Dover to hold forum mental health challenges and response on Nov. 19

Special to Foster's
·2 min read
The Dover City Hall clock tower will be restored.

DOVER — The public is invited to join Laura Knoy, the founding host of NHPR’s The Exchange, on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Dover High School library, during a live webinar "Dover Mental Health Challenges and Response: Community Feedback," for a discussion with Dover community leaders about how mental health challenges are being responded to within the city of Dover.

Panelists will include Chief William Breault, Dover Police Department; Dr. Christine Boston, assistant superintendent of Dover schools; Chris Kozak, chief operating officer at Community Partners and Suzanne Weete, community engagement and mental health educator with Community Partners and a co-founder of the Dover Mental Health Alliance.

Like many communities, Dover has experienced a dramatic rise in demand for mental health crisis services in recent years. Facilitated by the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College, a subcommittee of the Dover Mental Health Alliance Task Force was asked to develop a set of recommendations that reflect trends, obstacles, opportunities, and best practices to follow as they relate to ongoing city response to mental health-related calls for service and needs.

In this third public program on Dover’s mental health crisis services, the subcommittee will share its final recommendations with the community for feedback and comment. Those who attend in person are invited to arrive at 8:45 a.m. to grab coffee and informally review the recommendations before the event begins. The live webinar will begin promptly at 9 a.m.

People can register to attend virtually or in person at anselm.edu/ethics-society/dover-mental-health-challenges-and-response-community-feedback or at dovermentalhealthalliance.org.

This webinar will focus on the city’s response to mental health challenges, however any community member from other towns are encouraged to listen in as similar issues are found in towns and cities across the state and country.

This webinar is brought to the public by the Center for Ethics in Society at St. Anselm’s College. The mission of the Center for Ethics in Society is to enrich the knowledge and practice of principled ethical decision-making by addressing important social and organizational issues through collaborative discussion, research, and education. For more information about the CES, go to anselm.edu/ethic.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover NH to hold forum on response to mental health challenges Nov. 19