| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2019 |
Contact: SCDMH Office of Public Affairs Phone: (803) 898-8582 E-mail: tracy.lapointe@scdmh.org |
May is Mental Health Month!
Columbia, SC – Recognizing South Carolinians who are living with a mental illness, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) joins the nation in commemorating May as Mental Health Month.
Each year, the SCDMH, mental health advocacy groups, churches, schools and civic organizations strive to raise awareness about the importance of mental health, challenge South Carolinians to consider their views toward mental illness, respect those who live with these medical disorders, and fight the stigma that too often prevents people in need from seeking help. SC Governor Henry McMaster has issued a proclamation declaring May as Mental Health Month.
“There’s a lot of good news at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health,” said SCDMH State Director Mark W. Binkley, JD. “The agency is making good progress toward meeting its goal of having a school mental health therapist in all South Carolina schools by 2022; Crisis Response Teams are active in 29 counties and will be active throughout the state by the end of this summer; and the Suicide Prevention Coalition has released an updated Suicide Prevention Plan to address one of the most serious issues in our State and Nation. SCDMH is not only making great strides in early intervention and improved crisis response, but is also working to develop new and innovative ways to reach those who live with mental illness to receive treatment, achieve recovery, and remain healthy,” he said.
Many SCDMH community mental health centers will hold public events to mark Mental Health Month. For a calendar of these activities, view the Department’s Mental Health Month toolkit, at https://scdmh.net/public-information/pr-tools/may-is-mental-health-month/. To find Mental Health Month events in your area, discover ways you can help raise awareness during Mental Health Month, request a speaker on Mental Health topics, or learn more about the programs and services offered by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, call (800) 763-1024 or visit our web site at www.scdmh.org.
The South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s mission is to support the recovery of people with mental illnesses, giving priority to adults with serious and persistent mental illness and to children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. The Agency serves approximately 100,000 citizens with mental illnesses, approximately 30,000 of whom are children and adolescents, and provides outpatient services through a network of seventeen community mental health centers and numerous clinics. It also operates multiple inpatient hospitals, including one for substance use treatment, one community nursing care center, and three veterans’ nursing homes.
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