Rogers joins forces with former patient to share message of the importance of mental health

03/15/23 01:20:pm

Jana and Child Advocacy Days.jpg Jana Hahn had no idea how to receive treatment and was lost with no hope when she started experiencing severe contamination OCD in 2019. Fortunately, she realized that she needed help to figure out how to meet her needs and she was quickly referred to Rogers.

“I love warm weather, so I agreed to go to Rogers in Florida,” says Jana, who is from Louisville, Kentucky. “And how amazing that there are Rogers locations all over the country!”

After receiving the best treatment for OCD and Anxiety for two months between the Miami and Tampa sites, Jana decided she would use the skills she learned at Rogers to pursue her dreams at Liberty University, the Disney College Program in Orlando, Florida, and ultimately the Miss America contest where she became Miss Franklin Co. 2023.

“I learned various skills that I can use periodically throughout the rest of my life to manage my OCD, anxiety, and depression symptoms,” Jana says. “I learned how to identify them and how to properly treat them, and many individuals do not get that opportunity.”

With the Miss Tennessee Pageant taking place in Memphis this summer, Jana is now using her platform to share her brave story of illness, treatment, and recovery. Each time she tells her story, she is helping break down stigma, ignorance, and prejudice.

Jana, Tom, and Senator Shane Reeves.jpg As part of her strong anti-stigma campaign, Jana is meeting with elementary school students, child advocates, elected officials, and the entire Tennessee General Assembly. Thankful to Rogers, she has partnered with the organization to further spread the word about mental health care and how Rogers can help.

First, Tom Starling, Rogers’ executive director of community strategic partnerships, joined Jana to visit legislators on March 1. They met with three state senators, three state representatives, the Tennessee Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Tennessee members.

They voiced support for bills focused on suicide prevention, trauma-informed care, and crisis services, and they urged caution on bills promoting involuntary treatment and use of restraints. Jana was particularly passionate about improving mental health language throughout Tennessee Code Annotated, the state’s collection of laws and court rulings, which still refers to some people as “mental defective.”

Jana with Tom and Liz.jpg On March 7, Jana participated in “Child Advocacy Days,” an annual event hosted by the Tennessee Commission of Children and Youth for 500 advocates. Jana shared her story with judges, commissioners, exhibitors, non-profit directors, and keynote presenters. That event has led to future opportunities with NAMI, Mental Health America, local elementary schools, the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, and others. Additionally, Jana will be introduced by Senator Janice Bowling as an important guest at Tennessee’s General Assembly.

“Rogers guided me on my path to recovery with mental illness and continues to provide me with hope by assisting me in sharing my story through advocacy,” Jana says. “And, for that, my life is forever changed, and I am so thankful!”

Tom adds that Jana’s personal testimony complements all the facts and statistics that he shares in the community.

“Local leaders want to hear about her recovery and resiliency,” he says. “I enjoyed being her sidekick and reminding legislators of the importance of Tennesseans’ mental health.”