Mental Health Awareness Month
Summary
Mental Health Awareness Month is an annual proclamation item before the Fairfax City Council, recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month and highlighting associated local mental health resources and organizations. On May 13, 2025, Mayor presented a proclamation acknowledging May as Mental Health Awareness Month and May 7, 2025 as National Children's Mental Health Day to the city's Crisis Resources Team (CRT), Fairfax County Community Service Board, and the Heart Leaf Center. On April 28, 2026, a second annual proclamation was presented, this time to Human Services Director Lesley Abashian, the City's Crisis Response Team, and Dr. Robyn Mehlenbeck, proclaiming May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month in the City of Fairfax. The 2026 proclamation emphasized fighting stigma, increasing awareness, cultivating a culture of compassion, and calling on residents to advocate for accessible mental health care for people of all ages.
What members have said
At the April 28, 2026 meeting, Mayor Reed personally read and issued the proclamation declaring May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month, stating that 'mental health is an essential pillar of everyone's overall health and well-being' and calling upon residents to advocate for appropriate and accessible mental health care services for people of all ages. She also introduced the proclamation recipients, noting 'mental health is part of our basic health.'
Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.
Full history
[3b] Proclamation presented by the Mayor to the city's Crisis Resources Team (CRT), Fairfax County Community Service Board, and the Heart Leaf Center.
[3c] May was proclaimed Mental Health Awareness Month in the City of Fairfax.
Discussed alongside
Topics that come up in the same meetings.