With help and support of the St. Francois County Community Partnership and DMH staff, the St. Francois County Commission voted unanimously to officially form the St. Francois County Mental Health Board on August 30. The formation of the board will help solidify the Partnership's efforts to call attention to the mental health needs of the county's citizens.
The county commission currently is seeking candidates for the Mental Health Board of Directors.
"It's exciting to see that the needs and resource assessments and statistics that were gathered will now be put to good use," said Candy Zarcone, Special Programs Consultant for the St. Francois County Community Partnership. "I believe good changes are ahead!"
Continue reading "St. Francois County formation of Mental Health Board will help sustain Community of Hope efforts" »
In the winter of 2010, eight agencies serving as support centers in their regions took on the task to implement the Communities of Hope grant offered through the Office of Transformation. The goal was to assess mental health needs and develop plans to address those needs in a designated county/community.
“It was more about mental health awareness than anything else,” said Virginia Selleck, Ph.D., Transformation project director. “For the most part, when communities identify problems, they don’t associate those issues with mental health. The Communities of Hope process shines a mental health light on those issues and allows community leaders to see how focusing on mental health solutions can help solve some of these problems.”
Continue reading "Communities of Hope Project helps address mental health issues in Polk and Stone counties" »
The Mental Health First Aid booth at the I Love America celebration July 4 in Springfield was popular with adults and kids alike. The booth featured a coloring contest and water-based tattoos for children, along with information on the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) 12-hour courses being offered in the area.
Springfield and Greene County are included in the MHFA Faith-Based initiative, where local churches and faith organizations will be involved in promoting the MHFA course in a 17-county area of rural Missouri. The I Love America celebration -- sponsored by the James River Assemblies of God -- provided an opportunity to acquaint local residents with MHFA and the initiative.
Participants in the coloring contest are intent on finishing their entries.

Continue reading "Mental Health First Aid featured in Springfield "I Love America" event" »