Mental Health Association In Delaware

THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE IMPROVED MENTAL WELLBEING FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN DELAWARE THROUGH EDUCATION, SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY

EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY - ALTHOUGH 2021 SAW THE CONTINUATION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, MHA CONTINUED TO BE SUCCESSFUL UNDER UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. OUR STAFF WORKED TOGETHER WITH OUR VOLUNTEERS TO RE-INTRODUCE SOME IN-PERSON SERVICES, WHILE MAINTAINING REMOTE SERVICES THAT WERE BEING SUCCESSFULLY UTILIZED, INCREASING COMMUNITY ACCESS TO WELLNESS GROUPS, TRAINING, AND PEER SUPPORT. WE CONTINUED TO HOST INTERNS, FACILITATE EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND CONFERENCES, AND PROVIDE MENTORSHIP TO PEOPLE IN RECOVERY. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR OUR HARDWORKING STAFF AND OUR DEDICATED BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHO WORKED TOGETHER TO EXPAND OUR SERVICES AS WE ACCLIMATE TO THE "NEW NORMAL." (CONTINUED ON SCH. O)2021 HAS SEEN THE CONTINUATION OF OUR PEER CERTIFICATION TRAINING PROGRAM ON AN ONLINE PLATFORM, MAKING IT ACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE STATE WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SIT IN A PHYSICAL CLASSROOM AT THIS TIME. WE HAVE ALSO CONTINUED TO PROVIDE THE MENTAL HEALTH COURT PEER PROGRAM, WHERE OUR DEDICATED STAFF OF PEER SPECIALISTS OFFER A LIVING EXAMPLE OF HOPE TO THOSE WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND ADDICTION WHICH SOMETIMES LEADS TO COURT INVOLVEMENT. OUR PEERS HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE MENTORSHIP AND ASSISTANCE WITH ACCESSING FOOD, CLOTHING, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION, WHILE TAKING EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO MAINTAIN HEALTH AND SAFETY. WE HAVE CONTINUED AND INCREASED MANY OF OUR EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS IN 2021. WE PROVIDED MONTHLY WEBINARS FOCUSED ON THE MILITARY COMMUNITY ON VARIOUS TOPICS. WE CONTINUE TO PLACE STRONG EMPHASIS ON SUICIDE PREVENTION, PROVIDING A VARIETY OF TRAINING TO HELP DELAWAREANS RECOGNIZE THE WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE, AND CONNECT THOSE IN NEED WITH THE APPROPRIATE HELP. WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE VIRTUAL TRAININGS THAT WERE INTRODUCED IN 2020 TO MEET THE NEED FOR DISTANCE LEARNING, INCLUDING AN ONLINE VERSION OF MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID AND QPR (QUESTION, PERSUADE, REFER). WE ALSO BEGAN ONCE AGAIN TO PROVIDE IN-PERSON TRAINING, WITH CARE FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY, SUCH AS THE TWO-DAY ASIST TRAINING (APPLIED SUICIDE INTERVENTION SKILLS TRAINING) AND PRESENTATIONS TO A VARIETY OF REQUESTING AGENCIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.MHA CONTINUED TO CHAIR THE DELAWARE SUICIDE PREVENTION COALITION, A (NOW VIRTUAL) GATHERING OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AGENCIES FOCUSED ON SUICIDE PREVENTION IN DELAWARE, ESPECIALLY IN THE MILITARY COMMUNITY, AMONG YOUTH, AND AMONG COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS REMAIN AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT WE DO, AS WE STRIVE TO INFLUENCE POLICY TOWARDS AN IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM FOR DELAWARE THROUGH INVOLVEMENT IN THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM AND OTHER POLICY COLLABORATIVES. FINALLY, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO COORDINATE MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS THROUGHOUT THE STATE FOR NATIONAL DEPRESSION SCREENING DAY, WITH SCREENING SOFTWARE THAT CAN BE EASILY FOUND ON OUR HOMEPAGE AND SCREEN FOR NOT ONLY DEPRESSION, BUT A VARIETY OF COMMON MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS.AS OUR STATE AND OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY CONTINUES TO GRAPPLE WITH ISOLATION AND STRESS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, AS WELL AS THE ECONOMIC FALLOUT THAT REVERBERATES THROUGH OUR COMMUNITIES, MENTAL HEALTH IS EVEN MORE OF A PRIORITY. THE FOLLOWING ARE A LIST OF ACTIVITIES WE PROVIDED IN 2021 TO HELP MEET THIS BURGEONING NEED IN DELAWARE:EDUCATIONAL AND AWARENESS TRAINING WAS PROVIDED TO 2,517 DELAWAREANS. DURING THE YEAR, OVER 214 PEOPLE EXPERIENCING DEPRESSION OR AN ANXIETY DISORDER, OR LOSS OF A LOVED ONE TO SUICIDE, ATTENDED ONE OF OUR WELLNESS GROUPS EITHER IN PERSON, OR VIRTUALLY. IN 2021, 261 INDIVIDUALS ACCESSED THE INFORMATION AND REFERRAL HELP LINE TO REQUEST INFORMATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILLNESS AND MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT SERVICES IN DELAWARE. MHA CONTINUED AS CHAIR OF DELAWARE'S SUICIDE PREVENTION COALITION AND ARE MEMBERS OF THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONSORTIUM AS WELL AS PAIMI, THE DCPAP ADVISORY COUNCIL, THE MEDICAL CARE ADVISORY COUNCIL, THE DELAWARE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TEAM, AND MORE. IN 2021, WE FACILITATED TWENTY-SIX QPR TRAININGS (QUESTION, PERSUADE, REFER), NINETEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAININGS, TEN LIFELINES PRESENTATIONS (A SCHOOL CURRICULUM), AND SIX TWO-DAY APPLIED SUICIDE INTERVENTION SKILLS TRAININGS (ASIST), AND THREE HIGH SCHOOL LUNCH AND LEARNS, REACHING OVER 1000 PEOPLE.TOGETHER WITH THE MILITARY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE DELAWARE SUICIDE PREVENTION COALITION, MHA HOSTED MONTHLY WEBINARS, PROVIDING SUICIDE PREVENTION TOOLS AND RELATED INFORMATION TO PROVIDERS, SERVICE MEMBERS, AND VETERANS. MHA HOSTED MONTHLY ONLINE "MHA CHATS," IN WHICH WE BROUGHT IN VARIOUS PRESENTERS TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC TOPICS WITHIN MENTAL HEALTH, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH AMONG CAREGIVERS, TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION, MENTAL HEALTH AND POP CULTURE, AND MORE. E-RACING THE BLUES FOR MENTAL HEALTH HAS SEEN OVER 5,000 PEOPLE CROSS THE FINISH LINE DURING ITS EIGHTEEN-YEAR EXISTENCE. THE EVENT AS WELL AS ITS COUNTERPART THAT IS USUALLY HELD IN SOUTHERN DELAWARE, WAS SUCCESSFULLY MADE VIRTUAL BY PARTICIPANTS WALKING ON THEIR OWN AND SHARING PHOTOS AND TEAMS ONLINE. IN 2021, WE COORDINATED NATIONAL DEPRESSION SCREENING DAY TO BE DONE ONLINE, WITH 13 DIFFERENT SCREENINGS AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR WEBSITE. 446 PEOPLE WERE SCREENED, AND PROVIDED WITH INFORMATION ON HOW TO ACCESS TREATMENT. PROVIDED PEER-FOCUSED TRAINING TO 337 PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND/OR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, THROUGH PROGRAMS INCLUDING DELAWARE PEER CERTIFICATION TRAINING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION CLASSES SPECIFICALLY FOR PEERS. PROVIDED WEEKLY TRAINING, MENTORSHIP, AND GROUP SUPERVISION TO 18 INTERNS WORKING TOWARD PEER CERTIFICATION AT A VARIETY OF AGENCIES IN DELAWARE, THROUGH MHA'S INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. MENTAL HEALTH COURT PEER MENTORS SERVED 22 TO 33 CLIENTS PER MONTH DURING 2021, PROVIDING AN AVERAGE OF 406 SERVICES MONTHLY SUCH AS TELEPHONE AND IN-PERSON VISITS, TRANSPORTATION, AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, HEALTH CARE AND HOUSING. IN 2021, THE 4TH ANNUAL UMATTER2DE HIGHER EDUCATION SUICIDE PREVENTION CONFERENCE WAS HELD, WITH NEARLY 100 PARTICIPANTS. WEEKLY OR BIWEEKLY BLOGS AND EMAILS PROVIDED IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, HELPFUL RESOURCES, AND GENERAL HEALTH TO OUR DISTRIBUTION LIST OF APPROXIMATELY 7000 READERS. DAILY POSTS WITH ENCOURAGEMENT, STIGMA REDUCTION, AND INFORMATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AND EVENTS WERE POSTED ON OUR FACEBOOK PUBLIC PAGE, PRIVATE PAGE FOR MENTAL HEALTH PEERS, AND INSTAGRAM, REACHING THOUSANDS OF FOLLOWERS.

COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SERVICES - THROUGH COUNSELING AND SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAMS, THE ORGANIZATION'S GOAL IS TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING WITH AND UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR MENTAL ILLNESSES. PARTICIPATION IN A SUPPORT GROUP AS A SUPPLEMENT TO MEDICAL TREATMENT INCREASES AN INDIVIDUAL'S LIKELIHOOD OF MAINTAINING TREATMENT. MHA ALSO PROVIDES SUPPORT GROUPS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LOST FAMILY MEMBERS TO SUICIDE.