The Importance Of Mental Health Care

IN FLORIDA. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT NEARLY ONE AND-A-HALF MILLION PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITH UNTREATED MENTAL ILLNESS. THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS IS FLORIDA RANKS NEAR THE VERY BOTTOM IN THE COUNTRY FOR ACCESS TO CARE AS PART OF OUR LOOK INTO MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH, WE LEARN MORE ABOUT AN AGENCY IN COLLIER COUNTY HELPING TO PROVIDE FREE ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. >> FOR MORE, I'M JOINED BY BETH HATCH. SHE'S THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR NAMI COLLIER. MS. HATCH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF NAMI COLLIER? >> ABSOLUTELY. SO NAMI COLLIER AS THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS AND THEIR U.S. OVER 650 AFFILIATES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. BUT WE ARE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE HERE IN COLLIER COUNTY TO HAVE A MUCH LARGER AFFILIATE WHERE WE HAVE AND MUCH MORE ARE PARTICIPATION MODEL. WE HAVE A 2 STORY BUILDING AND WE SERVE FROM CHILDREN, INFANTS AND TODDLERS ALL THE WAY TO SENIORS AND VETERANS AND AND MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. SO WE'RE ALL TAKING ACTION FOR MENTAL HEALTH BECAUSE MENTAL HEALTH IS SO IMPORTANT IT TOUCHES ONE IN 4 OF US IN OUR COUNTRY. AND SO MANY OF THAT, THOSE ONE IN 4, ALSO CAREGIVERS FOR A LOVED ONE. WE KNOW THAT CAREGIVING TAKES A LOT AND 84 MILLION IN THE U.S. ARE TAKING CARE OF A LOVED ONE WITH SOME TYPE OF MENTAL ILLNESS OR, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL CONDITION AND THE STATISTICS SAY THAT 32 HOURS ARE ADDED TO A CAREGIVER SCHEDULE EACH WEEK. SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE TO AND ANOTHER FULL-TIME JOB. >> A COLLIER COUNTY TYPICALLY RANKS AS ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA WITH HIGH INVESTMENT INCOME AND HIGH MEDIAN HOME VALUE. SO ONE MIGHT THINK THE NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES IS JUST NOT AS PREVALENT IN A COMMUNITY THAT IS FLUENT THAT THAT IS A MYTH, CORRECT? >> IT CERTAINLY IS A MATH. AS I JUST SAID, THE ONE IN 4 AND THE ONE THING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH THAT DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE ZIP CODES YOU CAN THE THE THE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE MOST NEED OR AND BEAUTIFUL PORT ROYAL AND THE NEEDS ARE THE WE RUN A FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP FOR CAREGIVERS AND THAT IS A COMMON COMMON THING. NO MATTER WHERE THEY'RE FROM. THEIR STORIES ARE VERY SIMILAR. AND WHAT HAPPENS IN THAT GROUP IS THAT THEY REALIZE WHILE MY STORY IS SIMILAR TO YOUR STORY AND IT REALLY REALLY HELPS THE JOURNEY SO THAT THEY'D EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THEY'RE NOT ALONE ON THEIR JOURNEY. AND THAT IS SO IMPORTANT. >> CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH WHAT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ARE? >> THAT YOUR AGENCY UTILIZES TO HELP ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. >> FOR SURE. A QUICK SYNOPSIS. WE WE SERVE CHILDREN, AS I MENTIONED, AS YOUNG, AS YOU KNOW, INFANTS AND TODDLERS. AND WE ARE A HUGE REFERRAL SOURCE FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. CLAIR COUNTY, PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE HAVE A LITTLE OVER 700 CHILDREN THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN WHAT WE CALL CARE COORDINATION. AND SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS WE ARE HELPING THE FAMILY STEP-BY-STEP HEALTHCARE HAS A LOT OF BARRIERS. WE ALL KNOW THAT SO WE CAN REMOVE THOSE BARRIERS AND HELP THEM ALONG THE LINE. WE HAVE A WHOLE CLINICAL TEAM BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT EARLY INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO GET KEEP THE CHILDREN IN, GET THEM DIAGNOSED. IF THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND THEN WE STAY WITH THEM. THE REALLY GREAT THING IS THAT EVERY PROGRAM AT NAMI IS NO COST. SO WE'RE ABLE TO GET THEM AND GET THEM AND THEN STAY WITH THEM. THERE'S NO LIMIT ON THE TIME THAT WE HAVE FOR OUR ADULTS, YOUNG ADULTS AND SENIORS AND VETERANS. WE HAVE A DAILY ADULT PROGRAM. WE WORK ON LIFE SKILLS. WE'LL LOOK AT SUPPORT OF EMPLOYMENT. WE LOOK AT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. WE REALLY ARE THAT WRAP-AROUND CARE. AND AGAIN, MOVING ALONG THE KENYA CONTINUUM OF CARE AND HELPING THEM THE DAY PROGRAM FOR OUR ADULTS. PEOPLE SAY YOU PUT EVERYBODY TOGETHER ALL AGES. YES, BECAUSE THE WORLD IS ALTOGETHER AND THEY LEARN FROM EACH OTHER IN 8TH ARRIVE WITH EACH OTHER AS AS YOUNGER ADULTS, YOUNGER ADULTS, THEY NEED TO LEARN LIFE SKILLS. AND AS WE GET OLDER AS A SENIOR, WE NEED TO RE-LEARN THEM. SO WE JUST HAVE A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THAT WE JUST REALLY ARE THAT HAND HOLDER THAT COMPASS THROUGH LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH CAN BE HARD BECAUSE THERE'S NOT JUST A QUICK FIX. IT CAN TEAR FAMILIES APART AND MANY TIMES SO MANY THAT WE SERVE DO NOT HAVE SOMEONE TO ADVOCATE WITH THEM OR BE WITH THEM. I WOULD SAY IT'S A FLORIDA THING, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY COMMONLY BECOME THAT FAMILY. >> AND WHAT IS THE HOPE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION ULTIMATELY? >> THE HOPE IS JUST REALLY, TRULY THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE SUFFERING ALONE. THERE'S A 13 YEAR GAP. AND FORTUNATELY THAT THAT STAT IS JUST STAGGERING. BUT A 13 YEAR GAP AND PEOPLE'S SHOWING SIGNS OF MENTAL AND THEN GETTING TREATMENT. WE HAVE TO CHANGE THAT. AND AND SO BECAUSE THAT AFFECTS PHYSICAL HEALTH, AS WE SAID, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE. WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE STIGMA. IF SOMEONE HAS DIABETES OR CANCER, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE FIRST ONES TO SAY WHO'S GOING TO GO TO THE APPOINTMENT WITH YOU? WE NEED TO NOT BE AND MAKE IT MORE OF A COMMON STATEMENT. SO WE TALKED ABOUT IT MORE AND DON'T BE AFRAID. LISTENING IS SO IMPORTANT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE YOUR PHD AND MENTAL HEALTH TO SEE HOW SOMEONE'S DOING BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT LIFE IS THROWING AT SOMEONE ON A DAILY BASIS AND LIFE IS HARD SOMETIMES. SO MANY COVERED UP REALLY GOOD. SO WHEN WE SAY, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE YOU? WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING OKAY. >> WELL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION. >> THANK YOU. HAVE A GREAT DAY.