Amy Greensfelder to Present Workshop at 2022 CJA National Conference – Bridging Communities to Achieve Equity for All
Baltimore, MD, September 13, 2022 –Pro Bono Counseling (PBC) Executive Director Amy Greensfelder, LMSW, will be a featured speaker at the 2022 Communities Joined in Action (CJA) National Conference in New Orleans, LA, the theme of which is “Bridging Communities to Achieve Equity for All.” On Tuesday, September 20, 2022, Amy will co-present the workshop, “Quality Mental Health for All: How to Start & Sustain Pro-Bono Counseling Program in Your Community.” Amy’s co-presenters are Anchorage Project Access Executive Director Melinda Freemon, Care Share Health Alliance Strategic Advisor Linda Kinney, and Project Access Northwest Senior Program Director Scott Shurtleff.
The United States has a shortage of mental health workers and high demand for treatment. Over $4.6 Billion is spent annually on avoidable ED visits due to lack of mental health treatment. Between 2019 and 2021, people reporting anxious or depressive thoughts increased by 400%. In this workshop panel, participants will learn how Pro Bono Counseling ensures Marylanders with limited resources are connected to volunteer licensed mental health professionals; how Anchorage Project Access engaged their board of directors to replicate the project; and how Project Access Northwest raised $500,000 to fund a pro bono counseling pilot in Washington State.
“I am looking forward to sharing Pro Bono Counseling’s mission and vision with conference attendees,” stated Amy. “PBC ensures that all Marylanders have access to quality mental health care and many states have consulted with us to replicate our organization model in their communities.”
The mission of Communities Joined in Action (CJA) is to connect and equip communities with tools to improve health equity and well-being. CJA is a national membership organization committed to improving health and eliminating disparities.
The CJA National Conference annually hosts more than 200 participants from across the country, including: community networks/coalitions, community-based organizations, hospital/health systems, public health, regional and local health collaboratives, safety-net organizations, health plans, community development corporations, city and county government, universities, philanthropy, housing, food systems and community health advocates. CJA is on the ground in over 1,000 communities across the country and has a track record of working towards success in large cities and small rural communities.
About Pro Bono Counseling
Pro Bono Counseling (PBC) is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization that links Marylanders experiencing difficulty accessing mental health care with volunteer licensed counselors and other resources. Since its founding in 1991, PBC has helped over 30,000 individuals and families throughout Maryland connect with volunteer counselors and obtain the mental health care they could not otherwise afford. Presently, Pro Bono Counseling has over 850 volunteer clinicians all over the state of Maryland who give over 10,000 hours of their time each year.
If you’d like to support PBC, please click here to make an online, tax-deductible gift.
