Spartanburg-based Denny’s Corp. will kick off a national mental health and wellness awareness campaign on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the University of South Carolina Upstate. The global dining chain has partnered with USC Upstate and Meharry Medical College to develop a series of summits addressing these key issues and their impacts on the workplace and educational environments.
The first summit will be held from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Humanities and Performing Arts Center theater. It will be free and open to the public. Attendees can participate in person or virtually. Registration is now open through Eventbrite.
“Mental health and wellness significantly impact the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities across the Upstate region and beyond,” said USC Upstate Chancellor, Bennie L. Harris, Ph.D. “We are thrilled to join forces with a global leader like Denny’s to address one of the most critical public health issues of our time.”
“There’s no better time than now to focus on our well-being and bringing your most authentic self to the workplace,” said Kelli Valade, Denny's Chief Executive Officer. “These summits will bring together our employees, educators, researchers and other experts to hear and learn about mental health resources.”
The summit keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel E. Dawes, senior vice president for Global Health and the executive director of the Institute of Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College. In addition, Dawes is a professor of health law, policy, and management, and will discuss the importance of addressing mental health equity and the path forward for a healthier society.
Nationally acclaimed journalist Roland S. Martin will moderate two panels, "Mindful Eating" and "Wellness at the Workplace," that will address how food is connected to wellness and mental health in the workplace. He will also provide recommendations on what people can to do to address mental health in our homes and communities.
Harris and Valalde will both serve as panelists along with other industry leaders who include:
“We celebrate this collaboration and look forward to engaging the community,” Harris said. “This will be very meaningful to us as we prepare our students to enter the workforce in a major way.”
Denny’s said it acknowledges that the post-pandemic period has ignited an increase in loneliness and mental illness. A 2021 American Psychological Association survey revealed that nearly 3 in 5 employees (59%) said they have experienced negative impacts of work-related stress in the past month, and a vast majority (87%) of employees think actions from their employer would help their mental health.
A second mental health summit will be offered from 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.
About USC Upstate
The University of South Carolina Upstate is a regional comprehensive university offering more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business administration, nursing, and education. Located along the I-85 corridor in Spartanburg between Greenville and Charlotte, USC Upstate is ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the South’s best college for veterans and South Carolina’s No. 1 public regional college. It serves as a significant talent producer for the state, with 5,000 students, approximately 1,300 new graduates a year, and nearly 30,000 alumni, many of whom live and work in the state. The USC Upstate Spartans compete in 15 NCAA Division 1 sports as a member of the Big South Conference. For more information, visit www.uscupstate.edu.
