TOMS RIVER – As means to scare away the stigma of mental illness, the Ocean County Mental Health Awareness Committee is hosting a Trunk or Treat from 6 to 8 p.m. on October 26 on the fourth floor of the parking garage off Madison and Hadley Avenues in Downtown Toms River.
The event will be hosted by the Ocean County Mental Health Awareness Committee, a coalition of community-based organizations and advocates, along with the Ocean County Department of Human Services. There are also over 20 partners scheduled to participate in the event.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our residents to have a chance to visit with stigma-free partners of Ocean County and receive information and resources from them,” Ocean County Commissioner Barbara Jo Crea said.
Crea, who serves as liaison to the Ocean County Mental Health Board added, “it is also a great way for children to have a safe environment to get what everyone looks forward to around Halloween which are the treats.”
Some of the partners include local municipal police departments, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, Hope Sheds Light, NAMI Ocean, Ocean County College, Ocean County Health Department and Prosecutor’s Office, RWJ Barnabas, as well as local mental health and support organizations.
The seven to 12 member Ocean County Mental Health Board is a public County advisory board responsible for the development of mental health services in Ocean County.
The Board makes recommendations, consistent with the County Mental Health Plan, regarding mental health funding and program development in Ocean County to the Board of Commissioners and the State Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Director of Ocean County Board of Commissioners John P. Kelly said, “of the 33 municipalities in Ocean County, 28 have formally declared themselves as ‘Stigma-Free Zones,’ I applaud the Ocean County Mental Health Awareness Committee for continuing to make progress on making our residents aware of the importance of mental health and putting their mental health first.”
For further information on the event, or the Ocean County Mental Health Awareness Committee, contact Jamie Busch, Assistant Mental Health Administrator, at jbusch@co.ocean.nj.us.
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