Society has come a long way in understanding that a person’s mental health is part of their physical health. Unfortunately, there are still some stigmas preventing people from seeking the help they need for their mental well-being.
Centennial Area Health Education Center (CAHEC) is working to help Weld County citizens overcome these stigmas and normalize seeking assistance for mental health needs. As part of their Behavioral Health Initiative, The Weld Trust recently awarded a grant to CAHEC to help build an interactive exhibit called Be Mindful-It Matters. The exhibit will be open to the public and show a variety of mental health conditions, as well as how to access behavioral health resources such as stress management, distribute resources, and elicit qualitative feedback from exhibit attendees.
CAHEC plans to bring together various Weld County partners, including the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) Psychology Department, Weld County Public Health Department, and North Range Behavioral Health to build this display to showcase various diagnoses (e.g., PTSD, depression, bi-polar, panic disorder, eating disorders, and others) based on Weld County citizens willing to share their journeys from acceptance of their conditions, to their treatment, and encouraging stories of how they’re living happier lives as a result.
This project will provide an opportunity to connect participants with various resources for themselves or someone they know who could use them. The exhibit will be displayed for 6-8 weeks at a time at various locations around Weld County such as Aims Community College, UNC, Weld County high schools, Weld County libraries, and employers.
The Weld Trust has seven key funding initiatives toward its mission of promoting excellence in health and education in Weld County. Within the behavioral health initiative, The Weld Trust is focused on program areas to include social-emotional learning supports, prevention services, direct intervention, staff development, substance and opioid use prevention and treatment, as well as mental health media campaigns.
The Weld Trust’s vision is to help Weld County become the healthiest county in the state of Colorado. This behavioral health grant awarded to CAHEC will raise awareness and encourage people to seek help for their mental well-being which will be a strong step toward this vision.
