As the newly-elected Bethany Legacy Foundation Chair, I am committed to our mission and proud to follow the outstanding service of our past chair Darleen Connolly.

Our team has listened carefully to Jefferson County residents over the past two years of operation. We have developed a strategy of health priorities and invested in projects that will help make our community the healthiest in the world!

However, we have more work to focus on this coming year.

We have identified Mental Health and Addiction Substance Use Disorders as our top 2024 priority and are launching a campaign called “Mental Health Matters for a Strong, Empowered, and Safe Jefferson County.”

Our goal for 2024 is to invest in initiatives that build psychological resiliency and mental wellness for our youth, adults, and seniors. We are also interested in fueling transformational solutions that support maintaining recovery from substance abuse. We are committed to working on partnerships with community stakeholders that will help us eliminate the “Mental Health Desert” status that currently holds our community back from full strength.

One of my favorite quotes is: “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough!” Bethany Legacy has big dreams that are backed up with thorough research and lots of collaboration. This dream is possible because twelve brave, committed women created what most people in the late 1800s thought could not be achieved–a hospital to serve the people of Jefferson County. It is their legacy we build upon.

We sincerely hope you will join our movement to help to destigmatize seeking mental health and to curb the scourge of addiction in Jefferson County. We hope that we will see a day when people seeking mental health solutions are able to find the help they need in a timely manner. We hope to eliminate the label “Mental Health Desert” from our community. Edit Collapse Description