Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
Virtual wellness series offered throughout March
Just because more people are out and about post-pandemic doesn’t necessarily mean they have resumed the same beneficial social connections they had prior to COVID-19.
According to Casey Fenoglio, director of Community Engagement at Pottstown Hospital-Tower Health, people are still in the process of rebuilding their social support network.
Last month, Fenoglio gave the first talk to launch “Community Connections: Conversations on Wellbeing,” a virtual wellness series offered in partnership with Pottstown Hospital-Tower Health, Creative Health Services, also based in Pottstown, and the Pottstown Ministerium. The talk centered on the underlying importance of being connected to your community.
“Many are still isolated from social connections and they haven’t rejoined that book club again or know about youth resources or that we have a free senior center in the community,” Fenoglio said, referring to the TriCounty Active Adult Center in Pottstown. “Community Connections is about how you can meet and engage with your community members in a more meaningful way beyond getting out to the grocery store.”
Look beyond themselves
Fenoglio, who serves as a wellness coordinator within her role, discussed how the backbone of successful community connections center on an understanding that people need to look beyond themselves and their own personal needs by balancing those with the needs of others that might not be getting met.
“It’s about the importance of you being connected and the importance to them of you being connected,” she said. “It’s important for the community for you to be a part of it — you and your skill sets, background, your personality, your interests and your beliefs — it’s important for you to feel included.”
Feeling connected and included can offer many benefits.
“For your own health, mental health and belonging,” Fenoglio said.
In the rebuilding process, Fenoglio suggests rejoining clubs you enjoyed prior to the pandemic, volunteering your time or exploring family activities at the YMCA.
Community Connections came about when the Ministerium saw that mental health needs in the faith community weren’t being met, combined with a community health assessment comducted by Pottstown Hospital-Tower Health that revealed mental health is currently one of the top needs in the community.
“When the Ministerium brought this to our attention we jumped on it,” Fenoglio said.
Community conversation
The series seeks to encourage people to understand how to look out for themselves in addition to their neighbors, friends and families.
“This is not just for congregants,” said Kirsten Freitag Murray, director of Development and Public Relations at Creative Health Services. “This is really a community conversation that is for the entire community.”
Attending the discussions will leave anyone who attends in a better position to know when it’s time to take action.
“So you know at what point you need more help and where to go and get it,”Fenoglio said. “There are organizations that are there to help — the Pottstown Hospital is inpatient, Creative Health Services is outpatient and for faithcentered support, the Ministerium is made up of churches of various faiths.”
Each week on Sunday afternoons through March 26, Community Connections features a different live speaker to discuss a different theme centered on wellness. Talks are free and open to the public, but you need to register in advance to receive the link. Anyone is welcome to join all or as many talks as they would like. You can keep your video turned off during the discussion if you prefer.
Adult Mental Health
The next talk being given by Fenoglio will take place on March 12 on the topic of Adult Mental Health.
“It’s about knowing the signs and symptoms and where to get support,” Fenoglio said.
Murray hopes those in the community can attend as many talks in the series as possible.
“We hope they come to all of them because it makes you aware of what is going on at all levels of the community,” Murray said. “It lays out pathways to obtaining help if you need it or for someone you love.”
Community Connections: talks are free, virtual and take place every Sunday in March from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Pre-registration is recommended. For more information and a list of upcoming talks, visit www.pottstown.towerhealth.org/ classes-events