Starlit Soirée Raises $302,130 for Local Behavioral Health Services

The Memorial Medical Center Foundation announced that its 2025 biennial Gala, the Starlit Soirée, raised a net total of $302,130 for Behavioral Health Services at Deaconess Memorial Medical Center in Jasper. Held earlier this month at the historic West Baden Springs Hotel on November 17, the event will direct funds toward counseling services, crisis intervention programs, patient assistance, and expanded resources for people confronting mental health difficulties.

The infusion of more than three hundred thousand dollars arrives at a critical time for local health care providers and families in Dubois County. Behavioral health services often face gaps in access, long wait times, and limited support for those who cannot afford care. The foundation said the funds are intended to strengthen immediate services and to build capacity that can reduce those barriers for county residents.

For patients, expanded counseling and crisis intervention can mean quicker access to care during acute episodes, a wider range of outpatient supports, and assistance with the costs that sometimes prevent people from seeking help. For the health system, the funding can support staffing, training, and program development that increase continuity of care between emergency settings and ongoing outpatient treatment. Those improvements can reduce the strain on emergency departments and improve long term outcomes for people with mental health conditions.

The gala also highlights the role of local philanthropy and health foundations in addressing public health needs that are often underfunded at the policy level. While federal and state funding remains essential, community raised dollars can pilot new programs, extend services to underserved populations, and demonstrate local demand for expanded behavioral health care. That dynamic raises questions about sustainable funding and the need for policy solutions that ensure equitable access across rural and small town communities.

Beyond immediate clinical services, advocacy and social support are part of the local impact. Expanded patient assistance can help families cover transportation, medication, and other social needs that often create barriers to treatment. Strengthening behavioral health resources is also a step toward reducing stigma, increasing early intervention, and supporting workforce development in regional health care.

As funds are deployed by Deaconess Memorial Medical Center and the Memorial Medical Center Foundation, residents and community leaders will be watching how programs translate into measurable improvements in access and outcomes. The Starlit Soirée result is a tangible community investment in mental health, and it underscores the continuing conversation about how Dubois County and Indiana can build a more equitable and resilient behavioral health system for all residents.