The Orange County Health Department will present its three priority areas for mental health services in the county to the Board of County Commissioners at the board’s meeting at seven o’clock Tuesday night.

These areas include:

-Restoring funding for mental health care from birth to age five
-Enhancing in-school services for all grade levels, including having one or more mental therapists per school in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and Orange County Schools
-Educating the community on how to navigate access to mental health care

The health department identified these areas via a report completed in January that analyzed the barriers to mental health in Orange County for those 25 years old or younger.

“If we can intervene early, which is such an integral part of mental health treatment, then we can prepare these kids for life once they grow up,” said Rebecca Crawford, Director of Financial and Administrative Services for the health department.

Crawford said the priority areas will help address what the health department found to be community members’ primary barriers to mental health care—affordability and accessibility.

The health department assessed those barriers through a report that featured more than 150 interviews and surveys with those closely involved with mental health in Orange County, including mental health service providers, law enforcement and early education representatives.

After that data was gathered, the health department then held focus groups with these constituents to identify the most pressing concerns.

Crawford said the health department has compiled potential action steps to take in response to these concerns to bring before the county commissioners.

“What we’re asking them is, ‘Are you ready for us to move forward?’” she said.

Moving forward would start by forming associations with the school systems and community non-profits that are currently helping to provide mental health care.

These steps will address two of the three priority areas, but Crawford also emphasized the importance of county-wide education to address some of the underlying issues surrounding mental health care.

“People don’t know where to go to access care,” she said. “We see that as part of our role. Mental health treatment nationwide is such a confusing problem that if we can do anything to help clarify that, then I think we’re in the right direction.”

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