Dinner With a Doctor presented Matters of the Mind: Optimizing Brain Health, a free informational event held at Spokane Valley Adventist Church in November 2024 that aimed to share evidence-based presentations on mental health as well as actionable lifestyle changes with the local community.
The three-day event began with a healthy three-course meal on Thursday, followed by a presentation on stress management. Friday’s presentation addressed the root causes of depression and anxiety and how to deal with them. Finally, the third day included a special church service focusing on God’s prescription for healing trauma and an afternoon presentation on improving the mental health of young people.
The keynote speaker for the event was Daniel Binus, Beautiful Minds medical director and a wholistic mental health service provider based in Auburn, California.
The event was well attended with about 100 people counted on Thursday and Friday and about 90 at the afternoon session on Saturday.
Sarah Hess, one of the event’s organizers, said, “It was a great opportunity to engage with the local community. It was amazing to see community members mingling with church members and beginning to form meaningful relationships. We also had members of the community ask us about future events being held at the church.”
Mental health was determined as a topic of interest during the annual community needs assessment undertaken by Renew Spokane at the Spokane County Fair each year. Renew Spokane helps coordinate the efforts of individual Adventist churches, ministries and volunteers from all walks of life to offer physical, emotional, spiritual and social help to those in need.
Based on the assessment responses from the community, the event is held on a weeknight and spreads the content over several days to better accommodate the schedules of community members.
Dinner With A Doctor began in 2017 with the goal of improving the lives of the Spokane Valley community with practical approaches to health education. Previous topics have included information about insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, habits for better sleep, ways of optimizing gut health and emphasizing healthy living through nutrition and exercise.
More information on future community events in the Spokane area can be found at renewspokane.org.
Volunteers prepare a healthy meal for the event.
Credit: Trisha Thorman
Attendees enjoy a delicious and healthy plant-based meal prepared by volunteers.
Credit: Trisha Thorman
Daniel Binus, Beautiful Minds Medical director, speaks about stress management.
Credit: Trisha Thorman
Daniel Binus speaks about mental health in young people.
Credit: Trisha Thorman
