No Shave November
Blessing Foundation Inc

Stability is key for patients with mental health issues

Read on to see how you can make a difference in their lives
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Many Blessing Behavioral Center patients lack access to basic needs like clothes, shoes, or medication.

Blessing Foundation’s Psych Services Fund meets those needs, so they can focus on their recovery.

When Amy was admitted to the Blessing Behavioral Center during a mental health crisis, she had nothing.

No clothes.
No shoes.
No family.

She was alone and frightened.

Amy*, who was in the state’s child welfare system, was in the right place to get the help she so desperately needed. The Child and Adolescent inpatient care facility’s secure environment and caring mental health team offered an opportunity for a brighter future.

But Amy’s basic needs had to be met first.

“If you don’t have your basic needs met, you don’t feel safe. And if you don’t feel safe, you can’t start the recovery process,” says John McDowell, administrative director of Psychiatric Services at Blessing.

The Blessing Foundation’s Psych Services Fund allowed the unit’s staff to meet Amy’s basic needs. A $100 grant from the Foundation was used to buy her shirts, pants, socks, underwear and shoes – clothing that most of us take for granted.

It seems so simple. But it’s a significant gift for patients like Amy and so many others like her who are coping with emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric issues.

Those basic items – gifts from Foundation donors – let our patients know that the community cares about them, that they’re not alone in their mental health journeys, and that finding stability is possible.

Amy’s story is just one example of how the Psych Services Fund helps children, adolescents, and adults with mental illness and behavioral health issues.

“We have a number of individuals in our community that we provide care to, and the help that comes in from the Foundation to provide for these extras, it helps patients put their best foot forward in their recovery,” McDowell says.

‘A Good Place to Put the Money’

Law enforcement officers understand better than anyone how critical mental health services are in our community.

“Police departments of our size interact with people with mental health issues daily,” said Doug VanderMaiden, recently retired Deputy Chief of Operations for the Quincy Police Department.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department started a “No Shave November” fundraiser in 2016 to draw attention to mental health. QPD got involved in the effort the following year. Officers give to the cause in exchange for being able to grow their beards in November, which is typically against policy.

Over three years, their combined efforts raised nearly $5,000 for Blessing Foundation’s Psych Services Fund.

“We deal with people in crisis often and we end up taking people to Blessing for services,” VanderMaiden said. “When we learned about the Blessing Foundation and what they do to help people with mental health issues, our command staff felt strongly that was a good place to put the money.”

The “No Shave November” effort supports other mental health initiatives, as well, including the new Mental Health Court in Adams County. But VanderMaiden strongly believes that donations to the Blessing Foundation make a huge difference in the lives of people struggling with mental health issues.


Quincy Police Department’s Adam Yates, left, and Zach Bemis pose for a photo in November 2016 during the department’s “No Shave November” initiative that supported Blessing Foundation’s Psych Services Fund. | Photo Courtesy of The Herald-Whig/Jake Shane
Deputy Chief Vandermaiden

Donations Have a Profound Impact

The Psych Services Fund is used when all other community resources have been exhausted. Among the most common uses are:
Clothing and shoes
Clothing and shoes are major needs, as some mental health patients are homeless or can’t afford to buy even the most basic apparel – socks and underwear – for themselves. Shoes are in such demand that the Foundation paid for nearly 100 pairs of flip-flops last year, so staff could have them on hand in the units whenever patients needed them.

Transportation, food, and lodging
An adult released from the hospital after treatment may need gas money to get to outpatient therapy and psychiatry appointments. Or a parent whose child is admitted – but lives hours away – may need help paying for gas, food, and lodging so they can visit and support the child’s recovery.
Medication and health-related equipment and supplies
Psychiatric medication is critical for many patients’ stability and to prevent future hospitalizations, but it’s expensive. Some patients may not have insurance or are waiting for public aid benefits to start. The Psych Services Fund helps fill that gap.

Some mental health patients suffer from other medical conditions and the Foundation helps with equipment and supplies – from hearing aids to wheelchairs – to benefit their overall wellness and keep their treatment on track.

Educational, recreational, and comfort items for the Behavioral Health units
In addition to individual and group therapy sessions, patients in the inpatient units have structured recreation time to relax and have fun, but also learn important interpersonal skills. The Foundation paid for a collection of board games that help patients practice those skills.

“We have to help foster basic communication. A starting point for better communication is putting a board game like Connect Four in front of them,” McDowell says.

It’s also critical to provide calming tools, comfort spaces, creative and healthy activities, and educational resources in our units. Foundation donations have paid for art supplies, music therapy tools, a rocker recliner, exercise equipment, and mental health books and videos to help patients learn to manage depression, anger, anxiety, or stress, or strengthen relationships.

You Can Make a Difference

Think about these statistics from the National Alliance on Mental Illness:

• 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experience mental illness each year
• 1 in 25 adults experience serious mental illness each year
• 1 in 6 youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year
• Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34

Now, keep in mind that there are real people like Amy – right here in your community – behind those numbers.
“Mental health issues can happen to anybody,” McDowell says. Without proper treatment and community-wide support, those affected will not get the help they deserve, and they won’t have the tools they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

You have the power to make a difference in their lives with a financial contribution, no matter how small or large, with 100% of your donation going straight to the need. Please help us connect the dots for our mental health patients. Consider a gift to the Blessing Foundation’s Psych Services Fund today.

*The patient’s name and some details have been changed for confidentiality purposes.
John McDowell
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