The City of Palmdale hosted the latest in a series of virtual Town Hall meetings today to discuss issues related to mental health and in particular, suicide, and how to best provide support and access to resources to those who need it in the Antelope Valley.
The mental health town hall was facilitated by J.J. Murphy, Palmdale’s City Manager, and featured insightful comments by Dr. Anthony Roeback, licensed clinician; Dennis Anderson, LCSW, High Desert Medical; Jamon Hicks, Robert Fuller family attorney, Steve Hofbauer, Palmdale Mayor; and Richard Loa, Palmdale Mayor Pro Tem. Members of the public were able to participate virtually and ask questions.
Jamon Hicks, the Fuller family attorney, told the participants that the Fuller family is committed to participating in the discussion around mental health. suicide prevention, issues around foster youth, and the healing of the community. The family also wants to thank the Palmdale community for their outpouring of support during this difficult time. The Fuller family participated virtually in the town hall.
Dr. Roeback commended the Fuller family on their commitment to the community. “Now it is time for us all to move through the grief process, and a time to come together and heal,” he said.
While the panelists agreed that the community has a basic foundation for providing mental health services, more partnerships must be formed to enhance existing services, and more done to promote the services that are available.
“We’ve been doing a lot to provide information about mental health services available locally but what we need to do is make sure that people know how to access the resources they need when they need them,” commented Mayor Steve Hofbauer.
City Manager J.J. Murphy reiterated the City’s commitment to making changes necessary to improve access to mental health services. He also encouraged members of the community to reach out to him directly with their thoughts and ideas regarding improving issues related to mental health services in the community. His email is: jjmurphy@cityofpalmdale.org.
The City of Palmdale anticipates future forums to discuss the critical issues surrounding mental health, suicide prevention and issues surrounding foster youth.
To hear the town hall, visit https://zoom.us/rec/share/3e1eJvbPpzhOZLff41jTaJcILInmT6a81SJI_6BfmR404yaOcCoXBt8PfOajbqkf?startTime=1595869428000
To link to the City’s mental health resources web page, please visit
https://cityofpalmdale.org/987/Mental-Health-Resources