How would we experience improved mental health in our community?

Decreased stigma and barriers to care, injury/self-harm prevention, those with mental health challenges obtain the care they need from reliable mental health practitioners, increased mental health care support for families, and improvements in the broader mental health care system that ensure seamless and continuity of care.

What information led to the selection of this health issue and related result?

Since 2018, self-reported data from Haywood County adults shows increases in the following areas: past-30 day poor mental health, an inability to access needed mental health care or counseling in the last year, not receiving needed social and/or emotional support, and being dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with life. Prioritization team members attributed increases to: nearly 21% of individuals reporting no health care insurance, an increase in the number of individuals reporting homelessness, and stigma for seeking mental health care (WNC Health Network, 2021).