Opening the Dialogue for Mental Health in Our Communities

This is a video I created for the 2015 Mission Hospital Holiday Gala to raise funds for the creation of an adolescent and young adult mental health care unit at Mission Hospital Laguna Beach in California. Mental health is often overlooked in our communities as an illness that affects millions. The technicalities in producing this module were difficult because of changing principles and dynamics. In the end, the fundraising efforts raised $1.4 million dollars. One donor said they had planned to give a certain amount of money that night, however, they were moved by the module and ended up giving much more than they originally inteded. This validated my work and made all the difficulties worth the effort.

This video shares three amazing stories of patients and/or their family members struggling with mental health issues. 1 in 5 people struggle with mental health and there are so few beds in south Orange County, California for adolescents and young adults. Mission Hospital is hoping to bridge that gap with the expansion of its mental health program at its Laguna Beach campus.