CONCORD, NH – Recognizing the importance of mental health and well-being in New Hampshire, and sensing the need to spread the word about the Five Signs of emotional distress, an unprecedented coalition of state leaders has agreed to lead the public awareness effort known as Change Direction NH.
The grassroots group, led by co-chairs John Broderick, former NH Supreme Court Justice, Peter Evers, CEO of Riverbend Community Mental Health, and Bill Gunn from Concord Hospital’s Family Health Center, will work to raise awareness of the five major signs of emotional distress everyone should know. In addition, the group will lead a series of community meetings statewide to address the issue of mental health and encourage families, business owners and community leaders to shatter the stigma of mental illness and start talking more openly about getting people the help they may need.
“Since our launch in May, I have been humbled by the amount of feedback I have received from people throughout our state saying this effort has already helped someone in need,” explains Judge Broderick. “I want the five signs of emotional distress to be as commonly known as the major signs of a heart attack. I think we are already well on our way.”
Working with media partners, Change Direction NH is developing public service announcements which will run on television and radio statewide. In addition, efforts are underway to raise the profile of the group through social media and in meeting with business and community groups, school districts and the medical community. The group’s steering committee is organizing events for the next 12 months.
The Change Direction NH Steering Committee comprises some of the highest profile leaders in New Hampshire, along with medical community experts from all around the state. Business leaders are also stepping up to help spread the word about the Five Signs.
Change Direction NH – Steering Committee
- John Broderick, Frmr NH Supreme Court Justice (co-chair)
- Peter Evers, CEO, Riverbend (co-chair)
- William Gunn, Dir., Primary Care Behavioral Health, NH Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency (co-chair)
- Bud Fitch, US Senator Kelly Ayotte
- Cara Osborn, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen
- Jake Berry, US Congresswoman Annie Kuster
- William Wrenn, Commissioner NH Dept. of Corrections
- Jeffrey Meyers, NH HHS Commissioner
- Karen Borgstrom, Dir, Partners for Community Wellness, Dartmouth-Hitchcock
- Joe Foster, NH Attorney General
- Seth Gahr, Trooper, NH Dept. of Safety
- Ken Norton, Executive Director, NAMI-NH
- Kim Firth, Endowment for Health
- Jose Montero, VP, Cheshire Medical Center
- Tess Kuenning, President, Bistate Primary Care Association
- Karen Jantzen, Director of Community Affairs, Riverbend
- Allison Stebbins, Fidelity Investments
- Lew Feldstein, Frmr. President, NH Charitable Foundation
- Gary Carpenter, Disability Rights Center – PAIMI Advisory Council
- Michael Cohen, Consultant, MJC Health Solutions, LLC
- Ellen Curelop, President, Life Coping Case Management & President of Board Village Network
- Elizabeth Feingold, Founder, Special Education Advocacy and Consulting Services/SEAC
- Jeffrey Zellers, Attorney, Annis & Zellers PLLC
- Helen Hanks, Assistant Commissioner, N.H. Hampshire Department of Corrections
- Mary Steady, Administrator, Office of Student Wellness, N.H. Department of Education
- Will Torrey, MD, Professor & Vice Chair for Clinical Services, Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine
- Tracey Tucker, Founder, Tradeport Counseling Associates
- Stephen Reno, Frmr. Chancellor, University System of NH
- Ned Helms, Frmr. Commissioner, NH Dept. of Health and Human Services
- Nick Toumpas, Frmr. Commissioner, NH Dept. of Health and Human Services
- Scott Spradling, President, The Spradling Group
“The goal of our group is to raise awareness of problems before they become overwhelming to those suffering and to their friends and loved ones,” explains Peter Evers, CEO of Riverbend. “Most mental illness signs begin to develop between the ages of 12 and 23 years old, but they can last a lifetime. Many people struggle with the emotional distress of life and often suffer in silence. At any one time, one in every five adults has a diagnosable and treatable mental health disorder. If we work together, we can spot the signs of distress earlier and get people the help they need to treat what we all should know is a disease.”
For more information, go to changedirection.org/nh
