October 10, 2021

World Mental Health Day, a special celebration of mental health and well-being, takes place each October and is sponsored by the World Health Organization. It’s a time for us to reflect, recognize, and celebrate the importance of mental health throughout our global community.

This year’s theme, Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality, offers us an opportunity to consider those who continue to struggle with the accessibility of mental health supports. One in five adults in the U.S. and one in six children experience mental illness each year, but for many, care is out of reach due to cost, stigma, culture, location, availability, and much more. For years, People Incorporated has focused on supporting individuals who may have barriers to accessing the care they need. From individuals experiencing homelessness to people with long histories of hospitalization and crisis care to historically underserved communities of color, our work is to ensure everyone in our community has access to client-centered mental health care.

“Awareness of mental wellness in ourselves and our communities has never been more important,” says Jill Wiedemann-West, CEO of People Incorporated. “The collective events of the last eighteen months have challenged us all, and our need to create more and improved pathways to mental wellness and trauma-informed care is essential.”

What does it mean to provide health care services to our community? Listen to this heartfelt video from Julie Bourque. To make a gift in support of People Incorporated’s mental health programming, or to honor someone’s journey toward wellness, visit our Giving Page.