Delaware Mental Health held a grand opening ceremony for the new Gym Lafatianex at Milford Wellness Village.
Mental Health of Delaware (MHA) officially opened and cut the ribbon on the Jim Lafferty Annex at Milford Wellness Village on Friday, June 7. The new office will provide mental health and peer counseling services to those in need and is named in honor of James Lafferty, who dedicated his life to mental health awareness.
“We’re really excited to open this new office. If you know Jim Rafferty, you know he was always driving around the state. Some of my fondest memories are riding along in my car with him to meetings all around the state,” said Emily Vella, MHA Executive Director. “I know when he started at MHA, before I got here, he established a lot of peer support groups around the state. It was really important to make sure people had access to support and services wherever they were, whether they were in urban, rural, wherever. He worked really hard to make that happen. This was before peer support was recognized as an important service that really helped people recover. So Jim definitely left a legacy and we wanted to pay tribute to him by opening this new office.”
Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall Long sent a message paying tribute to her good friend, Mr. Lafferty.
“Jim Lafferty was a unique and incredibly inspiring leader. His expertise in mental health was invaluable to me as a nurse and policymaker, and to his family, friends and colleagues,” said Lt. Governor Hall Long. “As Lt. Governor, I continue to build on his ideas for our state’s behavioral health system. Today, Delaware rejoices in the dedication of the Jim Lafferty Annex, as so many Delawareans come together to ensure his name will always be remembered and present in our state. He gave a voice to the voiceless through his words and actions and was a true champion and advocate for mental health awareness.”
Frannie Marty, assistant director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Division, said it was an honor to attend the ceremony and remember Lafferty.
“I know Jim would see this and be very proud of all that has been done,” Marty said, “For those who don’t know about MHA’s services, they range from suicide prevention and intervention, suicide prevention intervention training for mental health workers, peer support services, peer live wellness groups, statewide peer support workforce development (including certification pathways for people in the community as well as those in prison), apprenticeship programs and many other continuing education opportunities. The efforts that have been made are truly incredible.”
Marty went on to remind everyone of Rafferty’s talent.
“Jim had a reputation for being a tremendous driver, but he also had a reputation for being kind, thoughtful and incredibly thoughtful. He made a difference in so many ways, not just to his friends and family, but to his colleagues and acquaintances, just by being himself,” says Marty. “To me, this expansion not only represents a physical space for the association, but it’s also a testament to Jim’s caring vision. And it symbolizes the spirit of collaboration and resilience that truly defines Spark.”
Mr. Lafferty passed away in September 2023 at the age of 78. A native of Wilmington, he graduated from Salesianum School and went on to the University of Delaware before joining the United States Air Force Reserve. He worked as an information systems consultant for DuPont for 27 years before taking early retirement. After leaving, he began a second career with MHA, eventually serving as executive director before retiring for a second time in 2016. His wife, Janet, who attended the ribbon-cutting with their daughter Charlotte and son Charlie, said her husband was a very caring man.
“He had a great personality and a way of talking to people and making them feel at ease. He wanted everyone to have access to mental health services and he would meet with everyone, whether it was a Delaware state legislator or whoever, to talk about mental health,” Janet says. “But he actually served on several committees on Medicare and Medicaid and was an advocate for mental health. He was very approachable, but also very humble.”
Janet said that of the 57 years they’ve been married to her husband, their first date was at his graduation party, and she feels his spirit lives on in the people he helped over the years, as well as his children and grandchildren, whom he loved so dearly.
“He wasn’t a mental health professional,” says Janet. “He was a deacon in the Wilmington Diocese and had a very strong spiritual sense. He worked with children and adults at St. Ann’s, but even from his time at DuPont he had an interest in connecting people to mental health supports. He got the hang of it at MHA and eventually became executive director. He was open to everyone, regardless of skin color or socioeconomic background, and he was someone who touched people’s lives.”
Mental Health of Delaware is located in the Milford Wellness Village. Call 302-654-6833 or [email protected].
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