Community collaboration sought to move mental health priorities forward

   Lack of transportation was identified as one of several roadblocks for central Minnesota residents to get the mental health services, care, and support they need.

   A total of seven areas of challenge and opportunity were recently identified through the Greater State of Mind project. Now, organizers say, it’s up to communities and local leaders throughout the region to address these issues and help those most in need.

A greater state of mind

   In early June 2021, leaders in local government, law enforcement, social services, tribes, schools, community organizations, and mental health care providers in central Minnesota were invited to participate in a mental health needs assessment – also known as the Greater State of Mind project – in an effort to strengthen the region’s mental health care system and boost community well-being.

   The assessment was specific to Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties, and the Leech Lake Band and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe tribal nations.

   The Greater State of Mind project was coordinated by the Region V+ Adult Mental Health Initiative (AMHI) in collaboration with a 14-member advisory group. The Center for Behavioral Health Integration (C4BHI), an independent research company, was hired to conduct the assessment.

    According to Patrick Kinner of the Center for Behavioral Health Integration, LLC, 341 community partners and 110 mental health providers were contacted and asked to participate in the assessment and online survey. Additionally, outreach efforts for consumers, or those impacted by mental health concerns, were done in a variety of ways and methods.

   A cumulative 247 individuals responded, providing a broad representation across counties and cultures.

Key findings

   According to the Center for Behavioral Health Integration, LLC, what became evident in the data collected was there are not dedicated places where consumers, different types of community partners, and providers can come together consistently to address mental health needs across the system.

    “We need to build cross-sector collaboration so the needs of many groups can be addressed,” Kinner said in his findings.

Areas of need identified included:

   • Building community collaboration

   • Reducing the transportation barrier

   • Enhancing the mental health workforce

   • Addressing mental health stigma

   • Creating options for law enforcement response to mental health crisis

   • Promoting culturally responsive care

   • Developing new funding opportunities

   The findings didn’t come as a surprise to many already embedded in the mental health care field; however, the assessment underlined the importance of working in each area, as well as provided additional resources and angles to get the needs met.

   Jode Freyholtz-London serves as Executive Director for Wellness in the Woods, an organization dedicated to improving access to mental health care for all residents of Minnesota, with a focus on reaching underserved communities.

   Freyholtz-London said participation in the process behind the Greater State of Mind project has allowed her organization and the people it serves to have their voices clearly heard.

   “Wellness in the Woods embraces opportunities to help consumers of mental health services have their voices heard to impact systems,” Freyholtz-London said. “It is often difficult to find ways to capture that input. Empowerment of the voice of persons served is essential in the adequate communication of how and why mental health systems can and should be improved.”

What’s next

   Organizers and participants agree this is not the end of a process, but rather a starting point.

   “This is a culmination of the data we collected, and reporting out on those results,” says Kinner, “but it’s really just one step in a larger process. Now, this becomes the community’s work. You and others can use this to continue the work you’re already doing or in new places to address some of the needs and apply some of the resources and suggestions that we have in order to improve services.”

   Kinner also emphasized the importance of community collaboration – from citizens to health care providers – to keep the momentum of this project and encourage others to get involved.

   “The conversation continues in your community. Building community collaboration is key—the most central one in my mind,” Kinner said. “Now, this becomes the community’s work. This needs assessment is intended to underline the importance of continuing to work through them and bringing new resources to bear to do so, which we think comes in the form of community collaboration.”

   To get involved or to learn more about the Greater State of Mind project, visit region5mentalhealth.com.

 About the Region V+ Adult Mental Health Initiative

   The Region V+ Adult Mental Health Initiative (AMHI) serves mental health consumers in central Minnesota. AMHI is comprised of individuals from Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties, and Leech Lake Band and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe tribal nations. The Region V+ Mental Health Initiative is responsible for the identification of mental health service needs and the development of mechanisms for multi-county program development, evaluation, coordination, and implementation, by participating counties or tribal nations, including any other mental health related programs and/or Minnesota Department of Health special project grants. Support and funding for the Greater State of Mind project is provided by regional service cooperative, Sourcewell.