Breaking the mental health stigma

KELLOGG — The University of Idaho Extension is holding five free community workshops regarding the Silver Valley communities mental health, identifying any mental health issues or obstacles, and creating an action plan.

This workshop was the second of five that will be held, and during the workshops, community members from all aspects met to pinpoint the specific mental health issues faced by those who live in the area. Once an action plan is created, the U of I Extension will provide $3,000 to go toward the determined goal.

Mental health encompasses all aspects of emotional, psychological and social well-being, influences cognition, perception and behavior, and is just as important to be aware of and care for as physical health.

Around 25 community members attended, from health care to education, but U of I and others who attended would love to see more, specifically those people in leadership roles throughout the Silver Valley.

“We need the leaders of the community,” said Linda Sepa-Newell, a community member working in the mental health sector. “We need school superintendents, commissioners, mayors and hospital administrators to be here and see the specific issues our community is facing.”

Another matter discussed is that the mental health professionals in our area are drained and have difficulty providing help when they might need help themselves.

“Right now, the healers aren’t being taken care of. We don’t have a lot to offer and have to really stretch ourselves to provide services. But who takes care of the healers,” Sepa-Newell said.

The discussion on the negative stigma surrounding the community was held, and how the community can work on normalizing talking about mental health and reducing the stigma it holds.

Another hot topic of discussion was the need for more training for those who do not work specifically in the health care field, but in other professions, like education.

U of I Extension, Mental Health Program Coordinator Talje Hoene explained where other rural communities, like Rigby, Idaho, have utilized the given funds after creating their action plan.

“Rigby are putting their funds towards a pizza oven, and will hold a huge community get-together where they all make pizzas together, and talk about mental health, address the stigma, and make it more comfortable to talk to your neighbor about these issues,” Hoene said.

The next workshop will focus on a specific priority that the funds can be used toward, and further workshops will fine-tune that plan.

The following free Silver Valley Mental Health initiative workshop will be held at 125 McKinley Ave., in Uptown Kellogg, at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 15.