The Friends of Mental Health was established in 2004 with a simple mission proposed by the late Dr. John Berry and his wife Kathleen, to bring more awareness and education to mental illness and raise funds to do more in the community. In the beginning, a small group of their “friends” and the Berrys met for over a year to plan for their first event, the Blues Brothers, which occurred on April 7, 2005 at the Victory Theatre. With great success, this event showcased the need to have more community discussion around depression and all mental health related topics. Sadly, Dr. Berry passed away from pancreatic cancer in December of 2005.

In 2009, the Berry family approached Southwestern with the desire to take their hopes and mission further by becoming part of Southwestern’s family of organizations.   

Today, Southwestern is proud to continue the work of The Friends of Mental Health to support direct patient needs, medication assistance and mental health services in our communities. We are even more proud to say that 100% of the money raised by this organization stays right here in our community and has a direct impact on the citizens of Gibson, Posey, Warrick and Vanderburgh counties.

We hope that you will be inspired to engage, advocate and partner with us as a friend of mental health.