So I’m chasing a mental health story, with the goal being to explore the potential barriers to accessing services in rural areas. My first step is to find people who are willing to talk to me about their experiences. As most would guess, this is particularly difficult due to the stigma that so often surrounds the topic.
Being out in rural county with no publicly-funded mental health services seems to be both a blessing and a detriment. For one, it means that there is no one location I can go to gather information. But that’s okay, given the number of stakeholders and players in the mental health world. I’ll explain this further later, but first some more benefits and detriments.
One benefit is that if I’m not going to a mental health facility, which is a medical facility, HIPPA laws don’t apply (though there are some other confidentiality laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, IDEIA, that protects children receiving special education services).
Another benefit of a small town, which I discussed in an earlier blog, is the way information travels. Parole Officer Benjamin Nunley both joked and was half serious that because he was born, raised, and married in Danielsville, he was related to a good portion of the town either through blood or by marriage. I’m hoping my name and number will get out there by being passed from person to person.
Another detriment seems to be the effect of rural culture and lower socioeconomic status that results in an increased stigma surrounding mental illness or lack of awareness of mental health wellbeing. PO Nunley said that it’s not rare to find an elderly mom in the small towns in Madison County taking care of her adult son with mental illness, with no formal services being accessed.
So back to stakeholders and players in the mental health world. Here’s where I’ve started and where I will go:
*I’ve already made a visit to the Madison County Parole Office, due to the disproportionately high numbers of incarcerated persons with mental illness.
*I’ve made contact with the Director of Student Services (in essence, the modern name for special education) in order to hopefully get my name to families of students eligible for special education under the category of “emotional disturbance” and the school psychologists.
* I’ve learned of a group home in Colbert that serves adults with mental health issues and mental retardation.
* I plan to go to the local medical clinics to talk with general physicians who may have had individuals with mental health concerns pass through their practices.
* I also plan to make a visit to the police department and emt’s, often first responders to incidents involving an “Emotionally Disturbed Person” (EDP).
All I need is one or two people to share. . . I’m crossing my fingers!
Please feel free to post any suggestions!
All Ebola, all the time
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Liberian journalist Wade C. L. Williams interviewing in the field.
That’s how HMJ’12 graduate Laura Smith described her health communications
work at the ...
The stigma associated with mental health is undoubtedly a potential stumbling block for the journalist who wants to reveal the barriers people face when seeking treatment. If you have cancer, heart disease, or lupus, for example, you are sick. But if you are bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, or depressed there is something "wrong" with you.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have made contact with people in the community who might be able to illuminate the problems associated with the care of patients suffering from mental disorders. You might find some additional help through The Carter Center online (http://www.cartercenter.org). They have done a lot of work with mental health and you might find some information about your county in their archives.
Your reporting strategy is sound and you're right, all it takes is for one or two people to respond -- then you can build from there.
ReplyDeleteTwo thoughts: Does Community Connections, the "211" agency based in Athens, cover Madison County? They might be of help. And what about churches, where people tend to know one another's business and lend a hand when needed.
What about the Department of Social Services? Have you talked to any social workers? Even though they are the busiest people you'll ever meet, it has been my experience that social workers can be either very reticent of talking to you, or they love to talk to you and will tell you everything they know, within confidentiality. they also know the ins and outs of the state bureaucracy, and can tell you where the break downs are, i.e. where the system is broken and how it needs to be fixed.
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of controversy about the safety of the local public and private landfills in recent years. Here is an event I just heard about:
ReplyDeletePUBLIC SEMINAR ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
On Thursday, February 19th from 5:30 - 7:00, the Winterville Georgia Library will sponsor a book reading and discussion of the new release, Achieving the Impossible: Stories of Courage, Caring, & Community. I hope you can drop in and join us as we review the book and introduce you to the NE GA Children's Environmental Health Coalition and Madison County Citizens Organized for Pipeline Safety (COPS) --- both born out of continuing efforts to bring health and justice to families living under involuntary exposures of hazardous waste operations.