Valley CARE Coalition Updates Community

The Valley CARE Coalition held their annual meeting on March 22 at the Glasgow Evangelical Church to remind the community what they do, what they have accomplished over the past year and discuss what the future could hold for the group with input from those in attendance. According to event organizers, nearly 30 people were in attendance, ranging in all ages, background and profession.

“I really loved seeing LCPC [Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor] another counselor in the community and a licensed addiction counselor there that have active licenses and I just thought that was incredible….People with the capability to make change are there representing and at the table,” explained Katrena Palmer, with Eastern Montana Mental Health and a volunteer with the CARE Coalition.

The meeting started with an introduction by Commissioner Mary Armstrong, who is the county representative on the Coalition followed by Mary Hughes, of the Eastern Montana Mental Health Office, explaining what the Coalition does and the key stakeholders that help makes their mission possible.

The Coalition’s mission is to facilitate positive changes that reduce stigma and raise awareness around behavioral health while also further connecting or improving upon Valley County resources for achieving wellness to the benefit of its community members. They envision a healthier Valley County with full understanding of accessible resources and universal opportunity to achieve wellness in every capacity. Their goal in 2022 is to address mental health, substance use, nutrition and physical aspects, all aspects of community health. “We hope to accomplish a healthier Valley County,” stated Hughes.

The coalition’s structure is made up of community organizations and volunteers that share the common mission. The first of its two parts is the steering committee which includes representatives from Eastern Montana Mental Health, the Glasgow Police Department, the Valley County Commissioners, the Valley County Health Department and Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital (FMDH), who provide general oversight, resources and sustainability. The second part is action groups, which are made up of member organization employees and community volunteers to address the aspects of community health that the Coalition has decided to address in 2022. Michelle Norcutt, from the Valley County Health department, is leading the behavior health group while the Coalition is still looking for someone to fill the vacancy to lead the physical activity and nutrition group.

In addition to the group’s goals and mission, Alissa Kuka, director of nursing at Valley View Home, shared information on Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) trainings, as she is a certified trainer and has trained a number of different groups throughout the community. QPR is an approximate hour and a half training to learn how to question, persuade and refer someone who may be suicidal and/or in a crisis. The training provides the tools on how to recognize the warning signs of suicide, how to get help for someone in crisis and the common causes of suicidal behavior. “The feedback I have received in doing these trainings have been really positive,” explained Kuka.

Jamie Helm, who is currently interning under Dr. Martin, psychologist at FMDH, then discussed how mental health doesn’t just affect people mentally but also physically, socially, financially. “Our community is affected by mental health. We need to make it a daily topic for kids and adults. It’s past the time mental health is a personal/family problem,” she stated. She also shared a personal story of how mental health has affected her personally as well as how the effects of mental health have affected those around her. Teresa Tade, of the former Soropromist International, spoke about her own experiences with mental health and reiterated how mental health can also affect those financially. Due to the financial struggles that are affected by mental health, she explained that the group has changed the mission of Project Smile, which was used to provide funds for women and children to assist with dental needs. Now, the mission of Project Smile is to provide support and instill hope for those in need. Most recently, the project has donated funds to Eastern Montana Mental Health to use how they see fit. “We want people to know they are worthy,” stated Tade. According to Palmer, funds have been used to purchase items for individuals and families in need of the extra help, including fuel and grocery gift cards.

“It was so impactful to have these guest speakers during this year’s event. It really hit home the necessity to talk about mental health with kids and adults,” explained Taylor Zerbe, a volunteer for the Coalition and a representative of FMDH on the Coalition.

The meeting concluded with a group discussion to ask questions and share ideas about how the Coalition can continue to achieve their goals.

“I loved that gentleman, who is in his 20s, reached out about how it was advertised but he was the only one in that huge at risk group for suicide that’s there. I thought that was a wonderful comment and it’s something that we need to target,” reflected Palmer. “We need people like that to collaborate at the table with us.”

The Coalition meets the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. at the Valley County Courthouse Community meeting room and their next scheduled meeting is April 12. Other upcoming events for the Coalition include the Mental Health Awareness Walk and Community BBQ on June 9 as well as a QPR training on June 21 at the Glasgow Evangelical Church. Those interested in QPR trainings before the scheduled training are welcome to contact Kuka directly at 406-426-4076, [email protected] or by contacting Valley View Home during business hours at 406-228-2461.

The Coalition also welcomes anyone to share their personal stories on mental health anonymously by submitting it to http://www.valleycarecoalition.com/featured-stories-from-the-strong. These journeys take courage and are a sign of strength. By sharing these stories, the hope is to raise awareness for these experiences and show others they are not alone.

For more information on the Valley CARE Coalition visit their website http://www.valleycarecoalition.com/ or email them at [email protected].