Breaking the mental health stigma in Shoshone County

OSBURN — When Silver Valley CARES proposed the idea for a mental health fair last year, residents were rocked by tragedy.  

Going into the second year of the event, organizer Jenna Grant-Arthun felt though many of the same overarching needs remain, the immediate concern level for the mental health across the community has emerged from a higher crisis level. 

“I think we're all feeling a little better. Last year was one thing after another. We were all kind of struggling wondering what resources we have,” Grant-Arthun said. 

SV CARES stems from the Silver Valley Economic Development Corporation and funding and partnerships with Idaho State University and Americorps to conduct grassroots training for Shoshone County. 

“We've got really any resource you can think of; food needs, substance abuse, domestic violence help, Shoshone Medical Center, Heritage Health, Kootenai Health and the North Idaho Crisis Center, housing help,” Grant-Arthun said. 

The Mental Health Fair takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Osburn Gene Day Park 1504 W Yellowstone Ave, Osburn. About 40 vendors have booths at the event and along with mental health resources and services, there will be family friendly games and activities, snacks, backpacks and school supplies for all ages, music by Johnny McGee, exhibitor passports to be entered in drawings for prizes and free gently used back to school clothes. 

The Smelterville Grocery Outlet made it possible to offer complimentary cheeseburgers, hotdogs, snacks and beverages during the resource fair. 

SV CARES also worked with the Silver Express to provide a free bus shuttle to remove barriers to attending the event. 

Upon its formation in 2023, the group’s first step was alerting the community they were there for support and setting up community training for mental health-related topics. 

In Idaho, there are about 420 people to one mental health provider according to the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin. According to the same data, in Shoshone County, there are about 850 people to a single mental health provider.  

SV CARES has hosted suicide intervention training, mental health first aid classes for adults and youth, Alzheimer's and dementia course and trust-based intervention.   

A partnership with Shoshone Fire District No. 1 led to a burnout/PTSD resilience workshop for first responders and the another with the Osburn Public Library concentrated on family-oriented activities.   

About 20 people became certified in ASIST suicide intervention and about 30 Silver Valley residents are now certified in mental health first aid.  

First responders will be a focus for the group this year, with an emphasis in services geared towards crisis intervention. 

Sheriff Holly Lindsey also put in a request for mindfulness programming for the population at the Shoshone County jail. 

“We would like to put a bit of focus on our inmates and getting them some different classes to help them with mindfulness, stress relief and some tools they can take with them when they’re released,” Grant-Arthun said. 

The practice of relieving stress through tapping taught by a nurse was the best-attended event last year, so bringing it back to the community at large as well as the inmate population in the jail is a goal for the following year, too. 

SV CARES will also be working on local homeless issues and substance abuse within the community. 

Contact Jenna Grant-Arthun at jennagrant72@gmail.com or at 208-512-4198 to get involved in the event or SV CARES.

Learn more about SV CARES resources at https://www.svcares.org/.

    Silver Valley CARES is putting on a Mental Health Fair Aug. 3 at Osburn Gene Day Park at 1504 W Yellowstone Ave, Osburn.