One local organization offers resources, support for mental health

JOAN AND KAYLEE, THANK YOU, CAITLIN. MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH AND IT’S A GOOD TIME TO CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES. YEAH, ONE ORGANIZATION IS GETTING OUT LATER TODAY TO EDUCATE AND BRING AWARENESS TO THE COMMUNITY. THIS MORNING, WE’RE JOINED BY MARIA TORRES WITH THE SOUTHWEST IOWA CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU, MARIA. SO LET’S START BY TALKING ABOUT WHY IS OUR MENTAL HEALTH SO IMPORTANT TO US? UM, YOU KNOW, AS THE MORE THAT WE GO THROUGH AND THINK AFTER COVID, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE DID NOTICE EVEN THROUGHOUT THE NATION WAS HOW MENTAL HEALTH WAS AFFECTING ALL OF US. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH IS AS IMPORTANT AS PHYSICAL HEALTH. SO WE HAVE TO DO THIS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT EVERY SINGLE DAY ON HOW WE FEEL. BECAUSE AFTER GOING THROUGH ISOLATION AND GOING THROUGH ALL OF THOSE CHANGES, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE TAKING A LITTLE BIT MORE CARE FOR OURSELVES. AND THEN WHAT ABOUT THOSE TOOLS AND THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO SOUTHWEST IOWA? IF YOU ARE DEALING WITH SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES? SO CURRENTLY WE ARE HAVING, YOU KNOW, PEER SUPPORT GROUPS, JUST FAMILY AND FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS. JUST IF ANYONE NEEDS ANY HELP, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND CONNECT THEM WITH RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT IOWA OR EVEN THE NATION. YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU PEOPLE HAVE THE TOOLS AVAILABLE AND THEY ARE FREE OF CHARGE. NOW, TALK ABOUT THE SOUTHWEST IOWA CHAPTER OF NAMI. YOU GUYS OFFER A LOT OF RESOURCES AND YOU ALSO HAVE SOME THINGS FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN AND SEE AND DO. YES. SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE YOU KNOW, WE ARE HAVING A FAMILY, A FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP. I BELIEVE IT’S EVERY FIRST AND THIRD MONDAY OF THE MONTH. I COULD BE WRONG ON THAT DATE, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WHERE WE OFFER FAMILIES TO COME IN AND JUST IF YOU HAVE A LOVED ONE THAT IS GOING THROUGH A MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS AND IF YOU NEED SUPPORT AND IT’S A HYBRID CLASS, SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE UNABLE TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE JUST DON’T FEEL LIKE I JUST DON’T WANT TO BE OUT OF THE HOUSE TODAY. SO IT JUST HELPS OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE. I KNOW THAT I’M ONE OF THE INSTRUCTORS FOR PEER TO PEER BECAUSE I WAS ALSO, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD. SO IT’S HUGE FOR ME AND WANT TO BE ABLE TO HELP. AND I’M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. SO WE’RE LOOKING THROUGH WHEN OUR NEXT CLASS WILL BE. WE JUST GOT DONE WITH ONE. SO, YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST WORKING THROUGH THINGS AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS COMING UP. WE JUST GOT DONE WITH OUR ANNUAL EVENT, SO SO IT’S VERY FASCINATING TO SEE PEOPLE BEING, YOU KNOW, MORE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND THEN TALK ABOUT TODAY’S EVENT THAT YOU’RE PUTTING ON. YOU’RE HAVING THE WALK AND THAT’S FOR THE NATIONAL DAY OF HOPE, CORRECT. SO THIS WILL BE HELD IN ROCKNE, IOWA, AND THIS WILL BE A LITTLE BIT OVER AN HOUR FROM COUNCIL BLUFFS. SO THE EVENT WILL BE HELD AT 1 P.M. AND THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, A FREE OF CHARGE EVENT WHERE IT’S TO RAISE AWARENESS ON MENTAL HEALTH. IT’S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT A FUNDRAISER. IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO GO IN AND GIVE MONEY FOR. IT’S DEFINITELY JUST GO IN THERE, EXPERIENCE WHAT IS GOING ON? I KNOW THAT WE’LL HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS. ONE OF THEM WILL BE TALKING ABOUT HER PERSONAL STORY. SO JUST BEING AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON. AND I QUICKLY WANT TO ASK YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR OWN DIAGNOSIS AND YOUR PERSONAL STORY. DO YOU THINK THAT HELP YOU BETTER CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES RIGHT NOW? YES, DEFINITELY. YOU KNOW, AT FIRST I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, MY MIND, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I EVEN STARTED MY JOURNEY WAS I’M CRAZY. IT’S JUST ME. NO ONE ELSE IS GOING THROUGH THIS. AND AND ACTUALLY, WHEN I STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT AND WHEN I FOUND MYSELF THROUGH NAMI AND JUST HAVING THEM LISTEN TO ME AND HEARING NO, ACTUALLY I AM GOING THROUGH THE SAME THINGS. HOW DID YOU HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH IT? AND I’M LIKE, I’M JUST STARTING. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I’M& DOING. BUT I HAVE FOUND IT, YOU KNOW, AND I AND I TELL THEM THIS ALL THE TIME, BUT I HAVE FOUND MY FAMILY LIKE IT’S JUST BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER AND KNOWING LIKE WE ARE ALL GOING THROUGH SOMETHING. AND IT’S JUST BETTER TO HELP EACH OTHER OUT. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, MARIA, FOR BEING VULNERABLE AND TRANSPARENT AND SHARING YOUR STORY. SO THANK YOU. SO IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE SOUTHWEST IOWA CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR MENTAL ILLNESS, HEAD TO NAM

One local organization offers resources, support for mental health

The Southwest Iowa Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is educating, bringing awareness to the community through advocacy

Updated: 10:36 AM CDT May 20, 2023

May is mental health awareness month, making it a good time and reminder to check in with yourself and your loved ones.The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the largest mental health organization in the United States and locally the grassroots efforts continue. Maria Torres with the Southwest Iowa Chapter of NAMI said after the COVID-19 pandemic it exposed just how impacted everyone’s mental health was. “I think mental health is as important as physical health, we have to think about it every single day on how we feel,” Torres said.Torres said if you are dealing with mental health illness, NAMI offers peer-support groups, family support groups or other resources if you need a helping hand. “We want to make sure people have the tools available, they are free of charge,” she said. Torres said she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it fuels her passion to help others who may be struggling. She said NAMI continues to look at introducing classes to help the community especially as more and more people become aware of mental health as a whole. NAMI is hosting a community walk on May 20 in Rodney, Iowa, to commemorate the National Day of Hope. The walk is free to the community all in hopes of shining a much-needed light on mental health. It starts at 1 p.m. at Rodney Pitts Recreation Park. For more information about resources and other events head to their website namisouthwestiowa.com or click here.

May is mental health awareness month, making it a good time and reminder to check in with yourself and your loved ones.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the largest mental health organization in the United States and locally the grassroots efforts continue.

Maria Torres with the Southwest Iowa Chapter of NAMI said after the COVID-19 pandemic it exposed just how impacted everyone’s mental health was.

“I think mental health is as important as physical health, we have to think about it every single day on how we feel,” Torres said.

Torres said if you are dealing with mental health illness, NAMI offers peer-support groups, family support groups or other resources if you need a helping hand.

“We want to make sure people have the tools available, they are free of charge,” she said.

Torres said she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it fuels her passion to help others who may be struggling.

She said NAMI continues to look at introducing classes to help the community especially as more and more people become aware of mental health as a whole.

NAMI is hosting a community walk on May 20 in Rodney, Iowa, to commemorate the National Day of Hope. The walk is free to the community all in hopes of shining a much-needed light on mental health. It starts at 1 p.m. at Rodney Pitts Recreation Park.

For more information about resources and other events head to their website namisouthwestiowa.com or click here.