LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) – A free Laredo Health Department program is expanding access to mental health services across the city through counseling, community events and resource boxes.
Juntos for Better Health takes a holistic approach to mental wellness, offering services at no cost to adults.
Cynthia Jimenez, health educator supervisor for Juntos, said the program was designed to address gaps in local mental health access.
“It offers more accessibility to mental health services. We understand that we do reside in an underserved community where services at times feel limited. So this is where the program does come in,” Jimenez said. “We offer education on mental health but we also offer direct services like counseling and telepsychiatry.”
The program also hosts weekly community events at the Fernando Salinas Community Center, including arts and crafts on Thursdays and music sessions on Wednesdays. Both begin at 10:30 a.m.
“You discover other things, new, that you can try. For example, like the arts and crafts for mental health. Like I said, not everyone is good with using their words, right? So sometimes through art you can also express and you can also work on yourself,” Jimenez said.
The Laredo Health Department also created mental health resource boxes filled with tips, resources and reminders. The boxes are distributed at locations across the city, including public libraries.
Each box contains a deck of 52 cards, each listing a reason to live.
Stephanie Gonzales, a caseworker with the Laredo Health Department, said the boxes are meant for anyone who may need a lift, even if they are not seeking formal therapy.
“Maybe you don’t need therapy at the moment but you are feeling a little under the weather, you’re more than welcome to look through the box. Maybe something there could lift you up, lift your spirit. And that’s all the box is for, it’s just to give you a little push to just keep going,” Gonzales said.
The department encourages those who find a box and do not need it to pass it along to someone who might.
Gonzales said the program is a reminder that others have faced similar struggles.
“I know it probably feels like no one is, you know, going through the same situation that you are and maybe it’s not exactly the same, but trust that there is so many other stories that are similar. Like that there is going to be someone out there that is going to be able to help out,” Gonzales said.
The health department will host its next aromatherapy workshop March 20 at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
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