Connecting you with support services in Hamilton County

By GRACE GREEN
grace@readthereporter.com

The Hamilton County Health and Resource Fair took place last Friday, June 6 at the 4-H Fairgrounds, 2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville. The fair was coordinated by the Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County. A total of 115 vendors were in attendance, ranging from hospitals to businesses. The fair also offered free food, a petting zoo with horse and pony rides, and a balloon twister.

The fair emphasized services and resources for veterans through Veterans Affairs (VA).

“There’s nine different departments of the VA system that are on site here to take in our veteran community, welcome them and sign them up in their system,” veteran and Hamilton County Veterans Corp. (HCVC) member Bill Doss said. “If they need claims filed, they can do that, but the main thing is introducing them to the benefits that they don’t know that they even have.”

According to Doss, Hamilton County’s approach to mental health, especially among veterans, stands out as a model for others. The focus isn’t just on providing services, but on actively connecting people with the right resources before they even need them. The county’s proactive ideas have drawn attention from across the state.

“They’re ahead of the game,” Doss said. “And many other counties are coming to us and asking, ‘How do you do this?’”

As part of its ongoing efforts to expand access to different resources – including for veterans, mental health, family support and more – Hamilton County is investing in new infrastructure and digital tools to better serve its residents.

 

“They’re building a new crisis facility, and they just launched a Navigate Hamilton County website, which will bring all of those resources to you on your phone or your computer,” Doss said. NavigateHC was one of the vendors in attendance at the resource and health fair.

The NavigateHC website (www.navigatehc.org) launched on May 27, the end of Mental Health Awareness Month. According to Doss, the appeal of the new website is the ease and simplicity it gives to users, starting with just putting in your ZIP code and picking the resource.

“You select whatever resource you want and it’s all going to be there,” Doss said. “You touch one button and it’s phone numbers, websites, everything you need to connect.”

Kristen Ludeker-Seibert is the facilitator of the Stronger Veterans, Stronger Communities (SVSC) Coalition on the Prevention of Suicide for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families/Caregivers, which can be accessed through NavigateHC.

“If you need some help going through that list, you can request a navigator and someone will call you within 24 hours and walk you through what the resources are, what each provides, and what may be the best things you look at,” Ludeker-Seibert said.

Navigators act as a bridge between individuals and the many local services available to simplify access and remove barriers for those seeking help.

Ludeker-Seibert explained that SVSC also gives veterans information on where they can connect with fellow former service members.

“The SVSC website also gives you different community events or places where veterans can just go and get together at certain places,” she said.

Ultimately the goal of these initiatives is more than just providing information.

“These things are out there to create connection because when they create connection, that gives people a sense of belonging,” Ludeker-Seibert said.

Resource fairs are an effective way to foster community connections and bring people directly to the resources.

“One of the main reasons why we do the resource fairs is to bring all the resources together in one room so that people can see them and we can connect them to the resources they need,” Doss said.