Texas Tech Mental Health Initiative forms new partnership to expand services to community
Lubbock Avalanche-JournalAug 25, 2020
Members of the Texas Tech Mental Health Initiative stressed the importance of mental health services in
The group announced they would be forming the West Texas Mental Health Collaborative, which will include working with community partners and leaders to support families and individuals with mental health challenges.
The announcement comes after an assessment by the
"One finding shared from the Meadows Report is that mental health needs continue to be cared for separately than physical needs," said Dr.
The collaborative's
The formation of the collaborative was an important time for
"Mental health is one of those things that, because people don't like to talk about it, it's a hidden disease no one ever really deals with," said Mitchell.
Mitchell said they were not in the best position on how to get the care out to those in need, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made telehealth more accessible.
"We're now in a position to be able to hand this care to people that need it," said Mitchell. "We've really moved forward by leaps and bounds."
"As a world class medical hub,
Mayor
"We think there's much work to be done and we're ready to go to work," said Pope.
Pope reflected on his own experience of understanding of mental health services, saying he's known the topic to be taboo.
"I know personally, it took me a long time to get to the point of realizing counseling and talking to someone about what might trouble you or your marriage is something that makes you stronger," said Pope. "It's not a sign of weakness."
Members of the collaborative hope to serve as a bridge to create and expand treatment including counseling services, crisis response, substance use treatment, intensive outpatient treatment and inpatient treatment capacity for children and adults.
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