Stockton church to host mental health fair

April 07--STOCKTON -- A Sacramento-based nonprofit organization is coming to San Joaquin County this month to begin helping a local church provide information and resources to families coping with mental health issues.

The Stockton-Mayfair Seventh-day Adventist Church will host the fair on April 23 in cooperation with United Advocates for Children and Families, an organization aimed at improving the quality of life for children and youth with mental, emotional or behavioral issues.

According to Dr. Oscar Wright, the group's chief executive officer, about 60 percent of families with children or transitional-aged adults with mental health issues go to faith-based organizations for help before they go to county or state health systems.

But, Wright said, when families seek help from their faith leaders, they often do not receive the proper information about tools and resources they need.

The mental health fair, he said, will be a way to provide families with resources and information they need to learn more about what mental health services might be out there for them.

Not only will the organization have a resource table with mental health information, Wright said, but it will actively be forming "parent cafes," where parents from all walks of life come together to discuss what they have in common, share ideas and information, and provide support to one another.

"There's a statewide movement afoot uniting faith-based organizations and mental health organizations," Wright said. "Mayfair offered to give themselves to this effort, and we decided not only to have a resource table at the fair, but also form cafes so parents can continue to meet on a monthly basis and tap into resources they don't know exist."

This will be his organization's first venture into San Joaquin County other than providing mental health training for caregivers and advocates.

The organization has held mental health fairs in other parts of the state, as well as across the country, for a number of years, Wright said.

Since its founding 23 years ago, Wright said the organization has found that 1 million children are diagnosed with some mental health condition or disorder each year, but only 600,000 receive appropriate treatment.

Because they do not receive the proper treatment or care, he said society views many children with mental health issues as bad, or worse, as criminals.

"A good number of kids who are incarcerated have mental health challenges," he said. "The juvenile justice system shouldn't be tasked with providing the proper care or treatment and shouldn't be expected to be equipped to handle that."

Formed in 1993 by three mothers in Emeryville, United Advocates for Children and Families has grown to a statewide organization that provides training, education and technical assistance to family-driven, youth-guided programs.

Its 15-member board of directors represents counties such as Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Glenn, Shasta and San Francisco.

Wright said the April 23 mental health fair will not be a one-and-done event.

"We intend to do a lot more in Stockton now that we have a hub in Mayfair," he said. "We're not trying to promote religion. We're trying to promote spirituality. This is an issue and event that all religions, whether you're Catholic or Buddhist or Muslim, are invited to discuss and give support."

Dr. Lanston Sylvester, pastor at Stockton-Mayfair Seventh-day Adventist Church, could not be reached for comment.

The mental health fair will be held from 2-4 p.m.April 23 at the church, 6940 N. El Dorado St., Stockton. For more information about the statewide group, go to uacf4hope.org.

-- Contact reporter Wes Bowers at (209) 546-8258 or wbowers@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/bowersblog and on Twitter @WBowersTSR.

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