OSWEGO – Oswego Health, city, county and state officials, Oswego Health partners and special guests gathered together on Monday, May 1, to officially recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month in an effort to raise awareness and continue support for mental health initiatives.
According to Oswego Health, millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental health condition, with suicide being the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14. Oswego Health is working with partners county-wide to bring attention and education to the public to help save lives.
Oswego Health SVP of Communications and Brand Chief Officer Jaime Leszczynski hosted the event, sharing her own personal story of her brother Ryan, who took his own life at the age of 16 due to a mental health crisis. Leszczynski said he called her one day at college to ask if he could come live with her. She recalled dismissing the request, only to find he would take his life a week later.
“The last time I spoke to my brother was one week before he took his life. It was actually my birthday. He didn’t call to wish me a happy birthday though – he called asking me if he could move in with me. You see, at this point in my life, I was twenty – he was sixteen – I was still in college. Instead of hearing Ryan out, I blew him off and disregarded the desperation in his voice,” Leszczynski said. “Fast forward seven days later – I thought of giving him a call to see why he asked that question. I thought of calling him and reminding him that I’d always be there for him. Instead, I got distracted, made another excuse and never called. I never got to tell him how much I loved him. That conversation I never had haunts me to this day.”
Leszczynski encouraged everyone to reach out to the people they love; letting them know how much you care; also saying “You never know when your timing could be impeccable.”
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Vinny Lobdell also spoke, signifying the month of May as an important component in he and his family’s life, as he also lost his brother Rusty in 1994 to a mental health crisis. Lobdell said his brother was only 19-years-old when he took his own life a year after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“This past November, my family donated $1,000,000 to Oswego Health in hopes to giving access to the kind of care that we wished my brother had. We also made it our goal to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention, starting off by publicly sharing my brother’s story,” Lobdell said. “As someone who has personally experienced the devastating effects of mental illness, I can’t stress enough how important it is to talk about it openly and honestly. Mental health affects us all whether its individually or someone we love. It is my family’s hope to help create a space where people can openly discuss mental health and find support in their community.”
Lynn Braun, Director of Counseling Services at SUNY Oswego spoke at Monday’s event, initiating a response to an uptick in mental health issues across campuses statewide and nationwide; SUNY Oswego partnering in outreach and prevention programs both on and off campus for improved mental health and the overall wellbeing of their student population.
“A significant change that has been seen on campuses the last few years are higher and higher levels of social anxiety – which this past year became the number one most common concern students seeking counseling services have,” Braun said. “We’ve seen this change here at SUNY Oswego as well, and have been working across campus to respond. We recognize that connection and belonging are key components to thriving and having a positive sense of self-wellbeing and reducing mental health concerns.”
Mental Health Awareness Month proclamations from Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow and Fulton Mayor Deanna Michaels were read, along with proclamations from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay’s office and New York State Senator John Mannion’s office.
Following is the list of event speakers:
- Michael Backus, Oswego Health President and CEO
- Jaime Leszczynski, Oswego Health SVP of Communications and Brand Chief Officer
- William J. Barlow, City of Oswego Mayor
- Diane Oldenburg, Oswego County Health Department Senior Public Health Educator
- Ryan Lanigan, OHS Principal
- Tyler Ahart, Oswego County Suicide Coalition
- Vinny Lobdell, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
- Tricia Peter-Clark, ConnextCare President and CEO
- Melanie Smith, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Clinical Supervisor Child Advocacy Center
- Lynn Braun, Director of Counseling Services at SUNY Oswego
- Nate Emmons, City of Fulton
- Brittney Jerred, Assemblyman William A. Barclay’s office
- Jessie Brill, Senator Mannion’s office
