opening statement that connected the conference’s objectives with the work of St. Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of charity. New York Senator Robert Ortt, a champion of mental health in the Niagara County community, also offered remarks.