Psychological Well being America of South Carolina (MHASC) is taking massive steps to help rural communities within the state, and it is all due to a partnership with Psychological Well being America Nationwide and West Fraser, a worldwide wooden merchandise firm. By way of this partnership, MHASC acquired funding to increase its psychological well being providers to rural South Carolina, and attain smaller cities that will not have entry to psychological well being sources in any other case.
The workforce began by sending letters and useful resource packets to native religion leaders. Since September was Suicide Prevention Month, the supplies included useful bulletin bulletins, sources in each English and Spanish, and details about their Psychological Well being 101 classes, provided each in individual and on-line. Additionally they highlighted the free psychological well being screenings out there by the Psychological Well being America web site.
One particular program MHASC launched to religion communities is “I.C. Hope/Don’t Duck Psychological Well being.” It encompasses a duck mascot and is designed to show each youngsters and adults that psychological sickness is actual and treatable. The supplies are partaking, with a curriculum for academics and adults, and even enjoyable objects like coloring pages, stickers, and craft provides for a paper sack puppet. This initiative makes studying about psychological well being interactive and accessible for all ages.
MHASC additionally labored with MHA Nationwide to get a novel QR code for MHA’s Nationwide Prevention and Screening Program to allow them to study extra about how folks in South Carolina use the psychological well being screenings. Over the subsequent few months, MHASC will proceed to develop its efforts in rural communities, due to the West Fraser grant. This consists of providing extra coaching in Psychological Well being First Support, internet hosting suicide consciousness packages, and organising cubicles at occasions to unfold the phrase about psychological well being sources.
MHASC has been busy with different initiatives, too. Previously 12 months, the group gave their web site a makeover and arranged two main conferences—one specializing in suicide prevention and one other for peer supporters. Each had been funded by a grant from the South Carolina Division of Psychological Well being, they usually’re already planning conferences for 2025.
Along with rural outreach, MHASC has additionally maintained a presence at Soda Metropolis Market, a weekly market in downtown Columbia. There, staffers arrange a desk with Psychological Well being America supplies, together with sources from different organizations just like the native chapters of the American Basis for Suicide Prevention and the Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness to achieve much more folks.
Lastly, MHASC celebrated its seventieth anniversary with a 70s-themed social gathering! Regardless of the rain introduced by Hurricane Helene, which later hit elements of South Carolina and continued to have an effect on North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, they nonetheless marked this necessary milestone. Their hearts exit to everybody impacted by the storm.