SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital has donated $6,000 to the Green Lake County Health Department to support youth mental health programs in local schools, as well as a recent county wide event to address specific community health needs.

The Green Lake County Health Department serves more than 19,000 people, collaborating with community partners to provide services addressing maternal/child health, environmental health hazard management, injury prevention, health disparities and emergency event preparation, and more.

The community event, offered in July 2025, brought available community resources and access to care for residents in one location. “This event featured a resource fair for parents and families, in addition to a sports camp with free sports physicals for youth,” according to Rachel Prellwitz, Green Lake County Health Department health officer. “Our goal was to reach underserved communities to provide access to health information and services.”

Youth programs help to increase awareness of vital school-based mental health and suicide prevention resources and empower students to seek help when needed.

“This will be done by involving youth mentors to go through training and educating them to share mental health resources,” Prellwitz says. “Setting up these students to be a mental health advocate that a peer can turn to if they need help and in turn, they can connect them with the right people and resources.”

The donation was presented to Prellwitz and Lauren Olson, deputy health officer, by DeAnn Thurmer, SSM Health Ripon Community Hospital president; Nicole Gill, hospital VP, clinical administrator; and Laura Nakielski, SSM Health community health specialist – senior.

“Supporting children’s health and mental care is crucial for their overall development and well-being,” according to Thurmer. “Mental health is not just the absence of mental health conditions; it encompasses a child’s ability to thrive and function well in various aspects of life.”

In 2024, SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac’s community benefit ministry totaled more than $568,000 across the communities it serves. This investment helps ensure access to health care for patients who are uninsured or underinsured, train the next generation of health professionals to care for those in need, and fund programs to address the most pressing health needs of our communities.