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Community Corner

FAITH-BASED NETWORK LAUNCHES NEW MENTAL HEALTH WEB SITE

Site Seeks to Inform, Support, Connect, End Stigma

WOODBURY (Minn.) — For the past nine years, the Faith-Based Health & Wellness Network has served the East Metro by organizing events and forums on a range of issues from teen suicide to bipolar disorder to autism, as well as helping individuals find resources and support.  Today the network launched its revamped web site hoping to extend its reach by creating an easily accessed, and relied upon, source of information.

“Not only do we have the passion, compassion and concern for mental health issues, but we bring a wealth of experience in seeking information and connecting people to the resources they need,” said Dee Lindblom, pastoral care coordinator at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Woodbury, and founder of the network.  “Until now our web presence has been fairly static; we realize that to be successful we must utilize the power of the internet to bring good information about resources and programs, research and news, to help battle the painful stigma associated with mental illness, by empowering people through knowledge.”

Even with the more than 124 million search engine results for mental health, the network points out that there are relatively few sites providing both broadly available information and focusing on our local communities, and even fewer offering a faith-based perspective.

“As important as our global reach and local focus is the element of faith and spirituality,” Lindblom said.  “We are an ecumenical group of Christian churches committed to highlighting the importance of faith and faith communities to addressing mental health and wellness.  The network was created in 2005 mindful of the centrality of faith to the ministries of the churches, yet emphasizing the importance of creating something available and accessible to the whole community.  Our new site is an extension of that philosophy.”

The Faith-Based Health & Wellness Network’s new web site can be found at: www.faithbasedwellness.org

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