The past few days have been challenging for those of you who live in Jackson. I can relate. I live in Jackson too, and Families as Allies' main office is in Jackson. Not having safe drinking water, or perhaps even running water at all, is unsettling and can disrupt every aspect of life. I hope everyone's situation is improving. I am glad children are back in school. We want to support you if you need resources or help with school issues, whether the water crisis caused these things or not. Please let us know. 

I am thankful to see our city, state and federal leaders begin to work together. I hope they address our water problems and set a precedent for leaders to work with each other and in partnership with people most affected by issues. Such collaboration around other issues is sorely needed and would benefit Mississippi's system of care for mental health. 

Several Mississippi mental health stories have been in the news in the past few days:

Deputies were supposed to take him to the hospital. They killed him instead by Isabelle Taft. On September 1, 2022, Mississippi Today tells the story of Corey Maurice McCarty Hughes, a man committed for mental health treatment multiple times but died the last time his family sought treatment for him.

Mississippi Stories: Dr. Alyssa Killebrew by Marshall Ramsey on September 4, 2022, in Mississippi Today describes how Dr. Killbrew, a licensed psychologist, supports youth and how she has faced and dealt with multiple traumas and losses in her own life.

She said she feared for her life, so she left her grandson at the CPS headquarters in Jackson by Josh Carter. KSLA News, on September 6, 2022, shared one grandmother's struggle to find help for her grandson.

An average of 25 mentally ill Mississippians wait in jail for hospital bed each day, report finds by Isabelle Taft highlights finding from Dr. Michael Hogan's most recent monitoring report in the mental health lawsuit and includes a link to the full report. 

These articles bring to light many difficult situations that people with mental illness and their families face and the barriers they encounter when they seek help. Some also point to promising practices and rays of hope. Taken together, they give all of us many things to ponder as we work together to improve support and outcomes for people with mental illnesses and their families. 

Although I hope everyone will work to strengthen mental health services and supports throughout the year, September is an appropriate month for this focus because it is both National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. 

Let's support each other, stand with one another and work together for our children when things are challenging and when they are not. There are so many things we can get done together.