2021 Patrick Thomas McKee Foundation Impact Piece

Patrick Thomas McKee Foundation

IMPACT REPORT 2021

THANK YOU For more than 13 years, the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center (JDC) has maintained an unwavering dedication to diagnosing and treating mental illness, expanding community outreach programs and reducing the stigma associated with treatment. We are grateful for your extraordinary partnership and all that you make possible through your support. Without you, thousands of individuals and families would not have the services and care they need to live meaningful and productive lives.

It is my pleasure to recognize your investments and show you what your support has accomplished. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Warm regards,

C. Neill Epperson, MD Executive Director, Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center Chair, Department of Psychiatry Robert Freedman Endowed Professor and Chair

Community Programs Spotlight Friends like you are essential in our mission to improve the lives of people with depression and other mood disorders. Because of your support, we have expanded our community programs and educational information to help thousands of people in our state and the Rocky Mountain region. Over the years, the JDC has developed 12 different community programs, including suicide prevention, self-care, stress management, understanding depression and mindfulness. Your investments have contributed greatly to growing these programs. Since 2016, the number of trainings has increased by 100% and the number of clients reached increased by 300%.

The below illustrates the expansiveness of our programming.

Anxiety 101 Understanding Depression

Promoting Mental Wellness and Resiliency Through COVID Vicarious Trauma

Trauma and Self-Care

QPR Suicide Prevention Training

Building Resiliency (For Parents or Teens)

Working Minds: Suicide Prevention in the Workplace

Mindfulness Mental Health 101

Stress Management Self-Care Training

Your Impact on Suicide Prevention As a longtime benefactor, you understand the importance of mental health education and awareness, and the positive impact our community programs have on reducing the stigma of mental illness. Suicide is a difficult topic for many people to address. To that end, we want to ensure individuals have the knowledge and tools needed to save lives by offering preventative programming and promoting early intervention.

Director of Education and Community Programs, Alex Yannacone, MA, has made great strides in expanding the Center’s reach to more people and community groups. In 2020, Ms. Yannacone delivered 204 trainings to more than 10,000 individuals, covering a wide range of topics from mental wellness and self-care to trauma and suicide prevention. Our Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) program educates people on how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to talk to someone who needs help. Additionally, the Working Minds program is designed for the workplace and helps reduce suicide by promoting mental health and encouraging early identification and intervention. Because of your generosity, we can continue to offer these free trainings and reach people where and when they need help the most.

Along with our flagship suicide prevention training programs, we are developing additional resources to help people cope with suicide loss. As you unfortunately know first-hand, for survivors of suicide loss, there’s no easy way to handle the tragedy; no one should feel like they must cope with their grief alone. The “Survivors of Suicide Loss” video, made possible through your gift, will demonstrate how best to talk to someone who lost a loved one to suicide and ensure survivors will have the tools to work through their grief and move their lives forward.

2020 BY THE NUMBERS:

204 community program trainings offered

10,000+ participants

Average trainings per month increased from

10 to 16

You helped us bring hope and critical services to those struggling with mental health issues. People are finding value in workshops, training and learning opportunities.

I believe we have the ability to grow our programs to make a huge impact on creating hopeful and caring communities.

— Alex Yannacone, MA, director of education and community programs