United Way Convenes Community to Focus on Mental Health Issues

In the fall of 2009, United Way brought together many from the community who work with peope with mental illness or whose work is touched by people with mental illness.  This included people from Tedford Housing, law enforcement, the area hospitals, OASIS Health Clinic, state agencies, National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI), community mental health provders, and others concerned about mental health issues in our community. 

This team will be working over the next several months to review current community services and resources, where there are gaps in services, and what potential changes can be made to better coodinate current services and to improve outcomes for people with mental health.

Focus on Preventing Underage Drinking
Council members in 2005 chose to focus on alcohol and substance abuse, because they are the root causes of so many problems in our community and elsewhere. They decided the most promising place to intervene would be the prevention of underage drinking.

The problem is serious: data shows that one in six high school freshmen in our area binge drink each month, and that the earlier a child starts drinking, the greater the chances of alcohol addiction, and the greater the chances the child will suffer often irreversible brain damage.

As a first step in developing a community action plan, the Council co-sponsored, with Attorney General Steven Rowe, a public forum entitled: "Underage Drinking in Our Community: Why Should You Care?" There was an outpouring of interest in the subject, with over 160 Mid Coast parents, and law enforcement, school and health professionals attending the forum at Mt. Ararat. Other cosponsors included U.S. SAMHSA and Maine DHHS Office of Substance Abuse, which has also awarded a grant to Mid Coast Hospital to combat substance abuse in our area.

The Council helped sponsor similar forums in Wiscasset, Boothbay and Damariscotta. 

As a follow-up to these community outreach and education forums, United Way was funded by the State to complete comprehensive Substance and Alcohol Abuse Strategic Plans for Sagadahoc and Lincoln County.  One of the key results from the plan was that there is a serious gap in services available for seniors dealing with mismanagement of prescription drugs and abuse of alcohol.  In response, United Way helped to fund a special project at Mid Coast Hospital to provide education on these issues to area physicians, and to partner with community members to better support seniors in the region.