Violence

Reflecting on Sandy Hook

December 14, 2018

By Paul Gionfriddo, MHA President and CEO

I was sitting at home doing some writing in 2012 when I turned on the noontime news. There was only a small news item at first – there had been a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in Newtown, and there were at least a couple of confirmed casualties.

Communities in Distress

September 22, 2016

By Paul Gionfriddo, President and CEO

Tulsa, Milwaukee, Charlotte…

North Charleston, Ferguson, Baltimore…

Orlando, Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights…

These are communities forever linked by acts of violence, where in nearly every instance, a person attempting to preserve the peace of the moment lost a life.

Statement from Paul Gionfriddo in Response to Tragedy in Orlando

June 16, 2016

Mental Health America mourns the victims in the tragic shootings in Orlando, Florida at Pulse Orlando Night Club. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, victims and everyone who has been affected by this horrific event. Terrorism and hate crimes have no place in any modern society, and we applaud so many of our national leaders who have condemned them while pledging to support everyone victimized by trauma in the Orlando community and the nation as a whole.

A Mother's Reckoning: A Tragic Story That Builds the Case for Early Intervention

February 16, 2016

By: Paul Gionfiddo, president and CEO, Mental Health America

We don’t usually use this blog to review books. A Mother’s Reckoning was for me — as it will be for many people — a difficult book to read. It speaks to an incredibly raw and relevant topic.

A Mother’s Reckoning was written by Sue Klebold. Sue’s son Dylan died by suicide in 1999, and she writes of her pain in his passing.

Reflecting on Sandy Hook Two Years Later

December 14, 2014

By Paul Gionfriddo, Mental Health America President/CEO

I was sitting at home doing some writing two years ago when I turned on the noontime news. There was only a small news item at first – there had been a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in Newtown, and there were at least a couple of confirmed casualties.

It hit home for me, because of my Connecticut roots, and I began to pay close attention. As the next few hours unfolded and the extent of the tragedy became known, I was shocked and horrified by what I learned.

In the Aftermath of the Marysville Shooting

October 27, 2014

By Paul Gionfriddo, President/CEO

I was sitting at my desk when the news broke on Friday afternoon that a fifteen year old student at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Washington had opened fire in the school cafeteria, killing at least one other student before taking his own life as well.

Another fourteen year old died over the weekend, bringing the death toll to three – all young teenagers.

Ferguson is a Community in Distress, Not a Community at Unrest

August 24, 2014

By Paul Gionfriddo, President/CEO of Mental Health America

By now, everyone has heard the news from Ferguson, Missouri. An unarmed 18 year old named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer. Michael Brown was black.

Until recently, Ferguson was a community best known for its proximity to St. Louis and its designation as a Playful City, USA.