Staying Mentally Stable is Key
Co-authored by Nita Black and Paula Milner
Have you or your co-workers ever missed work due to depression or anxiety? Has this resulted in difficulty maintaining mental health or healthy lifestyle? Staying hopeful is key to surviving crisis such as a Pandemic. Agencies like Visions of Hope can help you stay healthy.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression alone costs the economy an estimated $210.5 billion annually. Depression causes more lost workdays and impairments than arthritis, asthma, back pain, or diabetes (www.psychiatry.org).
Visions of Hope is in Memphis, TN, operating as a licensed substance abuse and mental health company. The agency serves clients living in the mid-south community. Their mission during this time of COVID crisis and beyond is to be a one-stop-shop for clients suffering from depression and anxiety.
Services help keep individuals mentally healthy which minimizes missed work and improves workforce performance. During the Pandemic Visions of Hope has adjusted services to include zoom meetings and follows social distancing guidelines to provide on-campus drug testing.
Several contract opportunities won by Visions of Hope during the past year include gaining relationships with the Department of Justice, the Parole Board, and the Service of Probation and Parole. They also received licensure to fund some services for the Department of Human Services and the courts. With these wins, there have been some challenges in 2020. Visions of Hope is moving forward to become more tech-savvy in the subsequent year so that they can provide more Telehealth and increase remote services. As in many businesses, funding can be a challenge although the agency is hopeful that they will become better equipped to serve individuals who need help so they can continue to work and maintain stability in day-to-day living during the Pandemic.
The topic of mental health and substance abuse is not easy to discuss, but if you or someone that you are close to need help, please reach out to Annie Ivory and Visions of Hope Behavioral Health Services. They currently accept appointments by walk-ins, referrals, or phone calls.
We hope you enjoyed this blog – co-written by Nita Black with NitaBlack.com and Paula Milner with Kelem VA
