Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon delivers his annual State of the State speech to a joint session of the 67th Wyoming Legislature in the House chamber at the Wyoming State Capitol on Jan. 11 in Cheyenne. Although the session adjourned March 3, two abortion bans await the governor’s action.
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon delivers his annual State of the State speech to a joint session of the 67th Wyoming Legislature in the House chamber at the Wyoming State Capitol on Jan. 11 in Cheyenne. Although the session adjourned March 3, two abortion bans await the governor’s action.
CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s top official is continuing ongoing work to reduce stigma around mental health issues and improve resiliency in Wyoming communities, according to his staff.
Following the Governor’s Mental Health Summit in October, Gov. Mark Gordon’s office is offering a series of webinars focused on topics like self-healing communities; protective factors and the social and emotional competence of children; and social determinants of health and prevention. The webinars continue into February, and possibly longer. All are free and open to the public.
The next event is scheduled for Jan. 23, and is titled “Protective Factors Deep Dive-Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development.”
“We will continue the webinar series throughout the year, with events and dates to be announced,” Jen Davis, senior policy advisor for human services for Gordon’s office, said in an interview with the WTE.
Webinar registration is linked on a new website designed to be a clearinghouse for mental health issues in Wyoming. Also on the site is a recording of Gordon’s October Mental Health Summit. (The website is at sites.google.com/wyo.gov/governors-mental-health-summit/home.)
The governor’s office hopes to do another public event this spring, although plans are still in the works, Davis said.
“There are roundtable discussions that are happening, and we’re talking about next steps, where do we go from here, what is the vision of Wyoming,” Davis said, adding that over the next few months, the governor, chief justice and the Legislature will be discussing these issues.
“The hope is that at a spring event, we will bring all that forward,” Davis said. “I believe there are around 14 bills that are related to mental health this session so far.”
Dr. Robert Anda with ACE Interface, which develops materials for communities regarding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), their impacts and “societal health and well-being,” has spoken at several of the events directed by Gordon’s team. In October, he said that ACEs account for a large percentage of social problems, which makes them more than a personal issue.
“What we have to do when we are looking at childhood trauma and childhood adversity is we have to be willing to look at the reality of just how common those experiences are,” Anda said at a Nov. 21 webinar. “When we talk about being trauma informed … (having a) common language creates a gateway, a big opening we have at this point in time to empathy, compassion and healing, and getting those gears in our communities moving in the right direction.”
Gordon emphasized the “importance of community” at his event in October. He thanked state agencies like the Department of Family Services for intervening for high-risk children, but added that these issues are not isolated to Wyoming.
“This is a really exciting time,” Davis said. “I think the stigmas around mental health have decreased. We still have a long way to go, but I think that it’s improving. And all of this just opens the door to more robust discussion.”
Following the Mental Health Summit, the governor committed to a goal of continued public involvement, Davis continued.
“We developed the website to be able to have a landing place for people to go to find additional information on what we are currently doing,” she said.
Also included under the umbrella of work happening is a two-year, grant-funded contract between ACE Interface and three Wyoming communities — one large, one mid-sized and one small. The communities will learn about trauma-informed care at the local level from ACE Interface, and at the end of the contract, there will be 60 additional certified trainers in ACE Science in the state.
“The goal is to build capacity for self-healing communities,” Davis said. “That means, how do we help communities be more engaged, more of that concept of helping each other, and ensuring that those resources are there. That contract has just been finalized, and they will do their first training in February.”
The three communities have not yet been announced, but Davis said the governor’s office hopes they will serve as models for other Wyoming towns and cities.
“It’s important how we connect our small (communities) with our medium and our large communities to really make sure we have a continuum of care,” she said.
While participation has been on the smaller side, Davis said that is to be expected for a new series. She said the governor’s office wants to hear from anyone interested, and tries to tailor the events not only to people working in mental health, but the general public, as well. Down the line, they may even develop a podcast series on similar topics.
“That would be another way to let people know what we have in Wyoming,” she said. “We have some pretty amazing people and programs, and they are not widely known about.”
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Carrie Haderlie is a freelance journalist who covers southeast Wyoming from her home near Saratoga. She has written for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, the Wyoming Business Report and several other publications for many years, including covering the Wyoming Legislature.
