Mental health priority for Dougherty Commission, state officials
Albany HeraldJun 21, 2021
Jun. 21—ALBANY — Reaching out to young people early for intervention and prevention services was the No. 1 goal formulated by a local mental health advisory board, and that recommendation has been picked up by the state.
During a Monday report to the
"We canvass the area and ask a wide variety of agencies and individuals," Davenport, one of the four local representatives of the Region 4 Mental Health,
The focus is not solely on mental health issues, but looking at teaching young people life skills that will help them be successful later in life. Those include critical thinking and anger management techniques.
"People say we need to address gun violence and gangs," Davenport said. "The problem is, by the time they get to a gang, it's too late. We need to back up and go back to when they're 7 or 6 or 5 years old."
In
The state agency also picked up that outreach effort to youth as its top priority, Davenport said.
The other two local priorities were communicating about services and treatment options available in the area and making access easier for individuals to receive in-person services.
Unlike
"Housing (and) transportation are issues," she said. "English is not always the first language spoken in some of our communities."
In many instances, public safety and the court system are the drivers in identifying those who need help and steering them into programs, Commissioner
"The court system is often the first introduction many people have to the mental health system," he said. "When law enforcement is the first person to encounter a mentally ill person on the street, sometimes that is not the best."
___
(c)2021 The Albany Herald, Ga.
Visit The Albany Herald, Ga. at www.albanyherald.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.