Nonprofit CONNECT Summit County began in 2016 with a group of concerned parents and Summit County residents who saw a glaring need for mental health and substance abuse services in the county. Since then, the nonprofit has worked to bring mental health to the forefront of Summit County, hosted numerous events and spearheaded a number of mental health initiatives. Their mission is to de-stigmatize mental illness, to increase awareness and transparency of existing behavioral health services, to provide relevant community programming, and to build public support for increased spending on behavioral health in Summit County.

In this episode, we sit down with CONNECT Founding Father, Ed Rutan, and Executive Director Shauna Wiest to talk about the work the nonprofit has already done and what their plans for the future are.

Things we discussed in this episode