If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health concerns, you can call or text 988 for support or contact the NAMI helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). You can also reach NAMI Athens for resources locally.
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — A new community resource center run by NAMI Athens will soon expand access to mental health support in the Athens County area.
That’s thanks to a $1.125 million state grant through the Ohio Association of Health Plans’ Community Reinvestment Program.
A new grant will allow NAMI Athens to create a community resource hub offering more mental health resources to the area [NAMI Athens].The award is an unprecedented investment in NAMI Athens, which received about $14,000 from its largest annual fundraiser this year.
Director Jordan Pepper said the funding will allow the organization to provide more resources in the region, which doesn’t have enough mental health professionals. Statewide, 75 of Ohio’s 88 counties are designated as mental health professional shortage areas.
“Our quadrant of the state has one of the highest suicide rates, but yet we have the least immediate sources for help,” Pepper said. “People are often tasked with choosing between, do they go to the emergency room, or do I wait for my appointment with my counselor next week?”
Data from the Ohio Department of Health found that in 2023, 11 Appalachian counties saw some of the highest rates of death by suicide in the state. That included Hocking, Vinton, Perry, Gallia and Lawrence counties.
Pepper said the center will be able to provide “in-between” care that can be critical for someone struggling with their mental health but unable to access counseling.
NAMI operates on a volunteer model, empowering those with lived experience to teach and support others in their own community through support groups, classes and peer-to-peer education.
“Even if there aren’t enough trained psychiatrists in the area, could we provide community members to be available, not to provide psychiatry, but to provide support and someone to talk to,” Pepper said.
She noted there’s still a lot to be determined about the center’s location and timeline — but hopes it will help NAMI Athens expand its reach to communities in Hocking and Vinton counties.
“This new funding is just really incredible, because it will allow us to provide a bigger home base,” she said. “Then we can pack up our programming and take it out to surrounding counties.”
In a region that struggles with transportation issues, Pepper said the capacity to bring resources directly to communities is an important step to increasing access to mental health support.
The new resource center will also partner with other organizations addressing mental health issues in the area and help connect people with providers as needed.
She hopes the center will be a positive step in decreasing the stigma surrounding mental health issues, which can prevent people from seeking the same support they might get while struggling with a physical illness.
“We (will create) the center to acknowledge that it is here, it does impact almost every single person,” she said. “People can walk in knowing that it’s not shameful and that they will be met with respect and compassion and hopefully get their needs met.”