VERNON — More than 200 health-care professionals from around the region gathered at the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel Conference Center in Vernon for a day-long conference entitled, “Think Like an Olympian.” The event, hosted by the Senior Behavioral Health Unit (SBHU) of Rome Memorial Hospital, featured a number of speakers providing practical information on overcoming […]
VERNON — More than 200 health-care professionals from around the region gathered at the Vernon Downs Casino Hotel Conference Center in Vernon for a day-long conference entitled, “Think Like an Olympian.”
The event, hosted by the Senior Behavioral Health Unit (SBHU) of Rome Memorial Hospital, featured a number of speakers providing practical information on overcoming adversity, the value of perseverance, as well as the effects of bi-polar disorder and the newest methods of diagnosing and distinguishing mental illness.
According to event coordinator Greg Jones, admissions and marketing coordinator of the SBHU, the conference provided valuable information to caregivers who work with the mental health and aging population. “This year’s event offered a variety of information to participants on both the clinical side of caregiving as well as the importance of moving forward through difficult circumstances,” he said in a news release.
The conference’s keynote speaker, Johnny Quinn, a current U.S. Olympian in the sport of bobsled and a former NFL player, delivered a “thought-provoking,” motivational speech with a specific focus on health care and mental health.
“Johnny did a great job of sharing the knowledge he has gained from the trials and tribulations of being a former NFL player and encouraged attendees to break through barriers and use them as opportunities for professional and personal growth,” Jones said. “His unique story was both inspirational and focused on the value of perseverance.”
Jones added that the participants ranged from hospital and nursing home workers, nurses, physicians, and psychiatrists, to members of the community, “all of whom learned a great deal about the challenges associated with caring for the elderly, the mentally ill and healthcare in general today.”
Other speakers included Gabriel DiCristofaro on “Overcoming Mental Health Adversity” and Marcellus Cephas, M.D., MBA, medical director of the SBHU on “New Methods of Diagnosing and Distinguishing Mental Illness.”
Located on the hospital’s second floor, the 12-bed Senior Behavioral Health Unit is a New York State Office of Mental Health certified inpatient psychiatric unit provides health care for adults age 55 and older who have depression, anxiety, and other mental-health related issues. Treatment includes prescribed medications, psychotherapy, and other activities to help the older adults “regain their wellbeing.”
