Missourians still face mental health crises associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Help will remain in place at least until the end of the year.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently awarded a $3.8 million grant to Missouri, extending the Show Me Hope Crisis Counseling Program's service delivery and outreach through participating mental health agencies, the Missouri Department of Mental Health announced Monday. The services are now available through the end of the year.
Show Me Hope crisis counselors connect Missourians with local mental health resources. The program supports short-term interventions that involve the following counseling goals, according to the DMH website:
- Helping disaster survivors understand their current situation and reactions.
- Reducing stress and providing emotional support.
- Assisting survivors in reviewing their disaster recovery options.
- Promoting the use or development of coping strategies.
- Connecting survivors with other people and agencies who can help them in their recovery process.
Counselors are based in local communities to teach coping and stress management skills to anyone dealing with anxiety and uncertainty caused by an event, according to the Show Me Hope website. They do these things through individual or group counseling, basic support of educational contact, community networking, assessments and referrals, development and distribution of educational materials, and public service announcements.
Any person experiencing stress or emotional strain because of the pandemic may call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline - 1-800-985-5990 - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The helpline had received 662 calls since the latest nine-month service program began Sept. 15. The program has been extended through December.
Each state has its own crisis counseling program, used in federally declared disaster areas, DMH representative Drew Adkins said.
Missouri's - Show Me Hope - has not often needed implementation, Adkins said. It was initiated for the pandemic. Before that, it was implemented in response to 2019's localized flooding and the tornado that struck Cole and Miller counties (areas included in disaster declarations).
"This is the first time that the Crisis Counseling Program has been activated statewide, in all 114 counties," Adkins said. "We have boots on the ground. We have contract service providers that we're working with."
The Show Me Hope provider agency for Cole, Camden, Maries, Miller and Osage counties is Compass Health Network, which may be reached at 660-885-8131.
The provider agency for Callaway County is the Arthur Center, which may be reached at 573-471-0800.
The provider agency for Boone, Moniteau and Morgan counties is Burrell Behavioral Health, which may be reached at 417-761-5000.
The pandemic has been a challenge, Adkins said. Following the May 2019 tornado in Cole and Miller counties, teams of counselors went door to door to ensure everybody who needed counseling could get it, he continued.
The grant that provided counseling for flooding and the tornado ran into early 2020, he said. Services were picked up when the pandemic was declared a national disaster.
People will see Show Me Hope any time there is a federally declared disaster in Missouri, Adkins said.
"We're hoping that Show Me Hope is synonymous with help during a crisis," he said, and added the organization had reached about 2 million Missourians since September, using television, radio and other media. "(Contract providers) can go door to door now. Six months ago, we weren't able to do that. We've had to get a little more creative."