The Kentucky General Assembly held a joint committee meeting Wednesday to address a growing concern about mental health. State and local leaders came together to talk about the work being done and what needs to continue.“We're really experiencing quite the epidemic of mental health and behavioral health challenges in our community,” said Danielle Amrine, CEO of NorthKey Community Care.NorthKey provides community mental health resources.According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults experience a mental illness each year, and nearly 746,000 in Kentucky. But there's growing concern for the youngest population.“We're seeing definitely some different issues nowadays than we did in the past,” said Angela Fox, Behavioral Health Youth Treatment, NorthKey. “It’s no longer just as simple as I'm sad or I don't want to go to school or things of that nature. You know, we're seeing increased suicides.”Earlier this year, five teenagers died by suicide in Boone County within two months. Fox, who works inside schools, is focused on getting more resources to Kentucky kids.“They can call our crisis line, and the mobile unit can show up and help do the assessment to determine if there really is intent,” Fox said.During Wednesday’s committee hearing, leaders also highlighted the state's 988 helpline.“We get thousands of calls and texts a month,” Amrine said. “What keeps me up at night is making sure that people have access to services. That's what we're here for. If somebody is hurting, they can reach out and talk to somebody. If somebody is struggling they have a resource, they have a lifeline to be able to safely plan and talk with somebody about what their challenges are.”To learn more about the resources available, check out the links below: https://dbhdid.ky.gov/mh https://namiky.org https://www.northkey.org https://988.ky.gov
COVINGTON, Ky. —
The Kentucky General Assembly held a joint committee meeting Wednesday to address a growing concern about mental health. State and local leaders came together to talk about the work being done and what needs to continue.
“We're really experiencing quite the epidemic of mental health and behavioral health challenges in our community,” said Danielle Amrine, CEO of NorthKey Community Care.
NorthKey provides community mental health resources.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults experience a mental illness each year, and nearly 746,000 in Kentucky. But there's growing concern for the youngest population.
“We're seeing definitely some different issues nowadays than we did in the past,” said Angela Fox, Behavioral Health Youth Treatment, NorthKey. “It’s no longer just as simple as I'm sad or I don't want to go to school or things of that nature. You know, we're seeing increased suicides.”
Earlier this year, five teenagers died by suicide in Boone County within two months. Fox, who works inside schools, is focused on getting more resources to Kentucky kids.
“They can call our crisis line, and the mobile unit can show up and help do the assessment to determine if there really is intent,” Fox said.
During Wednesday’s committee hearing, leaders also highlighted the state's 988 helpline.
“We get thousands of calls and texts a month,” Amrine said. “What keeps me up at night is making sure that people have access to services. That's what we're here for. If somebody is hurting, they can reach out and talk to somebody. If somebody is struggling they have a resource, they have a lifeline to be able to safely plan and talk with somebody about what their challenges are.”
To learn more about the resources available, check out the links below:
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