Dan Rather, Emmy-award winning former CBS anchor and 2012 recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award, comes to the Sarasota Opera House on Dec. 5 to deliver an address on America’s mental health crisis and take part in a panel discussion with community leaders to address concerns in Sarasota specifically. Since retiring, Rather has adopted mental health as a chief concern, touring the country to speak about issues involving access to services, treatment within the jail system and hospital preparedness.

Rather’s attendance on Dec. 5 marks the seventh in a series of community dialogues on mental health underwritten by The Isermann Family Foundation, previously bringing figures such as Tipper Gore, Richard Dreyfuss, Carrie Fisher and others to speak to their personal experience with mental illness and political possibilities for change.

“What can we actually do as citizens to bring awareness of these problems?” asked Bunny Coelingh, former community awareness director at Mental Health Community Centers who came out of retirement to do this "one more time” as event coordinator for the Isermanns and this event. “This is their passion,” she said, “to end the stigma of mental illness.”

Rather will deliver an address on the nation’s treatment and awareness of mental health before being joined by local experts including: Dr. Parlane Reid, chief psychiatrist at Bayside Center at Sarasota Memorial Hospital; Dr. David Sutton, director of social services for the Salvation Army; and Davis Tornabene from the bioethics committee at SMH. The discussion will turn to the particulars in Sarasota. This ties directly into the growing discussion surrounding the area’s homeless population, which includes individuals who suffer from mental illness, said Coelingh. This should be one more opportunity to have a substantive conversation and bring mental illness into the open, she said.

“We want to erase that stigma, but nobody wants to be a part of opening the dialogue,” said Coelingh. “It’s an uphill battle and whatever we can do is good.”

Dan Rather will be at the Sarasota Opera House for this free community event on Dec. 5 at 1:30pm. Attendance is free but registration is required at 941-925-2970. 

Michael’s On East has been named the exclusive food service provider at Selby Gardens The new agreement also establishes the foundation for enhanced banquet and dining facilities at the Gardens to be anchored by the restaurant group. Beginning Tuesday, the Michael’s On East team will provide daily service of lunch and light snacks, including wine and beer service at Selby Café. Michael’s Events and Catering will be the exclusive caterer for all events, including weddings and corporate retreats, hosted at Selby Gardens. Beginning in summer 2016, the restaurant group will begin a substantial expansion of the Garden’s Great Room, which overlooks Sarasota Bay. 

Michael's On East

The Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Healthcare System was recognized nationally as a 2015 Cornerstone Recognition Award gold winner by the Veteran Affairs National Center for Patient Safety. The healthcare system is one of 115 V.A. facilities nationwide to receive recognition, and one of 103 that received the gold award. The award recognizes facilities for transparent incident reporting processes and for using root cause analyses to improve health care delivery systems and patient safety. This is the sixth consecutive year the Bay Pines VAHCS has received gold status. 

Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Healthcare System