Kyle Owens, PharmD Candidate, Class of 2020
Lindsey Miller, PharmD, BCPP
From country music to gospel, Nashville is known as Music City, USA. Nashville, however, is more than just a music town. Nashville creates a great environment with its great food and sense of community. One of the ways in which this atmosphere is achieved is through a program called 615Rocks! This movement includes painting motivational or inspirational images or words on a rock and hiding it in the community. The hope is that these rocks will find and inspire someone and help spread positivity.
At Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy, our student chapter of CPNP took on this challenge together to try to make our community a little brighter. Our chapter came together for the second year in a row on November 12th, 2018 to paint our rocks. We painted sunshine and flowers along with empowering phrases like “Live Laugh Love”, “Just Keep Breathing”, and “Smile”. Rocks are typically not the most beautiful thing you may come across in nature and that is why it is so inspiring when you come across a rock that is literally a work of art.
Our chapter was able to paint 25 rocks for the Nashville community, and these 25 rocks will serve many, time and time again. The idea is that when you find a rock, read the inspiring words and receive the empowering message, you hide the rock again so someone else can be inspired.
Our chapter of CPNP went one step further to make this even more applicable to people who may be struggling with mental illness by putting things like the suicide hotline and domestic abuse hotline on the rocks. We wanted people to know that even if you are out in nature where you think are alone, that someone cares for you. According to the 2015 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Behavior Health Barometer of Tennessee, approximately 50,000 young people aged 12-17 years old had at least one major depressive episode in the years 2012-2013. This number is not too far from the national average.
We understand that Nashville is not immune to the mental health problems and stigmas that affect the rest of our nation and world. We hope that our efforts will help people know that they are not alone and that they are never forgotten. The issue is very complex, but our message is simple: someone, somewhere cares about you. If we can inspire people with rocks, imagine how else we can make this Music City “Rock” n’ Roll.