Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Dublin's Wellness Navigator Is Here For You
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Trying to find the right kind of help can feel harder than the problem you are trying to solve. That's why Lindsay and Bruce brought in Sara Harrison Mills, CEO of Syntero, along with the City of Dublin's Molly Steiner, to talk about how we're making wellness easier to access and simpler to navigate.
We unpack the new Community Wellness Navigator developed through the Dublin Wellness Alliance, including what the navigator can help with: finding doctors and dentists, understanding insurance enrollment, connecting to prescription assistance programs, locating food assistance, and overcoming barriers like transportation. We also share how to reach the navigator, including in-person hours at the Dublin Community Recreation Center, plus phone and email options, so residents have a clear starting point instead of a maze of referrals.
From there, we zoom out to what community wellness really takes: strong partnerships, shared priorities, and support that shows up where people already are. Sara explains how Syntero’s continuum of care spans prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery. Plus, how an embedded mental health clinician works alongside local police and fire teams to connect individuals and families to services after a call. We also talk candidly about rising stress, anxiety, depression, access to care challenges, and why the shift toward open mental health conversations matters.
We wrap with a rapid-fire round on self-care and the small resets that actually help: from mindful pauses to replacing doomscrolling with learning. If you find this helpful, subscribe, share with a neighbor, and leave a review so more people can find the support they need.
Welcome And Meet The Guests
SPEAKER_00Hello and welcome to Link Ahead. We're talking well-being in all kinds of ways today for our residents and for Team Dublin here at the city.
SPEAKER_03And we have a couple of guests who are just perfect for this conversation. From Sentero, we welcome Sarah Harrison Mills. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited about this. Yeah, first time for you, but friend of the show, Molly Steiner. Welcome back to Link Ahead. Thank you. Good to be here again. All right, so let's dig in here.
Sentero’s Mission And Dublin Partnership
SPEAKER_03And let's start with you, Sarah, because you have been the CEO and executive director of Sentero going on two years now. That's gotten pretty fast, but you've been with Sentero for a really long time. Talk about your time with Sintero and the responsibilities in your role.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I've actually been with Sentero for 15 years. I started initially as a part-time therapist and gradually moved into different leadership positions, including overseeing all of our clinical services. And as CEO, I've been focusing on strategy and partnerships and our long-term sustainability and really making sure that my team can continue to provide the high-quality care that our community needs right now. So and Sentero is an organization that has been serving the Central Ohio community for over 50 years. So we are established by Dublin residents. This was before Dublin was a city, back when Dublin was a village. Wow. By Dublin residents in the 1970s to bring care back into communities. And so at this time, we're providing services across the continuum of care. So prevention services, early intervention, treatment and recovery. We don't see ourselves just as a mental health provider, but really an organization that meets the social needs of the communities that we serve. Wow. I didn't realize that the partnership went back that time.
SPEAKER_00I had no idea. I had no idea.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Talk a little bit about that partnership with the city and how that works so well and has expanded and evolved over the years.
SPEAKER_01Honestly, I feel like the partnership with the city of Dublin is just a national example of how communities can work together to meet the mental health needs of the individuals who live here. So I what I appreciate most about the City of Dublin is it's truly is committed to create a community of wellness. There's so many innovative partnerships and priority areas and events that are happening. And they see mental health not just as the physical healthcare that somebody is receiving, but it's about connection and opportunities and being able to help people feel that they belong and that there is a place and a space for them in this community.
SPEAKER_03100%.
SPEAKER_00Right. And we're so excited to talk about the timing of this conversation because we recently introduced a wellness navigator, and this was developed through the Dublin Wellness Alliance. So, Molly, can you share some of the background about how this was developed?
What The Wellness Navigator Does
SPEAKER_02Sure. The Dublin Wellness Alliance was formed to address the health priority needs that were identified from a comprehensive community health needs assessment. The alliance brings together public, private, and nonprofit partners to work collaboratively on the priority needs and to help guide future efforts aimed at strengthening community well-being. While Dublin is already one of the healthiest communities in Ohio and we consistently outperform state and national averages, the Dublin Wellness Alliance brings together partners to ensure our community continues to be a model of health, wellness, and resilience.
SPEAKER_03All right. Let's dig in a little deeper on this community wellness navigator. What types of services are available and to whom?
SPEAKER_02So the services are available to any Dublin resident, and they include helping people find healthcare professionals such as a doctor or a dentist, helping to understand insurance enrollment or applications, finding prescription assistance programs, understanding and finding food assistance, helping to access transportation, and so much more. For example, the navigator might be able to help a pregnant mother schedule prenatal appointments, explain how to take medications, and connect her with food assistance programs.
SPEAKER_03Oh, so that word navigator, you know, it's really like working through the systems that we have available in our community. It's not a doctor, but they can connect you to a doctor, that type of thing. Correct, absolutely.
SPEAKER_02Really just being a connection to resources.
SPEAKER_00So Molly, how can who is the navigator and how can people contact this person?
SPEAKER_02So the navigator's name is Jodi Colbull, and she is from Sentero, which again highlights our partnership with Sentero, and we're grateful to have her. She can be contacted in person, via email, via phone. Uh, if anybody wants to visit her in person, she's available at the Dublin Community Rec Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She's there for walk-in appointments on Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. or on Thursdays from 10 to 12 p.m. She can also be contacted via email at community wellnessnavigator at centero.org. Or she can be contacted by phone at 614-889-5722-extension 811, and she's happy to reply to any of those emails or those phone messages when she is working her hours at the rec center.
SPEAKER_00So, Molly, I always think about you. I think about like physical strength. You know, you're a fit person, you've been at the rec center for a while. So, how can this strengthen the collective health of Dublin? Not just physical, but the Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02So the Navigator can really strengthen the health of our community by acting as a trusted bridge between residents and healthcare and social service agencies. She can help residents find doctors, mental health services, food assistance, housing support, counseling services, and so much more. And many people don't receive care simply because they don't know where to start or they face logistical barriers. And the navigator can really help remove or reduce those barriers so the residents can get connected to the assistance they need.
Defining Success And Growing The Alliance
SPEAKER_03All right, so this is a pilot program. For either of you, what does success look like over the next year or so?
SPEAKER_01I think for me, success would mean that Dublin residents who are in need of services are able to get access to them. It can be a complex system to navigate. And so having a one-stop place to go to get information and resources and linkage, I think is what will define this as a successful program.
SPEAKER_02And just to echo that, I think that really through the navigator, we hope to just help bridge the gap between our underserved populations or people who need help and greater connection to care and resources.
SPEAKER_03And we have a little bit of a blueprint for this. You guys have helped with the Forever Dublin program and the navigators there for a number of years. And it's it's similar to that, I imagine, only this is more for the broader community with broader needs.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So the Forever Dublin program, we're we're so excited to be partners with the city in this initiative. And we have a navigator specifically for caregivers and for older adults who are looking for resources related to aging in place. So what kinds of things they may need to ensure that they can continue to live in their homes independently for as long as possible and to do that safely. So we do have a navigator that specializes in working with older adults and has access to lots of different resources that will help that population.
SPEAKER_00The Dublin Wellness Alliance seeks to align the city, our residents, plus private and nonprofit partnerships, you know, and shared wellness goals. So we want big tents here, right?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. The alliance is designed to be a collaborative network of partners. So expanding participation helps to create a more coordinated approach to community wellness across Dublin. Additional partners can help strengthen the alliance by contributing expertise, services, outreach, funding, volunteer support, and sharing of resources. And we are absolutely open to any and all organizations and their ideas.
SPEAKER_03Perfect.
Mental Health Support For First Responders
SPEAKER_03Let's go back to some of the other partnerships that we have with Sentero and our relationship also helps local police and first responders. Can you tell us a little bit about that, Sarah?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so Sentero has a mental health clinician that is embedded with Dublin Police in Washington Township, a public services safety liaison. And her role is to receive referrals directly from the police department or the fire department when they've gone out on a call and they've identified that an individual or a family could benefit from linkage to resources, to mental health services, to other kinds of services and supports that are available in our community. So we receive referrals directly and then follow up with that individual to get them
Rising Need, Stigma, And Access Barriers
SPEAKER_01linked.
SPEAKER_00So, Sarah, we know mental health needs exist in every community. And Dublin is certainly not immune to that. From your perspective, are you seeing an increase in mental health challenges or needs within the community?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. We are continuing to see increasing mental health needs across all age groups and demographics. I think one of the biggest things that we're hearing about is people are creating carrying a tremendous amount of stress and pressure right now. It can be related to finances or parenting and caregiving, loneliness, social isolation, work stress, or just uncertainty about the future and what the future holds. We're also seeing younger people that are struggling with anxiety and depression and social pressures that are much higher rates than we've seen historically.
SPEAKER_00I mean, not that you can pinpoint anything, but you do you feel like COVID was a big factor with younger people, like with isolation?
SPEAKER_01We did see an increase in mental health challenges across all populations related to the pandemic. At the same time, I would say there's some hope because the pandemic also created more awareness around mental health challenges and the opportunity for people to talk about it and to recognize that they weren't alone in their experiences. And so while there is an increase, we're also seeing a lot of more conversations around mental health and we're seeing a reduced stigma related to talking about your own mental health challenges or reaching out to ask for support.
SPEAKER_03Exactly. And you both know this from your respective careers. But whether it's a first responder, a nonprofit executive, you can't serve others if your cup is constantly running on empty. So talk about the importance of self-care.
SPEAKER_01I cannot highlight that enough. I think it's important for all of us to pay attention to our own stress signals and to recognize we're all going to have stress in our lives. That's something that each of us needs to expect and understand what's the right threshold for us, what that's optimal for our functioning and motivating, but not to the point where it's overwhelming. And so being really intentional about building in routines and practices to manage our own stress levels and to proactively care for our health and wellness is really important to stay vibrant in our careers and in our social lives and connected to others.
SPEAKER_00And I know that we could have the best program in the world, but if it's not readily available, no one's going to take advantage of it, right?
SPEAKER_01Yes. I think that's one of the biggest challenges right now is access to care. So when somebody gets to a place where they recognize that they need help or their child needs help or a family member what does, it can be really difficult and complex to navigate the system and then to make a phone call can be very hard to do. And then to be told there's a long wait list or sorry, we don't have any appointments available. So that's been a huge priority for Sentero is to do what we can to increase access to care and to try to get care to people who need it when they need it.
Holistic Wellness And Life Integration
SPEAKER_01So we talk about the right dose at the right time.
SPEAKER_03So what you're getting at is this holistic approach to wellness. And we've been talking about that. That's been a shift over, you know, the past few years, maybe a decade or so. Are we starting to see some benefits to this changed approach?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. I think that our mental health is directly connected to all aspects of our life. So really looking at our physical health, are we getting enough sleep? Are we getting high quality sleep? Um, our professional health, are we feeling inspired and valued and um and fulfilled in our work environments, our social life? Are we connected with each other? Are we finding meaning in our lives and feeling like we belong in the communities where we live? Um, and then looking at you know our spiritual health and our connection to something greater than ourselves and what does that look like? And for each person it may be different. Um, but I think looking at our health from all aspects is important and looking at where do I have some strengths and where are some areas that I need to have some focused attention?
SPEAKER_00No, Lindsay, you talked about last 10 years. I'm like, I okay, so I was a kid in the 80s and I remember we didn't deal with anything. It was like you just swallowed all that stuff down and then you dealt with it later as an adult. So, you know, are you finding that there's different age demographics that are really taking advantage of this, or is it just like across the board?
SPEAKER_01I would say younger generations right now are very open and talking about their own mental health and wellness and looking at TikToks and and social media for information. Um, and I think that them, their openness to talking about it is creating opportunities in older generations as well. So I do think the younger generation is helping us to dive into those conversations.
SPEAKER_03Sarah I'm gonna go a little off script because before um we st we started the show today, you were talking about watching Severance. And so the premise of the show for those who haven't watched is you know, you kind of like your brain shuts off when you go home. And at home, you don't you don't think about work and at work, you don't think about home. Is there any talk about that from your standpoint as a therapist, a mental health professional?
SPEAKER_01So those individuals in Severance are, you know, living fragmented lives, and so they feel very disconnected from the other parts of themselves. And I think that you start to see through the show some of the ways that that impacts their emotional well-being. Um, I do think part of having a healthy life is having integration between all the different parts of your life and and being paying attention to each of those areas and doing what you can to ensure that you're getting your needs met in all spaces.
SPEAKER_00Molly, what about you? Like you, you know, we talk about is there a do you compartmentalize like maybe 60% is physical wellness? And then that 40% I focus on mental wellness. Like, what is your outlook on this?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't know if I break it down by percentages. Um, I try to focus on there's many dimensions to wellness, as Sarah mentioned, you know, physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, intellectual. So, you know, it's hard to be perfect at all of them, of course, but they're all important. So just trying to take little little nuggets from each of those dimensions of wellness and incorporate them into daily life.
SPEAKER_03Right. And you talk about dimensions, and I'm sitting here thinking about how lucky we are here in Dublin, because while the needs may be rising, there can't be too many communities out there who are meeting those needs in the way that Dublin is. I mean, we're talking about a public safety services liaison, the community wellness navigator. I can't think that there are too many communities out there where their city council has prioritized this, the leadership has rallied around it, and the community is coming together. So I just feel really fortunate, um, Molly, and with your leadership as well, that we are a community that is this lucky in terms of mental wellness.
SPEAKER_02I agree with you. I mean, we're blessed and fortunate to have such strong leadership support of these initiatives. It really began in 2023 when the city completed a comprehensive community health needs assessment, which was really a systematic approach to find out what are the specific needs of Dublin. And from that process, we identified four priority needs to begin focusing on. And those included community connection, youth behavioral health, healthcare navigation, and transportation. So, from those, the community wellness navigator is really a byproduct designed to meet the healthcare navigation needs, that specific priority area. And so this really has all come about over a three-year process with city council support and Dublin leadership support.
SPEAKER_00All
Rapid Fire Habits And Closing
SPEAKER_00right. Well, let's stay on a wellness theme here. And the end of every episode is rapid fire. So if you guys are ready, well, Sarah, we'll start with you. If you could do one thing more in 2026, your personal wellness, what would it be?
SPEAKER_01Uh I think being more intentional about pausing and just taking time to be mindful and present, whether I'm at work or at home, um, and not constantly feel distracted by other things that are happening in the world.
SPEAKER_00Gotcha. Molly.
SPEAKER_02You would have thought maybe we rehearsed this together because mine was essentially the same to try to focus on some things where I'm actually learning something and not just on my phone, doom scrolling or catching up on things that really don't matter. So whether that's listening to a podcast or watching a documentary or reading a book, trying to actually spend time where I'm learning something.
SPEAKER_03It is funny how much better you feel reading a book versus scrolling on your phone. Absolutely. I've been really trying to do that more myself. Uh okay. If you're outside, what's more relaxing to you? A body of water, mountains, the woods, or the beach?
SPEAKER_01Uh definitely a body of water. A beach if I can get there, but sometimes that's not possible. But I there's something about being by the water that just relaxes me.
SPEAKER_02I think Sarah and I are kindred spirits.
SPEAKER_00Oh boy.
SPEAKER_02Mine is also a body of water.
SPEAKER_00All right, let's see if we can mix this up a little bit. Molly, let's start with you this time. So, favorite place for relaxing.
SPEAKER_02Favorite place for relaxing is on the shores of the lake I grew up on in Traver City, Michigan. Beautiful.
SPEAKER_00If you say Travis City, be very surprised.
SPEAKER_01So my husband was born and raised in Traver City. I don't think he knew that. I did not know that probably went down altogether.
SPEAKER_02That's funny.
SPEAKER_01So I was gonna say outside. Um I love being out in nature. Um, during the summer months, we set up a hammock outside in our backyard under a tree, and that's my happy place when I can spend a couple hours reading or just relaxing outside.
SPEAKER_03All right, Molly, I know you don't have any stress at work, right? Um but um if you're stuck at the office and some serious stress hits, how do you take a breath and reset?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm lucky. I work at the Dublin Community Recreation Center. So while I may not go and actually work out on the floor, I can head outside and I can take a nice leisurely loop around Kaufman Park. Perfect.
SPEAKER_01How about you, Sarah? Yeah, if I can get outside, that would be ideal, but often I'm running from meeting to meeting. So it's just giving myself permission to take a pause. And sometimes I might do some breathing exercises where I'm just releasing the tension or whatever the stress was from the meeting I was just in and setting an intention for the next thing on my calendar. So just trying again to be mindful.
SPEAKER_00All right, Molly, your best advice for making self-care a priority.
SPEAKER_02I think one of my favorite quotes and one that I truly believe in as it applies to many aspects, is if it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse. I should write that on. I think those are words to live by, yes.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00Sarah.
SPEAKER_01I just want to copy what you're allowed to have. It was a really good one.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was good.
SPEAKER_01No, I think it has to be a priority because when you don't focus on self-care, every other part of your life isn't fulfilling. You're not you're not showing up as your best self in the other parts of your life. So there is a cost to not finding the time to do it.
SPEAKER_03Amazing answers. Okay, last question. Finish this sentence.
SPEAKER_01Wellness is uh to me, wellness is feeling supported and balanced so that I can show up fully in all aspects of my life.
SPEAKER_02To me, and I have to say I had to maybe do a little bit of searching for some ideas on this one, but I love this. Wellness is not a trend, it's a lifestyle.
SPEAKER_03Wonderful, what a wonderful conversation with both of you. Sarah and Molly. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having us.
SPEAKER_00And to our listeners, thank you as well for taking time to connect with your city. Tune in next time as we continue to explore the many personalities and experiences that make Dublin a thriving place to live, work, and grow.