ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The Alaska Chapter of Postpartum Support International announces an event called “The Climb” will be held in Anchorage this weekend to bring attention to perinatal and maternal health issues. did.
“The Climb” is an event held at PSI chapters across the country. This is the ninth year this event has been held in Alaska. Aimed at mothers, families and clinicians, The Climb welcomes anyone who may be affected by perinatal health conditions. The event was also open to the public.
Organizer Morgan Turner said: “Postpartum Support International is an international company that supports new parents through the perinatal period.” “They offer a lot of things like peer support, phone lines, online support groups, etc. We have a local chapter here. I think this is our 9th climb, and this is a great way to support the mission of P.S.I. Half of the money will stay here in Alaska and the other half will go to national organizations. This is also part of the fundraising effort, and many of the people here are mothers. As a survivor of a mood disorder, it’s also about raising awareness and building connections.”
The event will be held over two days and feature a variety of speakers, panels, and sessions. This year, PSI Alaska partnered with Alaska Pacific University to host the event on the university’s campus with sponsors including the Alaska Club, Alaska Children’s Museum and Moose’s Tooth Pizza.
“We have children here. We have husbands here. We have mothers here. Some are here as helpers,” said Dr. Monique Andrews, an attendee and one of the speakers. spoke. “This shows that maternal mental health isn’t just for women, right? That’s something everyone should be aware of.”
Many of the speakers and participants were clinicians in the field of maternal medicine, and they interacted and shared their experiences.
“We all have really busy lives, but we all come together every year to climb,” Turner said. “Every day we meet providers we may never meet, but we are all here for a common purpose.As you know, this day is important to many people, so we put it on our calendars. I am marking it.”
Event organizers said they hoped “The Climb” would be a step in promoting discussion about mental health issues for mothers and families.
“It’s really important to remove the stigma in families because no one wants to talk about mental health crises, right?” said organizer Joclyn Riley. “No one wants to talk about mothers being sad or anxious or yelling. So it’s still very stigmatized and we want to remove that stigma. Talk about it. We’re all here. How can we make this easier as a family?”
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