TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — AIM, a new partnership between Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and Apalachee Center has launched to expand mental health resources.
- The collaboration will bring on-site counseling and behavioral health support to Bethel Christian Academy.
- The partnership will also include a public awareness campaign to destigmatize mental health and highlight available resources.
- Watch the video below to find out what services will be on offer to the community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A new partnership between Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and Apalachee Center is bringing new mental health training to this community in an effort to reduce stigma around mental health illnesses and spark conversation.
"This is a watershed moment," said Reverend R.B. Holmes of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, announcing the launch of AIM, the Apalachee-Bethel Initiative for Mental Health.
"Making these programs, counseling, available to all zip codes, that's why we're here," said Holmes.
Community partners met Friday to roll out new mental health training to the Bethel community, Frenchtown, and surrounding neighborhoods.
"To identify and set up programs for people living in marginalized communities that are dealing with many issues from mental, physical, emotional," said Holmes. "We must bring the services to the people and not expect the people to come to the services."
Apalachee Center said last year, they served 1300 individuals from the 32304 and 32301 zip codes, 114 of them children and youth.
Apalachee Center will be providing on-site support, including counseling and crisis response to the Bethel Christian Boys Academy, as well as mental health training to the entire Bethel community.
For Principal Craig Simmons of the Bethel Christian Academy, it's support he said is needed with more students dealing with mental health issues.
"We've noticed that students much younger, now we're seeing students who are dealing with trauma, stress, anxieties, those types of things at the age of three and four and five," said Simmons.
So, AIM will also give communities the tools they need to identify behavioral health, which in some instances can drastically impact families.
"It can impact folks' ability to think, the ability to have accurate readings of other people's feelings, their ability to go to work," said Jay Reeve, President and CEO at Apalachee Center.
The partnership will also include a public awareness campaign to reduce stigma around behavioral health.
Apalachee Center said they're hoping to roll out this training by the start of next year.
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