ADA New Dentist Committee collaborates with Chicago-based nonprofit to promote mental wellness
Hope for the Day empowers conversations on proactive suicide prevention , mental health education
by Kimber Solana
Copyright © 2022 American Dental Association . All rights reserved . Reprinted with permission .
Seth Walbridge , DMD Chair of the ADA New Dentist Committee
Seth Walbridge , DMD , has an ever-present reminder on his arm .
“ I wear my wristband daily from Hope for the Day , and it states , ‘ It ’ s OK not to be OK ,’” the chair of the ADA New Dentist Committee said . “ I think we can all get on board with that .”
Hope For The Day , a Chicago-based nonprofit movement empowering the conversation on proactive suicide prevention and mental health education , was created in 2011 by its founders to honor friends and family who had died by suicide .
Since then , the nonprofit has evolved and grown by creating educational resources and programming called Proactive Prevention , and its work is already represented in all 50 states , 26 countries and 17 different languages
The ADA New Dentist Committee , in collaboration with other divisions in the ADA , is working with Hope for the Day to let dentists know that help is out there .
“ The New Dentist Committee is interested in collaborating with Hope for the Day in an attempt to help not only our colleagues , but our teams as well ,” Dr . Walbridge said . “ We want people to know that this whole stigma of needing to hide from mental health issues must be addressed now .”
Christmas Bacos , director of human resources for Hope for the Day , is married to a new dentist .
Ms . Bacos likened the mind to a bottle of soda .
Experiences from all aspects of life shake the bottle and build pressure , she said . Healthy self-expression is relieving the pressure build-up without exploding , Ms . Bacos said .
“ Dentists are so focused on caring for others , so we should care for them ,” Ms . Bacos said .
Hope for the Day was a first-time visitor to SmileCon 2021 , with plans to staff a booth at SmileCon 2022 in Houston .
Meanwhile , Hope for the Day is continually working to raise the visibility of its educational information , resources and tools for early recognition and intervention for mental health crises and suicide .
From workshops to videos , Hope for the Day ’ s website provides ways on how people can get involved and join a community of people making a difference .
24 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL