NNews-Spring-2022

16 MHA of Monmouth County Expands Services and Increases Impact T he Mental Health Association of Monmouth County (MHAMC) has experienced significant growth in recent years. In 2008, following a five-year term on the Board of Directors, Wendy DePedro, MSEd, accepted the positon of Executive Director with a budget of just under $1 million. Today, that number stands at just over $3 million and now as CEO and President of the organization, DePedro credits the strength of her team and the value of collaboration and partnerships for their success. “Our professional staff has been at the forefront of creating a meaningful system of mental health care in Monmouth County that strategically focuses on eliminating social barriers and mental health discrimination,” DePedro said. MHAMC, which is celebrating its 72 nd anniversary this month, has always had a number of programs focused on youth, case management, social services, family consultation and education, and information and referral. Over the past 14 years, MHAMC significantly increased Community Support Services; broadened youth programs to resolve parent-child conflicts and address family crises; and expanded social services through the opening of a second location, Red Bank Resource Network (RBRN), a bilingual community center providing comprehensive health care, housing, and food, social, and financial resources. Always an advocacy organization, MHAMC became significantly involved in the area of youth suicide prevention after assisting in the response and planning on the county and statewide levels to a suicide contagion affecting youth in southern Monmouth County. “Our involvement eventually led to our current provision of suicide prevention programs for youth and adults. We have provided Lifelines, an evidence-based curriculum, and booster sessions for suicide prevention to more than 200 schools since 2016,” DePedro said. In addition, the agency offers Mental Health First Aid to train community members on the risk factors associated with mental health and substance use concerns and immediate steps to take to de-escalate crises. “In 2016, recognizing that we were operating an agency that offered multiple programs and services, we expanded to include outpatient treatment, obtaining Department of Health/Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services licensure to operate a small outpatient program, NavigatingWellness. We saw this as further opportunity to meet the needs of our existing clients, as well as others in the community, and offer a full continuum of care,” DePedro added. Throughout the pandemic, MHAMC adopted telehealth into its programming to mitigate disruption to treatment and expanded further, and provided multiple webinars to address critical vulnerabilities to everyone who was at risk. These included trauma-informed approaches for educators, strategies for parents and guardians as they adjusted to remote learning, financial wellness, and physical health. “MHAMC will continue to focus on identifying the gaps in the mental health system of care and, both independently as well as through partnerships and collaborations, close those gaps,” DePedro stated. “Our mission is to promote mental health as a critical component of overall wellness, including prevention services for those at risk, integrated care and treatment for those who need it, with recovery as the goal. MHAMC continues to encourage growth and independence through housing and financial stability; expanded social services, community outreach and education to improve the function and quality of life for individuals and families and provide healthy opportunities for youth who are at risk,” DePedro added. To learn more about MHAMC, please visit https://mentalhealthmonmouth.org/. Spring 2022 MHAMC will continue to focus on identifying the gaps in the mental health system of care and, both independently as well as through partnerships and collaborations, close those gaps. - Wendy DePedro, MSEd CEO/President Mental Health Association of Monmouth County