The Macomb County Health Department (MCHD) has launched an interactive behavioral health resources map to help meet needs and raise awareness during Mental Health Awareness month.
The map is designed in response to feedback from residents after a county-wide survey showed 53 percent of respondents identified mental health as a priority. Residents of cities such as Sterling Heights can use the interactive tool to locate clinics, women’s services, rehabilitation courses, veterans services and safe medication disposal sites. The new tool also aligns with the MCHD Community Health Improvement Plan, which highlights drug or substance use as a health concern among residents.
According to the MCHD, addressing these areas is essential to creating a healthier community, and is why department leaders spearheaded the map’s development.
“Mental Health Awareness month is important to discuss,” says MCHD planning and quality assurance manager Whitney Litzner. “While many people can get relief from symptoms, less than half of adults receive the help they need. This resource map was developed, in collaboration with many of our Community Mental Health partners, to bring awareness to the resources available in Macomb County and to help those find the services they need.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five adults in the United States will experience a mental health condition in a given year and the economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than $100 billion dollars to the nation annually. The new map aims to increase public awareness of behavioral health services and improve utilization of preventive and behavioral health intervention services that are available in the region.
The map includes over 250 different behavioral health services and additional services will be added as they become available. By clicking on a particular symbol on the map, individuals can learn more about the service, including the address and phone number. Additionally, some locations may include websites or specific meeting times.
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