URMC / Psychiatry / Culture / Community Engagement / Clergy Mental Health Collaborative Clergy Mental Health Collaborative In Memory of Rev. Dr. John S. Walker A beloved member of the Department of Psychiatry, US Army Veteran, champion of social justice and equitable health care passed away on December 28, 2022. View Tribute To Rev. Dr. John S. Walker The Clergy Mental Health Collaborative (CMHC), formed in the Fall of 2017, meets monthly at various sites to have lunch and plan community participation events. A collaborative team of clergy members from diverse faith communities in the Rochester community working together to address issues critical to the community, particularly regarding the overall health of the poor community, especially mental health. Public events to raise awareness and provide resources have been their focus. Clergy Mental Health Collaborative Members Minister Earl Green, MA, Children’s Institute (The North Street Church of Christ) Pastor Linda Strickland-Wyatt, Church of Life Ministries Rev. Dr. Richard Douglass, Pastor, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Dr. J. Esther Rowe, Minister, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church Deacon Relton Roland, Christian Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Minister Kenneth Muhammad Pastor Keith Patterson, The Episcopal Church of St. Luke’s/St. Simons Cyrene Zena Shuber URMC Psychiatry, Director of Community Relations Amanda Lai, URMC Psychiatry, Communications Specialist Phyllis Jackson, RN, Common Ground Health Patricia Cathey, Common Ground Health Myra Mathis, MD, Associate Professor, URMC Psychiatry On May 1st, 2021, the collaborative held a virtual panel focusing on suicide prevention in the Black, Hispanic and wider community. Presentation Resources View PDF The panel featured local speakers: April Aycock, EdD, Director, Monroe County Office of Mental Health Eric Caine, MD, Professor Emeritus, University of Rochester Medical Center Minister Earl Greene, MA, Director of Family Engagement and Equity, Children’s Institute Rudy Rivera, Executive Director, Fr. Laurence Tracy Advocacy Center Melanie Funchess, President, Ubuntu Village Works, LLC. The Intersections Between the Civil Rights Movement, the Faith Community, and Mental Health (Part I & II) Speakers: Myra Mathis, MD Rev. John Walker, PhD Rev. James H. Evans, Jr. PhD. LittD, Bishop Past Events A health event was held in 2018 at one of the participating churches. A panel discussion on African American protest literature featuring the writings of Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison was held on October 3, 2019. The panel brought to light aspects of each writer’s views on mental health.