Adventist Health White Memorial Partners with Key Mental Health Organizations Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an annual public health awareness campaign to shed light on the importance of emotional well-being and its crucial role in overall health. At Adventist Health White Memorial, we prioritize improving pediatric behavioral health with an emphasis on prevention, working tirelessly to serve the children and families of East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. Our mission is strengthened by collaborating with three dedicated partner organizations: Wellnest, Family Care Specialists and White Memorial Community Health Center.  

Wellnest is a trailblazer in pediatric mental health. Through a holistic approach to emotional well-being, Wellnest offers hope, healing and opportunity to the children, young adults, families, and communities we serve. White Memorial’s Director of Child Psychiatry, Paul Kurkjian, MD works with Wellnest to help children and adults affected by trauma, fostering hope, healing and resilience. 

Family Care Specialists (FCS), founded by Hector Flores, MD and a group of six visionary Latinx physicians, has become a powerful agent for change in our local healthcare landscape. FCS provides a myriad of services, from primary care to mental health screenings, employing a proactive and collaborative approach to address their patients’ diverse and complex healthcare needs. 

Under the enthusiastic leadership of Grace Floutsis, MD, White Memorial Community Health Center adopts a holistic approach to healthcare with a strong emphasis on emotional well-being. By incorporating behavioral health services into its primary care program, White Memorial Community Health Center has established a comprehensive care system to empower patients to live their lives to their fullest potential. 

As Mental Health Awareness Month unfolds, the steadfast efforts of our partner organizations and the physicians leading them remind us of the progress we can achieve through collaboration and community engagement.  

Let’s celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of Adventist Health White Memorial, Wellnest, Family Care Specialists and White Memorial Community Health Center as well as the bravery and resilience of the children and families we serve. In their strength, we find inspiration. In their hope, we see a brighter future. And in their journey, we hear a call to action that echoes throughout the city and beyond.