An innovative program in Gainesville that sends clinicians to mental health calls along with police officers got a big boost in funding from a local golf tournament. The Medical Center Open played at Chicopee Woods Golf Course in Hall County on Thursday raised at least a half-million dollars to support the Co-Responder program.
Originally started with a lead gift from the North Georgia Community Foundation, the Co-Responder program plays a vital role in the Gainesville community, providing support and mental health resources to individuals and their families who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. In these situations, instead of only a police officer responding to a call, a mental health clinician will also respond. This clinician is specially trained to handle situations like this and has already proven to be an asset to the department.
“You are saving lives,” said Jay Parrish, chief of police with Gainesville Police Department. “Every dollar given toward this golf tournament and this program is doing more than supporting a program. It is saving someone’s life.”
The tournament is sponsored by the Northeast Georgia Health System Foundation.
Since 1991, when the inaugural Medical Center Open was held, the event has allowed the NGHS Foundation and area businesses to partner together to support the community initiatives, raising more than $5 million. Proceeds from past events have benefited a variety of projects, including partnerships with Good News Clinics, Gateway Domestic Violence Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier, Georgia Mountain Food Bank and the Hub at Gainesville High School, to name a few.
It’s a cause businesses and individuals within the Northeast Georgia community believe is worth investing in, year after year. This year’s event included more than 200 participants and 135 sponsors, including premier sponsor Bank of America and long-time sponsor McGarity’s Business Products.
“McGarity’s has supported the Medical Center Open for the past 20 years,” said Todd Pennington president of McGarity’s Business Products. “It’s something that, even after we bought the company in 2019, we continued because we see what the tournament does for the community, supporting different projects and organizations each year. We are proud to support the tournament and NGHS because of its emphasis on the community.”
To date, the Medical Center Open has raised more than $500,000, for the Co-Responder program.
“What a beautiful day and what a deserving cause,” said Michele Pucci, co-chair of this year’s Medical Center Open. “We are grateful to our sponsors and teams who participated in the event. It is a pleasure to have served on the committee for so long and to have the opportunity to help make this tournament, after several years of cancellations, a reality.”
