Check out this feature on Integral Care on the City of Austin’s YouTube channel.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School and LBJ School of Public Affairs have released a cost-saving analysis of The Inn, Integral Care’s 16-bed residential treatment program. The study found that The Inn saves taxpayers millions of dollars in public costs while improving outcomes for people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Mental Health Weekly talked to Integral Care about The Inn’s approach.

We are proud to receive national recognition from CrisisNow for our co-location at the 911 Call Center. Our collaboration with first responders streamlines the entire system of crisis care in our community. We have consulted approximately 30 other cities, states, and even a police department in Canada on our model. Our first responder friends, the City of Austin and Travis County are true collaborators helping move this innovation forward.

READ ARTICLE

As our community grapples with COVID-19 and the impact on patients, healthcare workers and the healthcare system, we are beginning to recognize the toll this situation is taking on mental health. Whether it is an essential worker under pressure to perform on the job while worrying about exposure or someone with a compromised immune system isolated at home, COVID-19 is having short and long-term impact on our mental health. During these anxiety ridden times, it is reassuring to know that we have systems in place to address our community’s mental health needs and unexpected challenges.

(more…)

The changes and concerns that have come with the COVID-19 pandemic are impacting the mental health and well-being of many in our community — with job losses, school closures, health concerns and separation from our loved ones. KXAN talked to Integral Care about how to support someone who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
https://www.kxan.com/news/simplehealth/tips-on-identifying-and-responding-to-a-mental-health-crisis-during-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR1R9AYe30k_x6zTVQTDj308qjMuFQFT2_xM0S5i4it4wFJYN7zGZcQcBvU

Integral Care marked completion of Terrace at Oak Springs with a Ribbon Cutting and Community Celebration. KXAN attended both events to learn more about this new 50-unit Housing First apartment community that supports recovery from homelessness, mental health issues and substance use disorder. Watch it here.

Integral Care talked to KXAN about how our Helpline will soon take calls from regions outside of Travis County via the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Check it out.

Dawn Handley, Chief Operations Officer, talked to KXAN about how the City expanded funding to support mental health crisis care in our community. The goal –  get people the help they need faster. This funding will expand telehealth services with APD and add EMCOT clinicians to the 911 call center floor. Learn more.

EMCOT has partnered with APD and EMS to support the health of our community for over 5 years. As part of a new pilot, EMCOT and APD are using telehealth to expand access to mental health crisis care in Travis County. Check out how it works in this Spectrum story.

Texas is expanding access to early psychosis treatment programs, opening 13 new sites across the state with a focus on rural areas. KXAN talked to Integral Care about our RA1SE program and the importance of early intervention. Learn more

The State of Children’s Mental Health

In recent years, we’ve seen significant increases in certain mental health disorders in children and youth, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The COVID-19 pandemic era introduced a new set of challenges for children and youth in the U.S., but children and teens have been struggling for far longer. According to the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, feelings of persistent sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors increased by about 40% among young people over the last 10 years leading up to the pandemic.

On Wednesday, May 24 at noon, Integral Care and NAMI Central Texas invite you to join us for a virtual Community Forum, “The State of Children’s Mental Health.” Clinicians and parents with lived experience will discuss the following topics:

• Factors that are negatively impacting children and youth the mental health
• Signs parents can watch for
• How to start the conversation around mental health
• Resources available for parents and caregivers

https://integralcare.org/en/cmh-forum/

Making a Difference: Peer Support in IDD Services

Individuals with an intellectual and / or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) suffer disproportionately with mental health conditions. Reasons often include stress related to frustrating social challenges and trauma such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect and bullying. These inherent challenges create a unique susceptibility for the development of mental health conditions. Peer Support Services provide an opportunity for people with ID/IDD to develop social skills, learn how to advocate for their needs and give and receive mutual support from others with lived experience.

On Thursday, March 30 at noon, Integral Care invites you to join us for a virtual Community Forum, “Making a Difference: Peer Support in IDD Services.” Experts from across Texas will discuss the following topics.

• What Peer Support is and what Peer Support Specialists do
• How Peer Support Services for IDD came to be
• The current status of Peer Support in Texas, what’s on the horizon and how you can get involved

integralcare.org/2023-idd-forum

To kick off Black History Month, a local event sheds light on mental health from the perspective of the African American community. Every February, Integral Care hosts the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference (CTAAFSC) to share mental health information and resources as well as build a community of support.

This year’s conference will take place Feb. 7-8 at the Palmer Events Center. The keynote speakers are Dr. Rheeda Walker, Professor of Psychology and Licensed Clinical Psychologist at the University of Houston, and Thabiti Boone, Former Obama White House Fatherhood Initiative Representative and New York Knicks Community Liaison.

Sessions will cover topics such as stigma around mental health in the African American community, health equity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and systemic barriers facing African American youth and their parents. Click here to view the schedule of events.

Established over 20 years ago, CTAAFSC was the first conference in Texas and only the third in the United States to focus on the healthcare needs of African Americans. The conference was born from a desire to confront the systems and cultural bias that have resulted in African Americans facing barriers to healthcare access.

The 88th Texas Legislature: Preparing Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder and IDD Advocates

Over the last decade, the Texas Legislature has made an extraordinary commitment to mental health. Texas’ 88th Legislative Session kicks off on January 10, 2023. This creates more opportunities to further improve the issues affecting the mental health of Texans as well as the impact of substance use on our state and the needs of people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

On Wednesday, December 7 at noon, Integral Care and Texas Council of Community Centers invite you to join us for a virtual Community Forum, “The 88th Texas Legislature: Preparing Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder and IDD Advocates.”

integralcare.org/forum88

The October Board of Trustees meeting will be held in person at 1430 Collier St, Austin, TX 78704, and will be streamed online.
Webinar link: click here

Join us every 3rd Wednesday of the month for this informative wellness series – the Together We Will Heal forum – that talks about mental health, substance use disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as the general wellbeing of African Americans. CTAAFSC’s vision is to educate the African American community on these topics and to provide resources around black mental health.

Learn More & Register Here

Renew, Empower and Advocate for Lasting Change

The Central Texas African American Family Support Conference (CTAAFSC) Committee is pleased to invite you to the CTAAFSC Reunion Day. Our theme is Renew, Empower and Advocate for Lasting Change (#REALChange).

Learn more & Register at https://ctaafsc.com/reunion/

On Wednesday, September 28th at noon, Integral Care and NAMI Central Texas invite you to join us for a virtual Spanish Community Forum – Meaningful Steps to Preventing Suicide Among Hispanic Youth. Experts from across Travis County will discuss the following topics – all from a Latinx perspective.
– – – – –
El miércoles 28 de septiembre a las doce del día, Integral Care y NAMI Central Texas lo invitan a unirse a un foro virtual para la comunidad completamente en español donde hablaremos acerca de los pasos significativos para prevenir el suicidio entre las(os) adolescentes hispanas(os).

En Español | English

Watch a video recording of the forum.

Únase a Integral Care Y a NAMI de Central Texas el jueves 12 de mayo en un foro comunitario de formato virtual. Estaremos hablando acerca de cómo ofrecer apoyo a miembros familiares de personas que viven con problemas de salud mental en la comunidad Latina.

#Y2B is a Mental Health and Wellness Summit for the youth of ages 14-24. This Summit brings together youth (particularly those of color) to discuss mental health and wellness, challenges they may face and provide resources to help them live their best lives. Join us as we develop and learn skills to live Beyond our Emotional Stressors and Trauma.

The 2021 Summit will be virtual and free. It will be hosted on the Whova platform. Register now.

A Message From Our CEO:

May is Mental Health Month, a time to recognize the importance of taking care of our mental health. This Mental Health Month, we are excited to announce that Integral Care and NAMI Central Texas have partnered up again to create a Mental Health Month Toolkit. With growing concerns over the state of mental health among children and youth, the focus of this year’s toolkit is supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and youth.

Read more…

A Message From Our CEO:

April is National Counseling Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the positive impact counseling can have on our mental health and well-being, and fight back against the stigma that still exists around seeking mental health care. It is also a time to recognize and honor the meaningful, and often life-changing, contributions counselors make each day. 
Read more…

A Message From Our CEO:

In celebration of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, I want to recognize the important work our team is doing in the community each day to ensure that adults and children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have the tools they need to build healthy relationships, live in the community and thrive.
Read more…

A Message From Our CEO:

Each February, we celebrate Black History Month – a time to honor the legacy and achievements of Black Americans. At Integral Care, February also marks the annual Central Texas African American Family Support Conference – the first conference in Texas to focus on the healthcare needs of African Americans. Integral Care has sponsored this event for 23 years. This year’s conference, which took place last week, featured critical conversations around how adverse childhood experiences can impact adulthood, post incarceration syndrome, Black women, caregiving and parenting, and much, much more. People with lived experience shared inspiring stories. Professionals offered critical tools and resources. Meaningful relationships were built. I am grateful to the incredible conference Planning Committee for putting together another memorable and meaningful event that united and energized attendees and look forward to continuing the conversations that were started.
Read more…

A Message From Our CEO:

Racism, discrimination, and inequity can significantly affect a person’s mental health. African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health issues than the general population and only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it. One study showed that 63% of Black people believe that a mental health condition is a sign of personal weakness. A lack of access to culturally competent care, mistrust in the American medical system, and a generational stigma related to recognizing mental health crises have created an environment where disparities in mental health care are far too common.

Every February, Integral Care hosts the Central Texas African American Family Support Conference (CTAAFSC) to share information and resources as well as build a community of support. Established over 20 years ago, CTAAFSC was the first conference in Texas and only the third in the United States to focus on the healthcare needs of African Americans. The conference was born from a desire to confront the systems and cultural bias that have resulted in African Americans facing barriers to healthcare access.

Read more…

A Message From Our CEO

Integral Care remains committed to eradicating institutional racism and structural inequities within our organization. At the recommendation of our Board/Staff Ad Hoc Committee on Racial Equity, Integral Care launched our interim Racial Equity Plan in May 2021. The interim plan was built from crucial conversations with our staff and collaboration with a national expert in the field of racial equity and cultural competency. It was also developed with the intent that racial equity would be incorporated into our strategic planning going forward. We updated our last Strategic Plan to include racial equity efforts and fully integrated it into the process of creating our new FY23-25 Strategic Plan.

Read more…

A Message From Our CEO

September is both National Recovery Month and Suicide Prevention Month, a time to highlight that recovery from substance use disorder is possible and suicide is preventable – especially when we come together.

A substance use disorder is a medical condition where someone uses one or more substances like painkillers, drugs or alcohol, that negatively impact their life. It’s a brain-based disorder, not a character flaw. Substance use disorder affects people of all ages, from all walks of life…

Read More

A Message From Our CEO

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month, formally recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to promote mental health among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and raise awareness around the unique mental health struggles these communities face in the U.S. Discrimination, unequal access to care, a lack of culturally and linguistically competent care and additional stigma all contribute to mental health disparities for BIPOC communities…

Read More

A Message From Our CEO

June is Pride Month, a time to honor the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a significant historical moment for the queer rights movement in the United States. Pride Month is also a time to celebrate the impact, and struggle, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities have made at every level of our society around the world. Now especially, it is a time to reflect on how we can become better allies to the LGBTQIA+ communities – individually and as an organization…

Read More

A Message From Our CEO

A healthy community creates opportunities for everyone to share their gifts and talents and make meaningful contributions. In honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, I would like to recognize the incredible work our team is doing to improve the lives of those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in our community. Every day, Integral Care works with children and adults living with IDD to make sure they have the tools they need to thrive. We create opportunities for people to form healthy relationships, live in the community, and lead meaningful lives…

Read More