Mental Health in the Community
Just as your health and physical well-being are important, your mind also matters. One in eight people are affected by diagnosable mental illness. Only one third seek help.
Know the signs to help yourself or others; pain isn’t always obvious, but most people show signs if they need help.
Find the words; by understanding these signs, you can recognize if you or someone you care about needs help and support.
Reach out; if you or a loved one needs help, call one of area mental health resources listed below or the National Suicide Hotline at 1.800.273.8255.
Your support makes a difference and support is available in our community.
Barton Health is proud to contribute to South Lake Tahoe's Mental Health Cooperative, which brings together Lake Tahoe-area mental and behavioral health organizations and programs to work collectively to reduce stigma around mental health, and help our community find support, treatment options and local resources for themselves or loved ones experiencing mental illness.
Barton Health's work within the Mental Health Cooperative includes:
- Implementing Telepsychiatry through our Barton Community Health Center, which helped speed up patient's access to care and reduced waiting list sizes for services.
- Added two social workers at the Barton Community Health Center and Barton Family Medicine
- Introduced a play therapist to our services
- Publishing of a community Wellness Directory, listing area physicians and wellness resources available
- Barton Health, through the Barton Foundation, distributed health grants to local organizations that helped improve our community in one of the three top needs identified in our Community Health Needs Assessment.
Mental Health Cooperative partner's accomplishments:
- Development of care flow chart, 3 and 10 year strategic goals
- Securing new leadership for the South Lake Tahoe Chapter of NAMI
- Annual Mental Health Awareness Week + City Declaration
- Four Mental Health public health forums
- DBT program at South Tahoe High School
- and many more.
For area organizations and non-profits drafting grants, El Dorado County's interactive tool,
Welldorado, can help support collaboration, promote best practices, identify local resources, and drive decisions based on our county's health data.
"Mental Health progress lives in the space between appointments."
- Michael Ward, Chair of the Mental Health Cooperative
Our community can come together and support our loved ones, family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to support them throughout their mental health journey and reduce the stigma for anyone else needing our resources, our support or our ears.
May is Mental Health Month, learn more about community events, including the 31-Day Mental Health Month Challenge. >>
Behavioral & Mental Health Resources
24-Hour Crisis Lines
El Dorado County Mental Health - 530.544.2219
Live Violence Free - 530.544.4444
Tahoe Youth & Family Services - 800.870.8937
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - 800.950.6264
National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 800.273.8255