Patrick H. Dollard, President & CEO of The Center for Discovery®, brought The Center’s mission to change the way the world thinks about complexity to Los Angeles on December 2nd. Dollard joined the nonprofit, America Salutes You, for a groundbreaking panel and concert event that brought awareness to brain health and related issues.
The panel discussed the latest advances in treatments and challenges in order to find solutions for a range of problems – from PTSD for veterans and first responders, to those facing depression and Alzheimer’s. Dollard urged those in attendance to move away from disease-centric thinking, and to instead focus on the individual and the underlying conditions. “We are all here talking about various types of people with complex human needs,” he said, “and we have to see the person first – not the disability or the diagnosis.”
Dollard was joined by Dan Griffin, internationally recognized author, thought-leader, and expert on men’s relationships and masculinity; Mimi McKay, Deputy Director, Strategic Communications for the LA County Department of Mental Health, Harold Owens, Senior Director of MusiCares; and Dr. Marleen Wong, Senior Vice Dean, Field Education, Executive Director, Telehealth Clinic, at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Both Griffin and Owens have been in long-term recovery from addiction for quite some time. The panel members, like Dollard, agreed that everyone in a family – in some way or another – will at some point be focused on dealing with trauma and the significance of working through it as a team.
America Salutes You is a concert put on by some of the nation’s most renowned artists – all joining together to bring awareness to mental and brain health issues through a series of broadcast and streamed benefit events that raise funds for mental wellness charities with an emphasis on veterans and first responder nonprofits.
The December 2nd concert was held at the Novo Theater in LA and featured music legends Don Felder, Billy Gibbons, Sammy Hagar, Robbie Kreiger, Dave Navarro, Orianthi, Stephen Stills, ZZ Top, and many more!
For more information on our research and work relating to brain health, please contact Richard Humleker, Vice President for Development at The Center for Discovery®, at rhumleker@tcfd.org.