Garrett County Child and Adolescent Wellness Workgroup participated in the Garrett County Health Fair at Garrett College CARC in April. Pictured above are group chairman Karl Schwalm, retired physician, and group member Laura Robinson, staffing the booth at the Health Fair.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Although the national mental health crisis affects all ages, the Garrett County Child and Adolescent Wellness Workgroup are promoting a Green Campaign to heighten awareness of recent trends in child and adolescent mental health in Garrett County.
The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data revealed that 37.7% of Garrett County high school students felt sad or hopeless almost every day for 2-weeks within the last 12 months, and 21.5% of high school youth seriously considered attempting suicide. Over the last three years, various Garrett County surveys have indicated that our community considers mental health to be the number one health concern. Additionally, in 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General put out an advisory about the worsening youth mental health status.
The specific goals of the Children’s Mental Health Green Campaign are to educate the community about these trends, increase awareness of available mental health resources, decrease the stigma surrounding mental health, encourage people to discuss mental health issues and increase awareness of the new 988 Lifeline for individuals in need of emergency mental health assistance.
Visit gogarrettcounty.com/may-mental-health-month-2023/ if you or your organization (such as a church, clinic, team, or business) would like to learn more about ways to support the Green Campaign. The website includes a digital toolkit containing fact sheets, coloring and activity pages, pledge forms, a provider booklet, and other opportunities to get involved.
The campaign is sponsored by the Garrett County Health Department with funding made possible by the Garrett County Local Management Board through the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, and others.
