December E-News from The Connection

Hello Connection Members & Friends,

Photo of Sarah Bassing-Sutton

The snow arrived early this year and I can only hope it means a white Christmas and lots of skiing adventures ahead. Coming back after the long weekend, I was struck by the fact that it has almost been a full year since I stepped into the role of Executive Director of The Connection. As with most milestones, it somehow feels both like yesterday and like an eternity ago. With many of the firsts now behind me, I am looking forward to entering 2026 with more capacity and knowledge. I am spending this last month of 2025 synthesizing all that I have learned, including the information and insights many of you shared with me in our one-on-one conversations to begin plotting the strategic path for what the community needs from The Connection moving forward. Stay tuned.

If you were not able to join us for last month's member meeting, you can find the recording and slide deck on The Connection website (under member meetings) and get caught up on the results from the Mind Your Wellness Survey 2.0 (MYWS 2.0). You will also see an additional slide deck that contains just the data, arranged in a slightly different format. This supplemental deck separates the information into proportions (graphs), and then by odds ratio statements. The MYWS 2.0 data was analyzed by our academic partner, Dr. Sara Kohlbeck at the Medical College of Wisconsin, who is happy to answer any questions you may have, so please feel free to reach out.

You can find the calendar invite for the 2026 member meetings below. We hope to see you at our first meeting on Jan. 8, where you will get a preview of the Connected Fox Valley recommendations to strengthen social connection in the Tri-County region, along with exciting news about what is ahead for this initiative in 2026.

With gratitude,

Sarah Bassing-Sutton, Executive Director
The Connection

Click below to save our 2026 Member Meetings to your calendar!

In-Person Meetings:

Our in-person member meetings are held from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Catalpa Health, 4635 W. College Ave., Appleton.

Virtual Meetings (via Zoom)

Join us over the noon hour on Zoom for our virtual member meeting, which is live and features the same agenda and speakers as the in-person meeting.

FREE CEUs!

Don’t miss our next free CEU training! Join us on Jan. 16 for Ethics and Boundaries: Practicing Self-Care in an Era of Moral Distress, a timely and practical session designed to support your wellbeing as a helping professional. This training is free for all Connection members, but advance registration is required. Visit our CEU training page for details and registration. Check out the course flyer for a detailed description of the training.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Save the Date for the "We ❤️ You – Recovery in Our Community" Event - March 4, 2026

We Heart You: Recovery in Our Community will hold its third annual community event on Wed., March 4, 2026, bringing together national speakers, local storytellers, service providers, families, elected officials, and people with lived experience for a day of hope, connection, learning - and community.

This free, full-day gathering is designed to reduce stigma, strengthen relationships across the recovery and broader community, and inspire action to support recovery in the Fox Valley. Attendees can expect meaningful conversations, powerful personal stories, learning opportunities, resource connections, food and swag.

Date: Wed., March 4, 2026
Time: 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m.
Location: UW Oshkosh | Culver Family Welcome Center
Registration: Begins Jan. 4

Featured Speakers:

Emcee: Tom Farley - National recovery advocate; Community Outreach Director at Recovery.com; and New York Times bestselling author.
Keynote: Mark Sanders - Award-winning educator, internationally recognized behavioral health expert, consultant, and co-founder of Serenity Academy Chicago.

More details on CEUs, breakout sessions, and local resource exhibitors will be announced soon. This free event fills quickly; be sure to mark your calendar and register early.

Interested in sponsoring or volunteering?
Email Jennifer Skolaski at: jskolaski@winnebagocountywi.gov

Click to save the date to your calendar:

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Follow the event Facebook page for updates and reminders as registration approaches.

Learning Session: Healthy Media Use for Youth & Families (Jan. 22)

The Women’s Fund of Oshkosh is hosting a community learning session titled “Making It Work – Resources to Promote Healthy Media Use for Youth & Families.” The session will feature Dr. Megan Moreno (MD, MSEd, MPH, University of Wisconsin–Madison), who will share practical guidance, research insights, and tools to support healthy digital habits among youth and families.

A light lunch will be provided and CEU credits are available.

Date: Thurs., Jan. 22, 2026
Time: Noon–1:15 p.m.
Location: Oshkosh Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 1 N. Main Street, Oshkosh, WI 54901

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Hmong-Language QPR Suicide Prevention Materials Now Available

The first-ever Hmong-language QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention materials have been officially released nationwide, marking a major milestone for culturally responsive suicide prevention.

This year-and-a-half effort was led by the Marathon County Health Department, in partnership with the Hmong American Center, New Beginnings for Refugees, Aspirus, and the National QPR Institute. Until now, QPR materials were not available in the Hmong language anywhere in the U.S.

These new materials were developed through a collaborative local translation and cultural review process and have now been certified and published by the National QPR Institute for use by trainers across the country.

For more information or to book a training, visit the QPR Institute: https://qprinstitute.com/

Get Involved: Mental Health Action Partnership (MHAP)

The Mental Health Action Partnership (MHAP) is a statewide coalition working to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment in Wisconsin. MHAP brings together providers, community organizations, advocates, people with lived experience, payers, and system leaders to identify barriers and advance policy, funding, and infrastructure solutions that strengthen our mental health system of care.

Much of MHAP’s work happens through its active workgroups, which are currently focused on priority areas including:

Medicaid rate study for mental health and substance use treatment
Growing and sustaining the peer support workforce
Developing an integrated statewide mental health data system
Improving Chapter 51 emergency detention processes

These workgroups meet regularly via Zoom and are open to new participants, especially those working in or impacted by Wisconsin’s behavioral health system.

To learn more, sign up for updates, or join a workgroup, visit: www.mhapwi.org

Have Something to Share?

Have a mental health–related event, training, or announcement to share with our network? We’d love to hear about it. Please email Sarah Bassing-Sutton at sarah@newmentalhealthconnection.org for consideration in an upcoming newsletter.

N.E.W. MENTAL HEALTH CONNECTION

P.O. Box 374
Appleton, WI 54912
United States

sarah@newmentalhealthconnection.org ~ 920.454.7731

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