Page 32 - Middletown Magazine Issue 3 Autumn 2023

A Message From

Mayor Ben Florsheim

Dear Resident,

As summer winds down, I am proud of all that we have Look inside to learn more!
accomplished as a city in the last few months, especially the
opening of the Middletown Recreation Center and the new Finally, I want to wish all of Middletown’s students, teachers,
Veterans Park Pool and Splash Pad. Great public spaces make families, and school staff a smooth and happy beginning to the
strong communities, and the positive effect that the Rec Center school year. In future issues, I hope to highlight some of the
and Vets Park have will be measured not just in benefits to our work underway to support mental health and wellbeing for
neighborhoods and our economy, but in the memories that young people and the adults who work with them, and I am
are made there by Middletown families. grateful to the amazing people at Middletown Public Schools
as they embark on all the challenges and opportunities of a
But those projects were years, not months, in the making new school year.
before the moment arrived this summer where they could be
enjoyed by everyone. It took vision, planning, and execution Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you around town soon!
to get the job done, which is another way of saying it took
dedicated people working together collaboratively, with the Sincerely,
right balance of patience, persistence, and urgency. That Mayor Ben Florsheim
approach is needed for parks and building projects; it is also
the approach we must take as we tackle the less visible issues
that affect our community. Among these is a nationwide crisis
in mental and emotional wellbeing, one which manifests
at the individual level and at the level of public health and
public safety. Our own mental health affects the mental health
of those around us and vice versa, so we all have a stake in
this fight--and we all stand to benefit when our efforts are
successful.
In this and future issues of Middletown Magazine, we will
highlight some of the City of Middletown’s efforts in response
to make our community safer and healthier. This month,
an article by Lee Godburn details the Middletown Police
Department’s partnership with River Valley Services, an agency
of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
(DMHAS), to create a Crisis Intervention Team comprised of
specially trained officers and clinical mental health workers to 245 Dekoven Drive
respond more effectively to emergencies and people in crisis. 860-638-4801
I am grateful to Police Chief Erik Costa, River Valley Services
CEO Sarah Gadsby and former CEO Celeste Cremin-Endes, www.MiddletownCT.gov
and the many partners who are making this work possible.