carla hair and david page
During COVID-19, when much of our collective focus was on isolating ourselves from each other, many people’s mental health issues were exacerbated. we know. But the silver lining was that it forced a conversation about mental illness, which had existed in the shadows for years.
Since then, discussions about mental illness and the destigmatization surrounding it have focused on the larger issue of how prevalent mental illness is.
Each of us is connected in a series of concentric circles, including family, friends, work, and neighbors. And each of us can point out any number of connections in our circle of people who are struggling with some problem or another. Mental illness or disorder. It’s as prevalent as physical illness and disability, but we just turn a blind eye to it.
Here are the latest statistics that resonate with us: Oklahoma’s suicide rate dropped from 13 to 13.th up to 7th Over the past five years, more than 10% of young people in the country have experienced severe major depression, and the number of mental disorder claims has increased by 21% over the past 10 years.
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So now that we see the problem, how can we work together to find a solution? Together is the key word.
Recently, we both had the honor of being asked to chair the GRAND Mental Health Advisory Board. We both said yes because we know the data points within each concentric circle.
The advisory committee met for the first time earlier this month during Mental Health Awareness Month, and it was just the kind of solidarity this pandemic exemplifies. People representing different angles of the issue sat at the table, learning from each other and discussing everything from homelessness to drug use to teen depression.
Additionally, those at the table experienced the leadership focus of GRAND Mental Health. I saw their focus on supporting the community, measuring transparency in results, and finding ways to reduce barriers to providing unrestricted access, as well as their enthusiasm for working with the community. Expand or adjust strategies and processes based on their outreach and results.
The role of this council, along with GRAND, is to ensure that community partners work together to find meaningful ways to address these issues and produce measurable outcomes in the fight against mental illness and substance abuse. To serve as an advocate for real improvement.
At some point we started discussing metrics and results. How do you know if you’re successful? What does success look like?
This is a perennial question about so many things, but I can’t help but think that unrestricted access could play an important role in the overall picture of success.
There are now three certified community behavioral health clinic providers in Tulsa and we hope to increase access, especially for those who have not had access before.
Similar to our role on the advisory committee, our call to action for communities and local health care providers is to come together to discuss these issues, continue the conversation while forming partnerships, and support all The goal is to make sure people have access to treatment. People in need are working to turn this horrific statistic around.
Cara Hair and David Page are co-chairs of the GRAND Mental Health Advisory Committee. Mr. Hare is Helmerich & Payne’s senior vice president of corporate services and chief legal and compliance officer. She is also a former member of the Tulsa World Community Advisory Board. Ms. Page is an employee of Schnake Turnbo Frank and a former vice chair and managing director of JP Morgan CHASE.
