Connect Summit County

TO CREATE A WELL-INFORMED AND STIGMA-FREE COMMUNITY WITH ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF SUMMIT COUNTY, UTAH.

BRINGING AWARENESS TO MENTAL ILLNESS ONE OF THE ONGOING CHALLENGES CONNECT FACES IN SUMMIT COUNTY IS DISSOLVING THE STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. SOCIAL STIGMA SURROUNDING MENTAL ILLNESS IS ALL TOO FREQUENTLY THE RESULT OF MISINFORMATION AND LACK OF AWARENESS OR UNDERSTANDING. BY DEPLOYING PEOPLE FROM OUR COMMUNITY AS MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS, WE WILL EMPOWER THEM TO SHARE PERSONAL STORIES- THROUGH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EVENTS, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, DIGITAL AND TRADITIONAL ADVERTISING, AND GRASSROOTS ACTIVITIES. THROUGH THESE CONNECTIONS WE HOPE TO REDUCE ISOLATION AND LOWER BARRIERS TO REACHING OUT FOR HELP THAT THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING MAY EXPERIENCE. CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY HAS BEEN DEEPLY COMMITTED TO REDUCING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PROVIDING THIS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOR MENTAL MAY HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH SINCE 2016. CONNECT NOW PROVIDES YEAR-ROUND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND HAS BECOME THE DRIVER OF A COMMUNITY-WIDE ANTI-STIGMA CAMPAIGN. IN 2021, CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY SHIFTED FROM PRESENTING OUR SIGNATURE IN-PERSON EVENTS TO OFFERING TIMELY, RELEVANT, AND WELL-ATTENDED ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS AND EVENTS THAT ADDRESS COMMUNITY MEMBERS' SPECIFIC MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS DUE TO COVID-19. CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY ELEVATED THE CONVERSATION AROUND AND AWARENESS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND HAS STEWARDED A COMMUNITY-WIDE ANTI-STIGMA CAMPAIGN. IN 2021, CONNECT SUCCESSFULLY STEWARDED A COMMUNITY-WIDE, ANTI-STIGMA CAMPAIGN "PART OF OUR NATURE" WITH INCREDIBLE MEDIA AND MARKETING REACH AND IMPRESSIVE ROI. OUR ENGAGEMENT ON FACEBOOK INCREASED BY 589% IN A MATTER OF JUST A FEW WEEKS DURING OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER, AND OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR LATINX COMMUNITY IS THROUGH THE ROOF. WE CREATED 27 MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR VIDEOS, INCLUDING NINE SPANISH-SPEAKING AMBASSADORS, AND HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN WORKING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO EXTEND OUR REACH. WE ARE PROUD TO BE THE PEOPLE'S VOICE FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN SUMMIT COUNTY.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IMPROVING ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IS CORE TO CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY'S MISSION OF CREATING A WELL-INFORMED AND STIGMA-FREE COMMUNITY WITH ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR ALL. THIS MEANS THE NECESSARY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES MUST BE IN PLACE; PEOPLE MUST BE ABLE TO EASILY FIND THESE SERVICES; THE SERVICES MUST BE HIGH QUALITY; AND THE SERVICES MUST BE AFFORDABLE AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT. ONE OF CONNECT'S SIGNATURE SUCCESSES IS THE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE DIRECTORY. THE ONLINE COMPREHENSIVE AND FLUID DIRECTORY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ALONG WITH MENTAL HEALTH TOOL KITS THAT HELP PEOPLE SELF-NAVIGATE. LAUNCHED AT THE END OF 2018, THE DIRECTORY FEATURES A LISTING OF LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, SUPPORTS, AND RESOURCES IN SUMMIT COUNTY. WE CONTINUOUSLY UPDATE THE DIRECTORY SO THAT IT REFLECTS THE MOST RELEVANT AND CURRENT INFORMATION. ANOTHER ONE OF CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY'S UNIQUE PRODUCTS IS ITS PEER NAVIGATION SERVICES, CREATED IN 2018. PEER SUPPORT IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE THAT HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT WITH SERVICES, EXTEND CLINICAL IMPACT, AND EXPAND CLINICAL CAPACITY. IT HAS ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO HELP DECREASE STIGMA SURROUNDING MENTAL ILLNESS. THROUGHOUT 2021, WE WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH OVER 150 INDIVIDUALS COMMUNITY RESOURCES. WE ALSO LAUNCHED A CULTURALLY-COMPETENT PEER NAVIGATION LINE FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS IN 2021 MAKING THIS SAME RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO OUR LATINX COMMUNITY. MENTAL HEALTH TOOL KITS, INCLUDING ONE THAT ADDRESSES MENTAL HEALTH DURING COVID-19, WERE CREATED AS AN ADJUNCT TO OUR ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE DIRECTORY AND PEER NAVIGATION SERVICES. THE TOOL KITS EQUIP PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT SUPPORT THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. WE ENVISION A COMMUNITY WHERE ALL RESIDENTS, WORKERS, AND VISITORS FEEL WELCOMED, ACCEPTED, SUPPORTED, AND EMPOWERED.

PROGRAM 3 EMPOWERING AND INSPIRING ACTION BY RESPONDING TO THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE OF SUMMIT COUNTY TO INCREASE ADVOCACY EFFORTS AND INFLUENCE MENTAL HEALTH PUBLIC POLICY, CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY HAS ADDRESSED UNMET MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY ACTIVELY ENGAGES COMMUNITY PARTNERS, BRAND AMBASSADORS, AND VOLUNTEERS TO ATTEND PUBLIC MEETINGS TO CHAMPION MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AND PARTICIPATES IN ONGOING ADVOCACY TO CITIZENS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. IN 2021, CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY IDENTIFIED BEING A DATA-DRIVEN ORGANIZATION AS OUR NUMBER ONE STRATEGIC PRIORITY AND PLANS TO COLLECT DATA IS CRITICAL TO SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHING OUR MISSION. WE ARE ALSO ASSISTING SUMMIT COUNTY MENTAL WELLNESS ALLIANCE IN COLLECTING SURVEYS FROM MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS AND HAVE BEEN ASKED TO ADVISE PARK CITY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ON THE COVID-19 IMPACT DATA COLLECTION AS WELL AS THE SUMMIT COUNTY MENTAL WELLNESS ALLIANCE COMMUNITY SURVEY. CONNECT SUMMIT COUNTY STRENGTHENS COMMUNITIES, SAVES FAMILIES, AND CHANGES LIVES.