Public Education | Scientific Research | Healthcare Assistance

Over 50 Million Americans and their families are victims of mental illness. The effects are both emotionally and economically depleting. To help create awareness and foster efforts to alleviate the ongoing strain of dealing with this problem, the Shine Initiative was created with a three-fold focus.

The facts stare at us, and we dare not look away. At some point in our lives, most of us will face the reality of mental illness. It could impact a loved one, a colleague or even ourselves.

The many statistics that illustrate the reality of mental illness and its impact on society, whether it is felt by individuals, families, employers, or schools, are staggering. What is important is that most people do not fully understand what mental illness is, how it needs to be treated, and why it is everyone's problem. In other words, awareness about the cause, impact, treatment, and lifestyle options needs to increase so that the painful stigma that has been associated with mental illness for generations will begin to diminish.

The Shine Initiative has begun to educate the Central Massachusetts community about the facts and myths associated with mental illness by providing funding for a comprehensive Public Awareness Campaign. Through print and radio commercials, public service announcements, and other means, a message of information and hope is being put forth, with the goal of positively changing the lives of the mentally ill in our midsts.

Over the past century, major scientific studies have contributed to the improvement of the lives of millions of people. while considerable progress has been made, there is still much ground to cover.

In 1947, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was created by the United States Congress to spur research into the causes of severe mental illness and to develop community-based treatment. The era of warehousing people with mental illness in large, cloistered institutions is thankfully now over.

Despite the work performed by Community Healthlink and other healthcare providers locally and around the world, mental illness is still without a cure. Nevertheless, treatment is provided everyday that effectively helps people cope with mental illness and regain control of their lives.

Given enough resources and dedicated researchers, even more progress will be made toward finding cures for mental health disorders. Discovering ways for patients to obtain more control of their symptoms and an improved quality of life is a top priority - this will be possible with the assitance of increased numbers of committed caregivers. Advancements are made everyday, and with the proper funds, programs and professionals in place, light at the end of the tunnel for people with mental illness will shine brighter than ever.

Families are at their most vulnerable during a mental health crisis. Individuals in need require professional clinicians who are available 24 hours a day, seven days per week, to determine the appropriate level of care needed to guarantee the safety and well being of patients, their families, and the community at large.

There is growing demand for such services throughout Central Massachusetts. Hospitals and clinics increasingly need mental health evaluations performed at all hours of any given day. And, all too often, forensic mental health assessments are needed at local police stations when beleaguered youth are brought into custody.