OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Several area organizations are teaming up to provide a plan to address mental health needs in the region.
The partnering agencies include:
- The Douglas County Health Department
- The Sarpy/Cass Health Department
- The Pottawattamie County Health Department
- The Wellbeing Partners
- MAPA
- UNMC College of Public Health
The group calls its plan the Metro Region Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) and said more than 3,500 community members and organizations took part in data collection, analysis and strategic planning.
Based on the data, the group developed its plan which will focus on:
- Reducing the stigma of mental health and substance use disorders
- Increasing connections to mental health and preventive resources
- Connecting people to increased social supports
- Reducing trauma
“Mental health conditions affect people from all backgrounds and ages. People struggling with their mental health may be in your family, live next door, teach your children, work in the next cubicle, or sit in the same church pew. As a community we need to address the barriers that keep people from receiving the help they deserve” says Meka Tate, the mental health campaign coordinator with The Wellbeing Partners.
More from Wellbeing Partners:
The collective partnership hopes this report will educate and activate community members on the importance of mental health, especially as the region grapples with COVID-19 and its disruption to our lives on multiple levels. The report can be accessed at The Wellbeing Partner’s website, thewellbeingpartners.org, and was emailed to the community members and organizations who were part of the process.
Call to action: We ask the community to show their support by submitting a story about why mental health is important to our regional campaign, WhatMakesUs, at whatmakesus.com and facebook.com, which gathers and shares testimonials of people living with mental health conditions and their allies to reduce stigma.
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