West Indy News

IU Health West Awards Mental Health America of Hendricks County $10,000 to Establish Open Door Social Club for Mental Health Awareness Month

IU Health West recently awarded Mental Health America of Hendricks County, $10,000 for a peer lead, Open Door Social Club to provide needed social service support to consumers of mental health services in Hendricks County.

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, IU Health West, United Way of Central Indiana, and Mental Health America will celebrate this achievement with a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the peer led social club to the public while offering free mental health screenings to the community on Saturday, April 30th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.

“We are beyond grateful that IU Health West is financially supporting our mission to promote mental wellness in the community of Hendricks County” said Lael Hill Executive Director. “Open Door Social Club provides a safe social & educational space for adults living with mental illness or in recovery for substance use disorder who are treatment compliant. Members can explore through art, cooking, music, games and more. Life skills building, peer support, wellness workshops and educational programs are available for the people we serve.

Evidence based outcomes show the following for people with chronic mental illness engaging in a social club setting:

• Significant reduction of hospitalizations/crisis ER visits
• Reduced incarcerations, criminal justice system involvement substantially diminished while consumers were actively engaged in social club membership
• Cost effective compared to other services
• Improved wellbeing. Members reported having close friendships with someone they could rely on when needed in THEIR social/peer group
• Improve physical health. Statistics suggest that social systems like social clubs that offer ongoing social supports enhance mental and physical health

In addition to the opening of MHAHC’s new social club, MHAHC is to promote Mental Health Awareness Month in May to raise awareness, educate the public about mental health conditions, encourage screenings, and reduce the stigma that surrounds these conditions. One in five Americans will experience a mental health condition each year, and half of Americans will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.

“Mental health is an important issue that needs to be addressed. We are grateful to have Mental Health America Hendricks County working with us on this initiative. We accomplish more together than on our own.  We are thrilled to see the fruition of the Connections Social Club and the positive impact it will have in our community.” – Joy Davis, Director of Guest Relations, Volunteer Services & Community Outreach

MHAHC’s Social Club Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

When: Saturday, April 30th, 2022

Time: 11:00 AM to 2:00 pm

Where: Mental Health America of Hendricks County, 75 Queensway Drive, Avon Indiana 46123, South Parking Lot.

Activities: Tour of MHAHC, mental health screenings, speakers, and snacks

About Mental Health America of Hendricks County

Mental Health America of Hendricks County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote wellbeing in our community.  Our vision is for Hendricks County to be a community that values and enjoys mental well-being and which empowers its members to treat one another with dignity and mutual respect

Our national chapter MHA offers free, anonymous, clinically validated screenings at MHAScreening.org. For Mental Health Awareness Month, MHA has a full toolkit of educational resources for May, titled “Back to Basics,” available for download at https://mhanational.org/may.

Original source can be found here.