The Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) recently awarded 14 grants to provide behavioral health services to individuals impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Gulf Coast oil spill. Through the grant funding, a wide range of services will be provided such as substance abuse prevention and treatment, employment assistance for individuals with a mental illness, coping skills for families and children dealing with stress, anxiety and/or depression, domestic violence prevention and intervention, as well as general psychiatric interventions for those who have been affected by the oil spill.
Grants were awarded to the following providers:
• Gulf Coast Mental Health Center
• Singing River Services
• NAMI-MS
• Dream Inc.
• Gulf Coast Women’s Center for Nonviolence
• Lutheran Episcopal Services
• The ARC
• Mental Health Association of Mississippi (received two grants)
• Mississippi Coast Collaborative Partnership
• Mississippi Families as Allies for Children’s Mental Health
• Mississippi Children’s Home Services
• South Mississippi State Hospital
• Gulf Coast Family Counseling
“Our goal is to use the funds from this initial contribution by BP to provide comprehensive behavioral health services on the MS Gulf Coast to as many individuals that have been affected by the oil spill as possible,” said Scott Sumrall, DMH Director of Disaster Preparedness and Response. “We reviewed many grant proposals from all types of programs and for all types of services to ensure the behavioral health needs of these residents are met.”
In October, Gulf Coast residents had a chance to share their mental health and environmental needs and concerns with state and federal officials during a household survey to measure how residents are reacting to the oil spill. DMH, the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Office of Epidemiology (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducted 173 interviews for a behavioral health needs assessment in Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties. The assessment found that 24.5% of respondents reported one or more symptoms of depression and 31.5 % of respondents reported one or more symptoms of anxiety. Decreased income since the oil spill was reported by 35.7% of households.
BP provided $12 million to DMH to support its efforts to help Mississippi residents in the coastal communities access appropriate behavioral health services. The funding will help residents link up with support that is available through providers in their communities.
For more information about services available in your area, contact the Oil Spill Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990.
