Mental Health America In Allen County Inc

ENSURE THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS FACING MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES ARE SUPPORTED AND GAIN ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES THEY NEED. MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF NORTHEAST INDIANA, INC. IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING ESSENTIAL INFORMATION, RESOURCES, ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION TO HELP INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES BETTER GAIN ACCESS TO THE PREVENTION, TREATMENT AND RECOVERY PROGRAMS THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF NORTHEAST INDIANA (MHANI) IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO PROMOTING THE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH ADVOCACY, EDUCATION, SUPPORT SERVICES, AND HOPE. SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1954, MHANI HAS WORKED LOCALLY TO REDUCE NEGATIVE STIGMA RELATING TO MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH, RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT EFFECTIVE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND SUPPORTS, AND ENCOURAGE POSITIVE MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING FOR ALL.MHANI IS AN AFFILIATE OF MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA, THE COUNTRY'S OLDEST MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY NETWORK, FOUNDED IN 1909. ALL MHA AFFILIATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SHARE AN OVERARCHING MISSION OF PROMOTING IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH BUT FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION AND EACH OTHER, SO THAT EACH AFFILIATE CAN MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THEIR COMMUNITY. MHANI SERVES PRIMARILY ADULT COMMUNITY MEMBERS IMPACTED BY THEIR OWN OR OTHERS' MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES, PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN MENTAL HEALTH OR SOCIAL SERVICE FIELDS, AND BUSINESSES SEEKING TO SUPPORT THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THEIR EMPLOYEES. MHANI PROVIDES SERVICES IN ELEVEN NORTHEAST INDIANA COUNTIES: ADAMS, ALLEN, DEKALB, HUNTINGTON, KOSCIUSKO, LAGRANGE, NOBLE, STEUBEN, WABASH, WELLS, AND WHITLEY. IN 2021, MHANI REACHED APPROXIMATELY 1,800 COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH A VARIETY OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMS, WORKSHOPS, OR TRAININGS AND APPROXIMATELY 15,000 CONSUMERS OF OUR EDUCATIONAL CONTENT.ADVOCACY SERVICES: THROUGH OUR ADULT GUARDIANSHIP SERVICES, PROFESSIONAL GUARDIANS, SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTEERS, ADVOCATE FOR PROPER MEDICAL CARE ON BEHALF OF INDIVIDUALS WITH INCAPACITATING CONDITIONS WHO ARE UNABLE TO MAKE SOUND MEDICAL DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN. OUR DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL GUARDIANS PROTECTED OVER 130 SENIOR ADULTS AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES IN NORTHEAST INDIANA.

EDUCATION SERVICES: OUR FREE TO LOW-COST EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, TRAININGS, AND WORKSHOPS AIM TO INCREASE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH TOPICS TO DIVERSE COMMUNITY AUDIENCES. TRAININGS REDUCE STIGMA, DISPEL MYTHS, AND INCREASE ACCEPTANCE OF THOSE IMPACTED BY MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. IN 2021, OVER 1,000 INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN OUR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, RECEIVING HIGH QUALITY MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING.

PEER SUPPORT: PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE OVERCOMING VARIOUS CHALLENGES PROVIDE WELLNESS CLASSES AND SUPPORT GROUPS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING TOWARDS THEIR OWN RECOVERY. PEER SPECIALISTS CONNECT WITH, SUPPORT, AND ENCOURAGE INDIVIDUALS TO MAINTAIN THEIR WELLNESS. IN 2021, WE PROVIDED OVER 200 HOURS OF SUPPORT TO OVER 600 INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.MHANI ALSO COORDINATES COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER/CERTIFIED RECOVERY SPECIALIST STATE CERTIFICATION TRAININGS ACROSS INDIANA ON BEHALF OF THE INDIANA DIVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION, INCLUDING AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE. THIS CERTIFICATION IS IN HIGH DEMAND, AS THOSE CERTIFIED CAN OBTAIN JOBS DESPERATELY NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITY TO WORK IN VARIOUS BEHAVIORAL AND HEALTH CENTERS. IN 2021, WE CERTIFIED OVER 500 INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.WITH 50% OF AMERICAN ADULTS EXPECTED TO FACE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION AT SOME TIME IN THEIR LIFE (CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION), MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AFFECT NEARLY EVERYONE IN SOME WAY. BY PROVIDING EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF NORTHEAST INDIANA (MHANI) MEETS DIFFERENT NEEDS THAN COUNSELING, THERAPY, OR OTHER MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT PROVIDERS.NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OFFERS FREE ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS. IN 2021 ALONE, OVER 700,000 INDIVIDUALS TOOK THE FREE DEPRESSION SCREENING, AND NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF THEM SCORED WITH SYMPTOMS OF SEVERE DEPRESSION. ALSO, 8 IN 10 INDIVIDUALS WHO COMPLETED THE ANXIETY SCREENING SCORED WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE SYMPTOMS. DATA SHOWS THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE STRANGERS TO MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES.FEWER THAN HALF OF AMERICAN ADULTS WITH ANY MENTAL ILLNESS RECEIVE MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT (NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MENTAL HEALTH, 2020). ACCORDING TO RECENT COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS BY THE UNITED WAY OF ALLEN COUNTY, 40% OF RESPONDENTS STATED THAT THEY THOUGHT SEEING A COUNSELOR, THERAPIST, OR OTHER MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THEM. OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS, 62% DID NOT SEEK HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL, WITH RESPONDENTS INDICATING THEY WEREN'T SURE HOW TO FIND PROVIDERS (22%) AND FELT TOO EMBARRASSED TO SEE SOMEONE (21%). WHILE MHANI DOES NOT PROVIDE DIRECT TREATMENT, THE ORGANIZATION'S WORK TO EDUCATE ON MENTAL HEALTH AND AVAILABLE RESOURCES CAN ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO OVERCOME THEIR UNCERTAINTY AND EMBARRASSMENT TO GET THE HELP THEY NEED.AT A TIME WHEN THERE ARE MANY UNCERTAINTIES IN THE WORLD AROUND US (ILLNESS, WAR, ECONOMIC CHALLENGES, ETC.), MHANI'S MISSION OF ADVOCACY, TRAINING, SUPPORT, AND HOPE IS HIGHLY NEEDED, SO THAT INDIVIDUALS GAIN AWARENESS OF MENTAL HEALTH, ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES TO GET HELP, AND RECEIVE ADDITIONAL INFORMAL SUPPORTS. MHANI'S TARGET POPULATION ARE INDIVIDUALS FACING A MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE AND THEIR LOVED ONES, AS WELL AS THE PROFESSIONALS WHICH SERVE THEM.