Title
To Declare May 2019 as Mental Health Awareness Month in the City of Columbus and to recognize the work of Directions for Youth & Families.
Body
WHEREAS, Mental Health Awareness Month was started in the United States in 1949 by the National Association for Mental Health now known as Mental Health America - the effort was started to encourage and help people and families impacted by anxiety, depression, and the various co-occurring disorders to find treatment, support, and resources to assist them; and
WHEREAS, there are nearly 450 million people throughout the world who are currently living with a mental health disease, yet nearly two thirds of them will never seek treatment; one in five Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime; yet there are millions of people who continue to suffer in silence because of the stigma of mental health, a stigma that is a national problem, not confined to Central Ohio alone; and
WHEREAS, Directions for Youth & Families has roots which date back to 1899, when Associated Charities was established - in 1992 they became known as Crittenton Family Services - offering a resilience-oriented, trauma-informed care, working and training with experts, educators and others through counseling, education and support - impacting and building a healthy community - one individual and one family at a time; and
WHEREAS, the services offered by the Directions for Youth & Families include services to Black Girls which consist of: outreach counseling, office-based counseling, psychiatric, medication management, outreach counseling truancy, school connections, PROMISES (survivors of sexual abuse), Children Who Witness Violence, Children of Murdered Parents/Siblings, Teen Parent Connection, Building Bright Futures (at-risk for school failure), Building Bright Futures Reclaim (Juvenile Court referrals), Healthy Alternative for Youth (substance use), Youth Pride, Anger Management, After-school and Summer Program...
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