Kern health leaders recognize mental health for May

May 8—With ceremonial green ribbons tacked to their lapels, county health officials on Monday renewed their vows once again for the monthly "fight against the stigma" around mental health concerns.

Observed every May, Kern County will host a series of mind-focused events this month, as a collective part of its Grounded in Health Initiative. Prior campaigns this year tackled other health-based topics, such as exercise, nutrition and sleep.

Stacy Kuwahara, director of Kern Behavioral Health & Recovery Services, opened the floor by saying the county has come a long way.

"Eighty years ago, we were treating mental health very differently," Kuwahara said, in a reference to California's "deinstitutionalization" of people in state mental facilities in the 1950s. "People were coming out of state hospitals and this idea of being treated in the community was very new."

Nowadays, Kern BHRS provides for its roughly 35,000 mental health clients a continuum of care style plan — an interlinked team of psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and other providers — that reflects the variety of needs within any particular community.

Services through the county are free for those with Medi-Cal insurance. In order to qualify, one must go through a mental health assessment and demonstrate a significant mental impairment, such as "not taking care of their physical health." From there, patients can be connected through Kern BHRS, Kern Health Systems or Kern Health Net, depending on their case. Those with private insurance, Kuwahara explained, can acquire services through the county, but may need to pay a deductible or co-pay.

"We are a large enough organization that we can absorb the fees," Kuwahara said. "We don't want cost to be a barrier, because usually if someone is becoming our client, their mental health needs are pretty significant and we really want to make sure they're getting the care they need."

This comes one week after U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy appeared before a Senate committee and declared loneliness as a health epidemic, comparing it to smoking 15 cigarettes a day in an 81-page report.

"Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connections the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity and substance use disorders," Murthy said. "Together, we can build a country that's healthier, more resilient, less lonely, and more connected."

The report found loneliness increases one's risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease and premature death, and was exacerbated during the pandemic, especially among teens and young adults ages 15 to 24.

"Mental health and physical health are equally important," said Brynn Carrigan, director of Kern County Public Health Services. "Seeking help for your depression, as an example, may help address long-term chronic physical health conditions."

Kern recently celebrated its launch of a local 988 suicide prevention hotline, which is another way people can be connected with local services or just ask questions in a non-invasive way.

Of the 3,000 calls by county residents to the hotline, Kuwahara said, about a fifth of calls are from people who are not in a crisis but are asking to be connected to help, or seeking more information on what the county offers.

For more information, visit kerngroundedinhealth.com.

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