According to a recent study published by Lake View Hospital and Lake County Public Health, 21.9% of adults in Lake County report having depression, and 11% of adults “wanted to talk with or seek help from a health professional about mental health concerns but did not go or delayed talking with someone.”
The North Shore Mental Health Group (NSMHG) is an advocacy group “committed to mental wellness through community activities and events, programs, and training.” The NSMHG covers the area of northeast Lake County – Isabella, Finland, Little Marais, Silver Bay, Beaver Bay, and the townships and unorganized territory in the area. They meet the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., usually at North Shore Area Partners. The NSMHG has been in existence for eight years, and has published multiple articles in local papers, raising awareness for mental health. They’ve also provided training in QPR, Mental Illness 1st Aid, and more. QPR stands for Question Persuade Refer and is an emergency response to a person in crisis and can save lives.
On January 16th, the North Shore Mental Health Group will hold an event for community members to learn about the “Community-Based Mental Health Care Model”, or Clubhouse model, which takes the approach to mental health that “every person has the potential to sufficiently recover from the effects of mental illnesses – to lead a personally satisfying life as an integrated member of society; and that every person can take an active role in the development and ongoing management of his or her own recovery.” Clubhouses also provide peer support, and a community-based mental health care model focusing on addressing an individual’s basic needs: social climate, emotional welfare, etc., and providing opportunities towards becoming active community members, while decreasing dependency on hospitalization, drug therapy, and counseling.
Chad Bolstom, Director of Veil Place in Minneapolis and Ambassador to Clubhouses in greater Minnesota will speak at the event. Bolstom and his team will present a community-based mental health care model where Clubhouse members receive access to opportunities to “rejoin the worlds of friendships, family, employment, and education; and to the services and support that they may individually need to continue their recovery towards mental wellness.”
The event will be held from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. on January 16th at the North Shore Area Partners building in Silver Bay. Attendees may come in person or via Zoom. Those who wish to attend via Zoom should email Pastor Dean Rudloff at djrudloff74@yahoo.com for a link to the meeting.
If you or someone you know needs help, the Mental Health Crisis line is 988. Quality education can empower all people to make a difference in their lives and the lives of those they know.
