The Mental Health Collaborative was formed in June 2023 as a result of the 2022 CHA priorities. This collaborative consists of community partners who either work for an agency/organization in the area of mental health or have a personal or invested interest in the topic. Using the Results-Based Accountability (RBA) framework, the Mental Health Collaborative created a result statement that was finalized in late 2023. The statement reads as follows “All individuals in Randolph County will have good mental and emotional health with access to mental health services and are free from stigma”. 

After the holiday break the collaborative held their first meeting of the new year in January 2024. New members joined the collaborative. The group reviewed the strategies and finalized them. The collaborative selected strategies to help increase awareness of mental health services and identify and assist people in a mental health crisis.  

The strategies created by the Mental Health Collaborative include:

• Promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline throughout Randolph County.
  • As of now the collaborative has promoted the 988 lifeline with the community members they work with. Randolph County Public Health has promoted 988 on social media and has distributed educational materials throughout the county. More will be done to promote this service in the years to come. 
  • Data for this strategy has only been collected at the state level. We have not been able to get county-level data yet but we are working on it. 
  • Stata level data: In December 2023, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) launched a 988 performance dashboard that reports data on call volume, reason for calling, resources offered to the caller, etc. In North Carolina, from February 2023 to January 2024 the call volume to 988 was 68,840 calls. The top three reasons for people calling 988 are interpersonal/family (34,046), depression (15,451), and threat to self (13,058). The caller can report multiple reasons for calling.
• Determine training needs among employees/employers and the public regarding how to cope with/identify mental health issues among clients, family, friends, etc
  • This strategy was newly developed in the January 2024 meeting. As of now, the collaborative is looking into what mental health first aid programs the group will pursue. 
  • Since this strategy is new this year (2024), we don't have any data to report as of now. 

The collaborative decided to meet every other month throughout the year. The next meeting will be in late March 2024 to discuss these strategies and next steps. 

The collaborative wants to increase the awareness of mental health resources to the public. One great resource the group discussed is the 988 lifeline. Promotion of this service will connect individuals in Randolph County to needed services that will assist them with mental health crises and resources. The collaboratve intends to promote 988 with the community by sharing promotional materials through several avenues (social media, health fairs, community evetns, etc). 

On July 16, 2022, the three-digit 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline went live nationwide. When someone calls the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, they are connected to trained counselors who provide free and confidential emotional support to people in a mental health crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in the United States. (988lifeline)

“The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a leader in suicide prevention and mental health crisis care. Since its inception, the Lifeline has engaged in a variety of initiatives to improve crisis services and advance suicide prevention for all, including innovative public messaging, best practices in mental health, and groundbreaking partnerships.” (988lifeline)

988lifeline.org