Resources fair at UD part of mental health event and to honor life of Jayda Grant

DAYTON — University of Dayton basketball coach Anthony Grant and his wife, Chris, were panelists Thursday evening as part of a special event presented by CareSource to spotlight and drive awareness about mental health and wellness in adolescents and young adults as well as to honor the life of their daughter, Jayda, who died by suicide in 2022.

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Hundreds of people of all ages came to UD Arena for the panel discussion, which also included Mark and Kym Hilinski, who started Hilinski’s Hope Foundation following the loss of their son Tyler to suicide in 2018.

A resources fair at the arena, which preceded the panel discussion for the Spotlight Town Hall event, featured tables and booths representing mental health organizations throughout the Dayton area, where visitors could pick up information about mental health services and programs.

“We’re seeing more and more youth suicides across the country, but especially it hits hard when that’s at home in Montgomery County,” Colleen Oakes, Montgomery County Prevention Coalition manager, said to News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis shortly before the panel discussion began.

“This event puts a really unique spotlight on some of those mental health disorders and that gets us in front of an entirely new audience of Flyer fans and community members that may otherwise not hear our message,” Oakes said.

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People attending the free town hall were invited to submit questions online, part of an electronic question-and-answer portion of the discussion.

Beside the Grants and Hilinskis, panelists also included Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., Ohio health department director; Dr. James Houle, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Ohio State; Dr. Wayne Chappelle, clinical sports psychologist to collegiate and professional athletes, and TeamHealth Medical Consortium; Mental Game Podcast host Brandon Saho; Charlie Pope, survivor and mental health advocate; Tiffany Pope, mental health advocate; and Kelly Blankenship, associate chief medical officer, behavioral health, Dayton Children’s Hospital.

A separate event is to be held at UD Arena on Friday that will offer experiences to drive understanding, empathy and advocacy to educate the community about the mental health resources and services available and further shine a light on recovery and mental wellness.

On Sunday, as part of the ongoing spotlight on mental health, there will be a charity exhibition game featuring the Flyers and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Tickets have been offered as part of the UD season ticket package, with sale of single game tickets announced as available.

The panel discussion is expected to continue until about 8:30 p.m.

If you or a loved one are in crisis and a have need to speak to someone about mental health, call or text 988 anytime day or night.

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