Pennsylvania College of Technology recently joined the National Alliance on Mental Illness to host a panel discussion on suicide prevention and mental health for students and staff.
The event was part of the university's week-long suicide prevention awareness campaign, known as . “Yellow It Out”
“This is a joint effort by Penn College and NAMI to bring together community and university professionals for broader discussions about various aspects of services for people with mental health problems. It was a gathering.” Mary R. Shuma Rudberg, director of counseling at Penn College, explains: “The panel provided keen insight into what mental health and mental illness is like and how to seek help and understanding.”
In addition to Shuma Rudberg, panelists included Kelly Gordon, child and youth services system program coordinator for Lycoming County and chair of the NAMI North Central Pennsylvania Board of Directors; Tami J. Delinsky, Director of Total Compensation and Representative of Employee Assistance Programs at Penn College. Chuck Kiesling, Lycoming County Coroner. and local mental health providers Ivy Eldred, Stephanie Rushton, and Brian Schull.
This group focuses on mental health and mental illness, red flags, suicide prevention, how to interact with those in need, self-care, levels of care in mental health, how communities come together to support mental health, and more. addressed the topic. Mr. Keisling provided local statistics and Mr. Delinsky shared information about the university's employee assistance programs.
Additionally, the event served to provide information to students, faculty and staff about the many resources available to them on campus and through the community. Staffing information tables were Community Services Group, West Branch Drug and Alcohol Committee, Community Resource Center, Lycoming/Clinton Joinder, and Penn College Office of Student Engagement.
“Mental illness is treatable” Gordon told the audience: “That can be managed.”
Panel discussions and events related to Yellow It Out Week are activities supported by the Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention Grant, which is funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Penn College departments that partnered with NAMI to present the panel discussion were Counseling Services, Human Resources and Culture, and the Office of Student Engagement.
