TO: Mayor Alan Adomite of Troy, Illinois

FROM: Nicole Price

DATE: March 1, 2019
RE: Once a Month Communal Mental Health Day

Purpose:

I propose a once a month day of mental health care. I propose that once a month
counselors, therapists, psychologists, even social workers from our town gather
together and provide those with no insurance, a day of mental health visits. Between the
eight of us, we all should be able to provide enough individuals with some assistance
toward a better level of mental health.

For many individuals, there aren’t enough resources for them to be able to access.
From insurance complications, lack of insurance, inability to pay due to too high of rates
or lack of funds. With these issues brings the real underlying issue(s) as to why these
individuals are wanting to seek help. Depression, anxiety, body dysmorphic disorder,
self-identity issues.

Veterans with PTSD would be a prime example of those who we would like to see. They
are the ones who help defend our country, and yet once home, aren’t given the proper
resources to help themselves be the best they can be for themselves and their families.
We are all equipped to see a varying range of individuals. There are no mental
disorders that would be too big or too small for us to assist. Mental health disorders are
more common than heart disease and cancer combined.

However, for too long, mental illnesses and substance use disorders have been treated
as separate and tangential to our overall health and well-being. Because of this,
accessing mental health services is not as simple as making an appointment with your
family doctor. The stigma surrounding mental illness and substance use disorders often
prevents people from seeking treatment, and those who do want help are not sure
where to turn. Mental illness and substance use often co-exist with other health
problems, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Treatment can reduce
the negative effects of these disorders.

Description:
This event of a day of mental health, once a month can help provide everyday people
with the skills to help themselves, who are experiencing a mental health crisis or
intervene early enough to potentially prevent a crisis from occurring. The event is based
on the principle that early intervention may prevent crises from becoming more severe.
This can become a reality by encouraging people to seek help early enough to improve
recovery outcome.

We would be bringing a sense of peace, calm, understanding, and self-worth to those

who have lost all of that. With a sign-up sheet at our local township office, we would be
able to anticipate the needs of those who were to show up. Appointment reminders
would be phoned to them two days before to be doubly sure of the volume of clients we
would be seeing. The potential this event could have on our community would be
exponential.

To make this event a dream, we as psychologists, therapists, counselors, and social

workers would apply for a 501(c)(3) to gain our non-for profit license. This would make
is an official non-for profit event, making the possibility of fraud being thrown out the
window. We want this event to be as professional and legal as possible. We understand
the thoughts some may have when they think of us donating our time, “well, what about
getting paid?” That doesn't matter for this event. If an individual were to want to donate,
or even a sponsor, it wouldn’t go into our pockets. It would be solely for those who come
to the event once a month. The funds would go to any toiletry needs within our offices,
snacks, and beverages. Though, all of that can be bought out of our own pockets.

This is an event that we not only are passionate about and want to happen, but it also
needs to happen. To have a sense of good mental health for all, we need to maintain an
overall healthy life. With all of our backgrounds, we are all well equipped to handle
whatever case is thrown at us.

Through this event, we can help those who are in need to help themselves by teaching
them coping skills along with skills in stress management and communication skills. As
well as increase their understanding and acceptance of their emotions. We will enhance
their self esteem, and increase their understand of mental illness along with its causes
and treatments. Overall, we will break down the stigma surrounding mental health
issues.

Case Studies:

Social Stats:
 ● Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences
mental illness in a given year.
● Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S.—9.8 million, or 4.0%—experiences a
serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits
one or more major life activities.
● Only 41% of adults in the U.S. with a mental health condition received mental
health services in the past year. Among adults with a serious mental illness,
62.9% received mental health services in the past year.
● Just over half (50.6%) of children with a mental health condition aged 8-15
received mental health services in the previous year.
● 18.1% of adults in the U.S. experienced an anxiety disorder such as
posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and specific
phobias.
● Among the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a substance use
disorder, 50.5%—10.2 million adults—had a co-occurring mental illness.

Consequences Of Lack Of Treatment:

● Mood disorders, including major depression, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar

disorder, are the third most common cause of hospitalization in the U.S. for both
youth and adults aged 18–44.
● Individuals living with serious mental illness face an increased risk of having
chronic medical conditions. Adults in the U.S. living with serious mental illness
die on average 25 years earlier than others, largely due to treatable medical
conditions.
● Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14-–21 and
older who are served by special education drop out—the highest dropout rate of
any disability group.
● Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the 2nd leading cause
of death for people aged 10–34.
● More than 90% of people who die by suicide show symptoms of a mental health
condition.
● Each day an estimated 18-22 veterans die by suicide.
(https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers )

Timetable:

Ideally, this event would start on the third Saturday after this proposal were to be
granted. From then on out, depending on the volume of individuals who were to sign up,
the event would be every third Saturday from then on out. Unless due to illness, or
family emergencies.

Costs:

We would off this event at no cost to those who chose to sign up. The only technical out
of pocket cost would be that of any type of food or beverage we were to decide to
purchase for those who signed up. Yes, technically, we would be out the costs for the
visits themselves, but the main objective here isn’t compensation, it’s helping those who
are unable to help themselves.

In order to accelerate the growth of mental health awareness in our community applying
for the Mental Health First Aid program would be a start. The National Council funds the
delivery of courses across the country. Local communities can receive a grant, not to
exceed $5,000 based upon their training capacity. Local sites will compete through a
request for proposal (RFP) process. The National Council Mental Health First Aid team
will establish and implement the selection criteria.

The grant above would be a great opportunity to apply for. To be able to have some
type of assistance other than our out of pocket cost, would be helpful, but not
necessarily needed. Between the eight of us, we could make costs for other items that
we felt were necessary.

Conclusion:

To be able to have this event become a reality is yet still a dream. There are far too
many individuals in our nation, let alone our own town, who are in need. By providing
services to them, it could start to release the tension within our homes and our
community. Those who are living with mental illness need this more than we need
compensation. Seeing them get better is our goal. Making a difference in them makes a
difference for us. I do hope that you consider this proposal and help us make this dream
a reality. Thank you for your time.