Passion for Prevention: How one community’s actions impacts mental wellness

Law enforcement often comes in contact with individuals who need behavioral health care rather than lawful arrest or incarceration. To provide immediate and appropriate care in these situations, more communities are pairing behavioral health professionals with police officers when responding to a crisis situation. This collaboration works to reduce unnecessary incarceration and emergency department visits by connecting the individual in need to the appropriate support and resources, benefitting and protecting all who are involved. It’s about the right intervention, at the right time, by the right person.

In this episode, I speak with Tim DeWeese, Director at Johnson County Mental Health, about Mobile Crisis Response to assist first responders. We’ll also talk about the “Zero Reasons Why” campaign designed to disrupt youth suicide, and how community engagement can impact our culture’s ongoing mental health conversation.

In this episode, Tim and I discuss:

• Tim’s professional pride in providing immediate access to care
• Details about the co responder program and how to start one
• The youth-led campaign that has reduced youth suicide, even during the pandemic
• How a positive community response about mental health should look

Resources:

• Mental Health Moments - weekly emails
• “Front Line Support” - an emergency crisis counseling initiative supporting the front-lines
• #ZeroReasonsWhy Campaign - to disrupt teen suicide through expanded story-telling and social media content
• The Johnson County Suicide Prevention Coalition - a community coalition with nearly 500 members, representing dozens of sucide prevention initiatives
• It's Okay if You're not Okay Podcast
• Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation - information on anxiety and self-care resources
• Whole Healthy You (WHY) - The Mental Health Center joined the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in launching the WHY campaign with the goal to capture the attention of adolescents and young adults and direct them to the State’s new Youth Health Guide.
• Elevate for Educators - Elevate for Educators covers seven important topics, including Mental Well-Being for Educators, Managing Mental Health Challenges, Mindful Living, Developing Coping Skills, Supporting a Friend or Loved One, Building Strengths and Motivation, and Strategies for Stress Management
• Racial Trauma - information and resources on racism and racial trauma

If you want to hear more episodes like this one, look for the Netsmart CareThreads podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher.