To Our Good Mental Health
September 2022/Issue XXXVI
Back to School

As summer winds down, students are heading back to the classroom amidst a mental health crisis. The 2022 Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation provides national data and state rankings regarding child well-being. While New Hampshire ranks second in the country in overall child well-being, mental health continues to be a significant concern as our children struggle with anxiety and depression at unprecedented rates. Mental Health America's Back to School Toolkit offers resources and helpful tips for caregivers and young people to address the mental health issues they might face.

It is critical for every young person to have access to the mental health care and community support they need. We are here to help. West Central's Child & Family Services provides outpatient services to children, adolescents and their families; the Youth CAN Coalition promotes positive healthy alternatives to substance misuse and can provide free Parent Handbooks to parents of students in Claremont and Newport. Crisis support for all ages is always available 24/7 through the NH Rapid Response Access Point (NHRRAP) via telephone or text at 833-710-6477 or chat at NH988.com.
National Suicide Prevention Month

According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10–34 and the 12th leading cause of death overall in the U.S. This insightful article by West Central's Dave Celone offers 5 steps to take if someone you know is considering suicide, emphasizing that a good starting point in prevention is talking openly about suicide.

Support suicide prevention by helping us spread the word about the New Hampshire Rapid Response Access Point (NHRRAP). This life-saving resource provides 24/7 access to mental health and/or substance use crisis support via telephone or text at 833-710-6477 or chat at NH988.com. When necessary, a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) will be dispatched to meet you right where you are – in your home, or another location in the community as shown below in West Central's MCRT outreaches in the first 6 months of 2022.
September is also National Recovery Month

National Recovery Month is observed each September with the intent to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, celebrate the nation’s strong recovery community, and recognize the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible. Click here to learn more.
Here at West Central

Youth CAN Coalition

Check out our upcoming fall Youth CAN activities in the community! Don't forget to stop by our table at these upcoming events Claremont and Newport.

We are excited to be a member of the Youth CAN Coalition, a Drug Free Communities program, to strengthen and expand community partnerships to prevent and reduce substance misuse among youth in Claremont and Newport.

Click Here to visit and Like the "Youthcan603" Facebook page.
USDA Rural Development Award
We are pleased to announce our official approval to receive $142,200 in grant funding from the USDA's Emergency Rural Healthcare Grant program to provide relief for a portion of our expenses incurred due to COVID-19. We'll use this grant to help with purchases of technology and systems that were needed to treat our clients during the pandemic and to prepare for a future pandemic event.
Celebrating our Staff
Laurie Mudge, LICSW, Director of Child & Family Services
Laurie has worked in several roles during her twenty-five years at West Central, including her most recent as Director of Child Services. She works tirelessly to build and support a skilled team of professionals to treat children and adolescents experiencing mental health issues. She is an accomplished clinician and a wonderful representative for our organization.  

David Pelletier, LCMHC, Senior Clinician Trails Coordinator
David has filled many roles over his four decades of service at West Central. He served as Director of Substance Use Services, provided direct care to individuals dealing with mental health and substance use issues and assisted in developing, implementing and managing the Trails Program at Sullivan County Correctional Facility. In addition to his work as a clinician and leader, David has provided supervision to staff seeking licensure in mental health and substance use disorder treatment. 

Congratulations Laurie and David!
Join our Team!

Do you have an interest in helping others? If so, there's no more gratifying work than in community behavioral health. We have exciting positions for people of all walks of life, interests, and skills with flexible schedule options for some positions. West Central provides a generous benefits package including our own, brand new Student Loan Assistance Program (SLAP) - eligible employees can receive up to $10,000 over 3 years in loan assistance! West Central is also an approved STAR LRP facility for federal student loan repayment assistance up to $250,000. These two programs are separate from and independent of one another. Our staff can apply to either or both!

We extend our most heartfelt appreciation to The Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation and to Dana & Martha Robes for providing the initial funding for our newly inaugurated Student Loan Assistance Program. We welcome additional gifts from private donors to help extend the life of the SLAP program so our valued staff can benefit from the generosity of others as they continue to serve our most vulnerable community members in need.

Visit our Careers page to find available positions and to find your next professional step to make a world of difference. To learn more, watch this 3-minute video of our staff talking about what they do to transform lives -- with more than 6,000 views and counting! 

Follow and Like West Central on Social Media
In the Community
Community Connections

Lauren Chambers, Community Health Partnership Coordinator at Dartmouth Health, and the New Hampshire Regional Public Health Network team distributed Overdose Kits, Fentanyl Test Strips, and Drug Deactivation Kits for our client use and Youth CAN Coalition prevention. We are grateful for this partnership and our collaborative efforts in addressing substance misuse and prevention in Lebanon, Claremont, and Newport.

Pictured: Lauren Chambers
Photo: Dave Celone
Hannaford Helps

West Central has been selected by our local Hannaford store leadership as the benefiting non-profit for the Bloomin' 4 Good flower bouquet program in September.
Visit Hannaford in Claremont to buy a bouquet and show your support!
AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to West Central when you shop at smile.amazon.com and select us as a recipient!
Do you like what we're doing in our community? If you can make a gift, please do. We're a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit serving clients in the Upper Valley and Sullivan County with offices in Lebanon, Claremont, and Newport, NH. Each year, we offer $600,000 in unreimbursed charitable care to vulnerable people in need of our services. No gift is too small, and we accept monthly recurring contributions on our online giving page. For more information, please visit our Giving page or contact Dave Celone at [email protected].
Gifts of all sizes make a difference to help us save lives.
Share This Newsletter...You Just Might Save a Life
This newsletter is sent monthly to West Central staff, Board & Committee members, and our many friends, advocates, volunteers, and donors -- nearly 3,000 in all! Please share it with your friends and family so people remember our name and the work we do as this region's community mental health, substance use disorder, and 24/7 mobile crisis response center.

When people in need know who we are, they'll contact us early, before a crisis happens.

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