Children's mental health outreach program to host free health fair in Niagara Falls

The Children's Mental Health Outreach Program at New Directions Youth & Family Services will host a free health fair from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Antonio's Banquet and Conference Center, 7708 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls. A variety of educators and vendors will be present, and a complementary dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m.

The event will feature remarks by Joe Clem, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of "The Nurtured Heart Approach." He will discuss behavior problems among children and stigma issues and the challenges parents face in managing them. He also will discuss how parents raising children with behavioral issues can identify the right and wrong things to do and why making correct choices is a critical component of childhood behavioral development.

Vendors at the event will include the Niagara County Probation Department, Community Missions of Niagara Frontier, Niagara County Independent Living, Niagara County Social Services, Niagara County Department of Health's Children with special health care needs department and the Mental Health Association of Niagara County.

The Children's Mental Health Outreach Program is funded by a grant from The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation. The program aims to increase awareness and use of mental health services for children; promote early intervention for children with social, emotional and behavioral challenges; reduce stigma related to children's mental illness; and help parents and families be their own experts in addressing their children's mental health challenges. For more information about the Children's Mental Health Outreach Program, visit http://www.ndcmho.org/.

Pre-registration is required by Sept. 30. Space is limited. Register by emailing [email protected] or by calling Laura Lloyd at New Directions at 716-439-1179, ext. 493.