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Healthy Minds of CULA was created in order to raise awareness for mental health in McDowell County and North Carolina at large. We intend to educate the community on mental health issues and the repercussions of letting sudden unattended psychological changes go out of control.
One of the reasons this was introduced is to address the stigmatization of mental health so it can be taken more seriously among various communities. When it comes to mental health, most folks associate it negatively with anxiety, depression, and suicide when there is actually more to it than that.
Mental health is like our physical health, if we don't take care of our bodies, we do not perform as well as we would if we were a hundred percent healthy, we must know how to take care of our minds so it does not affect our everyday lives.
We have also noticed that in the Hispanic/Latino communities, mental health is rather obsolete and isn't talked about a frequently as it should be among families. We believe that this is due to traditionalism among the cultures where that is just not a topic to discuss, but we hope to change that with this program.
Four of our staff members are certified in both QPR Suicide Prevention and Mental Health First Aid and are about to begin a third certification for Teen Mental Health First Aid. We will use these trainings to educate the community on mental health crisis' for themselves, their families, and their friends. Our methods for doing so will be done in the form of public forums, in person or virtual workshops, and mental health related events.
Remember, we are NOT certified to treat or diagnose, but we can help to asses, empathize, and refer you to a specialist.
In addition to that, in 2021, Blue Cross Blue Shield, NC College of Emergency Physicians, and the Nurse association of North Carolina were among eleven health based agencies who penned a letter to the Health Association of North Carolina where they stated that North Carolina is in a mental health state of emergency.
They also say that the resources in the current mental health system in the state are not adequate enough to meet the skyrocketing demand of mental health assistance today.
For the full article, click the link below.