Jennifer Heath lives in Michigan City with her husband, three kids, and two rescue dogs. Heath is the Director of the Foundation for Behavioral Health at Swanson Center. Heath dedicates her time to fundraising and providing information about the behavioral health services available to the members of the La Porte County community.
“My job is to go out in the community to make connections for Swanson Center with other pertinent agencies and other pertinent individuals, to do some outreach and make sure that people know who we are and what we are doing,” Heath said. “Then, working for the foundation specifically, to raise money to continue with the mission of sponsors that are in providing behavioral health services for the residents and workers of La Porte County.”
Heath is the first person to fill this position because it is the first of its kind. Her position directly connects Swanson Center with the nonprofit Foundation for Behavioral Health. She is responsible for many different tasks within this position, but she enjoys being able to seamlessly connect these two entities.
“Every day is different for me. One day I could be doing marketing and creating brochures for the agency and the next day – or the next hour – I'm on the phone with somebody educating them about Swanson Center, or creating social media posts, or looking at ways we can do outreach for our human resources department. It really varies day by day; every day is completely different. For me, it's fantastic,” Heath said.
Although she got her associate’s degree in early childhood, from the beginning of her adult working career, Heath found herself always making her way back to jobs involving fundraising and marketing. She takes pride in being able to help her community through her work.
“I started working in different positions and different fields and always seem to come back to doing fundraising and marketing for a variety of organizations, whether employed or on a volunteer basis, and it just seemed like a natural fit for me when the position opened up,” Heath said.
Before working at Swanson Center, she worked as an administrator at the now-closed Barker Woods Enrichment Center as an administrator. She was doing fundraising and marketing outreach while working there. When she found out about the new position at Swanson Center, she knew that it would be a perfect fit for her.
“This position opened up a little before the pandemic and I thought it would be a great fit. I applied for the position, I got the position, and it's been a lot of fun for me. Not only because it feels very natural to me, but because I have a great team that we work with at Swanson Center,” Heath said.
The staff Heath collaborates with at Swanson Center are all extremely dedicated to the work that they are able to provide for the community. This provides a positive work environment for the employees and also ensures that the residents and workers of La Porte County are getting the best care possible.
“All of the mental health care professionals there, along with the administrative staff, have their hearts all in the right place. They all really believe in the mission,” Heath said. “They all really just want to make sure La Porte County's mental health is in good shape, and that we're all out there trying to do our best to help build our community.”
Heath and her colleagues do all they can to provide education, opportunities, and treatment regarding mental health and mental illness. If you believe you or a person close to you may need help, do not be afraid to schedule an appointment.
“In La Porte County, there's still some stigma around mental health and mental illness, and I would personally love to see that go away. There's no shame in needing some help or needing somebody to talk to whether it's an addiction issue or depression issue, or maybe your family needs some counseling, or you personally may need something,” Heath said. “There's no shame in any of that. I would love to see people in La Porte County start to open up and understand that a little more and be more accepting. For me, it's also being an advocate for those with mental or behavioral health issues.”
For more information regarding the mental health and addiction services available at Swanson Center, please visit www.swansoncenter.org.