Ever Heard of a Mental Health Summit?

Going back a bunch of years, I started holding Mental Health Summits when I was the Director of Special Education for the City of Everett, Massachusetts Public Schools.  Everett is among the most densely populated cities in the United States, with 8,000 students residing and attending school within about a 3-mile radius.  The city’s ten schools are so close together that there doesn’t even need to be any bussing.  Most families in the town live in triple-decker homes, with many in illegal basement dwellings. 

In some of these dwellings - landlords rent out one room for an entire family

Everett was a hustle-bustle place where people worked hard to support their families. I met and worked in the schools with some of the most dedicated people—hustlers and bustlers, just like the kids they served. Honestly, every day was an adventure.  From the time that there was a Hazmat unit outside of my office because two of the fellas who lived across the street got it going with Fentanyl.  I saw the gurneys getting rolled out by dudes in yellow suits – like they were working in a nuclear reactor. 

The guy I saw was covered up.

One of our students was stabbed to death by the bakery.  One of our staff members lost her life to domestic violence.  And my good friend Brian Wallace and I had to find another place to have lunch one day because someone was shot and killed outside of the Braza the night before – that was where we’d grab a quick bite now and then.  All that, and in our schools, we had kids who were in gangs.  And as a result, I got to spend time with members of the Commonwealth’s gang units.  I learned a lot quickly – the kind of stuff they don’t get to in Teacher preparation school.  The things that don’t make the teacher’s handbook, you know?

Working in a place that had lots of violence, teen pregnancies galore, drugs…lots of drugs, kids on the run, and even high schoolers turning tricks, the administrators and staff had to constantly up their game.  The pot had a lot of hands in it – trying to make things right, one kid at a time.  It was tough – particularly when all those people trying to figure it out didn’t even know who else was doing the same things.  There was no single repository for all that was available for our students and families – and in many cases, they’d make it or not depending upon which adult was behind the curtain pulling the levers for them.  I figured there’d have to be a way to better understand what was available, where to go, and how things worked in the agencies. 

That is how the Mental Health Summit came to be. We brought in the administrators, folks from the clinics, the Teen Health Center, and even two Juvenile Court Judges. We, Everett PD, Fire, Mobil Crisis, a Child Psychiatrist, Senators, State Reps, the Mayor, the City Council, and even some of the city priests. Forget the separation of Church and State. Some families go to their religious leaders far before they seek out treatment for any behavioral health-related matter.

I remember one of the Judges was talking.  He asked why school administrators send kids to court for disrespecting their teachers.  He told us that since we were the education experts, we’d have to figure that out for ourselves.  He went on to say that he’d have kids in front of him for firearms, drugs, and even murder.  So, from that conversation alone, kids going to court for less than serious matters were no longer a thing for most of us. 

I hope it is this big someday

I believe this event to be the best and most valuable three hours of the year.  They are all there simultaneously in one place – having the most critical discussion.  Naturally, we must learn about what’s out there…and who does what with whom.  But what is more important is that we get to know each other.  The groups there should not meet for the first time when tragedy strikes.  And the networking at this thing is off the charts. 

Here is the format.  There are eight invited panelists.  They come from state agencies like the Department of Mental Health and Department of Children and Families.  There are other service providers – like a pediatrician and other state leaders.  Once they take a few minutes to talk about statistics and what their agencies do – there are roving microphones.  For nearly two hours, there were questions and brainstorming.  Ideas are shared, business cards are handed out – and then there are meetings after the summit.  People get together, and they do things. 

On April 3rd, I did it again. Roughly 70 people gathered at the Golf Course in the town where I work. Having done the summit seven or eight times, I learned that once all those great people are together and the format is set, I can sit and listen. We take notes to share, along with the contact information of all who attended.  It is a day on which a new, creative, energized network kind of begins. 

I am getting to my word limit, but I wanted to share this.  If anyone is interested in learning more about it, please get in touch with me.  I am happy to share our invitations, program book, and other information.  My E-mail address is Mike@MikeBaldassarre.com.