Former New Hampshire Chief Justice John Broderick will Present R.E.A.C.T. Mental Health Awareness Campaign on October 7 at 6:30 PM at Andover Elementary Middle School.

We invite the community to join us for a special presentation by John Broderick, Senior Director of External Affairs at Dartmouth Hitchcock and former New Hampshire Chief Justice, on October 7 at 6:30 PM as part of Dartmouth Hitchcock’s R.E.A.C.T. mental health awareness campaign, which provides individuals with tips on how to recognize signs of emotional suffering and how to seek support for themselves and others. Drawing on his personal experiences, Mr. Broderick has shared his message with schools and communities in New Hampshire and Vermont in an effort to destigmatize mental illness.

Mr. Broderick brought his message on removing the stigma of mental illness to the Andover Elementary Middle School faculty, paraprofessionals, and staff last June. As an ambassador for Change Direction New Hampshire, a national initiative to change the culture of mental health in America, he urged Andover’s front-line workers in education to ask the right questions; questions that may save their young charges’ lives. There is still a stigma associated with mental illness, according to Broderick. While walls have come down around diseases such as breast cancer and HIV, mental health problems exist in the shadows.

He’ll continue to spread his message. “Magic Johnson got up and said he had HIV, and he removed a lot of the stigma,” Broderick said, adding, “We need a ‘Magic Johnson’ moment.” Please consider joining us for this important topic.
R.E.A.C.T supplements the “5 Signs” campaign developed by Change Direction, which is based on the premise that, like knowing the 5 Signs of a heart attack or stroke, we should all know the 5 Signs of emotional distress; R.E.A.C.T. helps us take action.

The R.E.A.C.T. campaign is presented by Dartmouth-Hitchcock in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD), the New Hampshire Department of Education, the Vermont Agency of Education, and other agencies and civic leaders.

Monday, October 7
Time:  6:30-7:30 PM
Where:  Andover Elementary Middle School Gym, 20 School Street, Andover

Please RSVP on or before September 27 by calling or emailing Andover Elementary Middle School. (735-5494) or (jslayton@nullaemseagles.org). The event will be cancelled if we do not have enough interest.

Refreshments will be served.