Inspired by the care provided to patients and families at CHOC Children’s and the desire to further eliminate the stigma of living with a mental health condition, clinical staff members of the newly opened Mental Health Inpatient Center have formed a team for CHOC Walk in the Park, one of the largest and most anticipated fundraising events of the year. The team will join a crowd of more than 15,000 CHOC supporters for the Walk on Sunday, August 26.
The team, Stomp Out Stigma, has already organized two fundraisers, with a third in the works, to support their fundraising goal for the Walk. The first two fundraisers were held at local restaurants, with a portion of proceeds going to their team. An upcoming fundraiser, at a local thrift shop, allows community members to drop off and donate household goods such as clothing, books and home supplies in exchange for denominations to the team.
The staff wanted to come together and form a team for the Walk, one of the largest and most visible fundraisers of the year, to further decrease the stigma associated with mental health.
“Mental health has a stigma attached to it, so we wanted to create a team to inspire others to decrease that stigma that can be associated with mental health,” says Kelsey, a clinical nurse in the Center and team captain of Stomp Out Stigma. “We want to promote that mental health is just as important as physical health, and by participating in this Walk as a team, we are helping to bring mental health into a new light.
The team also hopes their participation in CHOC Walk will provide further education about the new Center.
“We want the community to know that Center is a healing, nurturing environment that provides resources to families in need as well as a safe place for children to learn how to cope with their Mental Illness,” Kelsey says. “Mental health is important because it includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.”
The chance to be part of a patient and family’s healing process is what inspired Kelsey to pursue a nursing career.
“I believe that nursing is simply to give tender loving care while applying it to the everyday concept of medical care,” she says. “I have been a pediatric psychiatric registered nurse for five years. When I learned that CHOC was building a Mental Health Inpatient Center, I wanted to be a part of it since it is my goal to be able to give back to my local community.”
Since joining CHOC’s staff, Kelsey has been inspired by CHOC’s commitment to innovation.
“I’m thoroughly excited to be a part of an ever-changing, excellent organization where our strive is to provide innovative health care to patients and their families. Being the first Mental Health Inpatient Center for children under the age of 12 in Orange County, we are inspired to change the way mental health is viewed through the community as well as the way care is given to our population.”
