Rogers employees lead important conversations

11/23/21 12:00:pm

Rogers psychologists, psychiatrists, and other employees regularly share their perspectives with diverse audiences, contributing to the organization’s community outreach strategic priority.

Here are some recent ways that employees built awareness of Rogers and mental health to the public.

Rogers RN speaks to MSOE students

Frank Gorichanaz, registered nurse and primary PM shift charge nurse on the adult inpatient unit in Brown Deer, spoke to Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) nursing students on October 25 about his career journey.

Each year, the Rogers-MSOE scholarship program provides five scholarships to MSOE for current Rogers employees looking to become Advanced Practice Registered Nurses – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP). Frank has worked at Rogers since 2016 and is currently pursuing his PMHNP certificate at MSOE as one of the scholarship recipients. Frank expects to graduate in May of 2022.

“It was really important to share the great opportunities currently available at Rogers,” explains Frank. “I’ve worked in a variety of roles during my time at Rogers, and I wanted to share my experience starting as a patient care associate and working my way to where I am now as I look forward to being a nurse practitioner.”

Frank says it was a valuable opportunity to converse with nursing students and answer their questions about his career path and what it’s like to work in mental health – from “Do you feel safe at work?” to “What is the culture like at Rogers?”

“I hope they came away from the event with more knowledge about Rogers and the opportunities here for both personal and professional growth,” Frank says. “Management has always been very supportive and have helped me identify opportunities for growth over the years.

'Kids in Crisis’ screening at UW-Oshkosh

Kids In Crisis Panel.jpg Hanna Maechtle, InHealth training specialist, took part in a panel discussion at UW-Oshkosh on October 12 following a screening of the Emmy-winning documentary Kids in Crisis: You’re Not Alone. Produced by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA Today Network – Wisconsin, the film depicts the mental health journeys of four Wisconsin teens. Other members of the panel included two of the individuals featured in the documentary and the co-producer.

“The purpose of the documentary is to provide encouragement to others to own their story and seek the help they need – for people to know that they are not alone,” explains Hanna. “You never know who may need to hear ‘It’s okay to not be okay.’ And to hear this from a young person, someone their own age, makes it much more impactful.”

Dealing with difficult topics like bullying, homelessness, and coming out to family, Kids in Crisis aims to reduce stigma. It even inspired a bill signed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to provide funding for suicide prevention programs in schools.

“Stigma ultimately comes from false beliefs,” says Hanna. “Films like this and honest conversations with professionals and those who have lived experience give people the opportunity to approach those beliefs with curiosity. The power of a shared story can be so impactful in breaking the ongoing stigma around mental health.”

Those interested in viewing the documentary may stream it on the Milwaukee PBS website.