Sheridan Memorial Hospital, along with the Sheridan Memorial Hospital Foundation, is organizing a special event called “Building a Mental Health Collaborative” on Wednesday, February 11, at Sheridan College.
This event aims to bring together individuals, nonprofits, and businesses focused on mental health in Sheridan and Johnson counties. It’s a chance to share ideas and work together for better mental health services.
The half-day event features panel discussions and workshops for mental health professionals, tackling issues like access to care and available resources. It will wrap up with a public talk by keynote speaker Dr. Eric Arzubi at 5:30 p.m. in the Whitney Academic Center atrium.
Dr. Arzubi is a well-respected physician and a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist. He leads the EmPATH Consulting team and runs Frontier Psychiatry. He also teaches at the Yale Child Study Center.
In a noteworthy achievement, he established Montana’s first EmPATH unit at the Billings Clinic in 2018. This initiative helped around 15 patients daily and dramatically reduced emergency wait times from 10 hours to less than four. It also lowered both hospitalization and readmission rates.
Dr. Arzubi is known for innovative solutions in behavioral health. His work shows a 38% reduction in hospitalization rates and an 18% decrease in emergency room visits, as highlighted in his research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2025.
Not only has he improved mental health care in Montana, but he has also introduced a psychiatry residency training program in the state, addressing the need for training in underserved areas.
Bringing community leaders together to discuss mental health shows a growing recognition of its importance. According to a 2022 survey by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year. Events like this one can be crucial in connecting resources and experts to better support those in need.
In recent years, social media conversations around mental health have also surged. Many individuals are now sharing their experiences, reducing stigma, and advocating for better resources. This collective voice is powerful and reflects the pressing need for collaborative efforts in mental health care.
For more information, you can check resources from the National Alliance on Mental Illness or the American Medical Association.
