Behavioral Health Community Assessment In Graves County, Western Kentucky

Throughout all Western Kentucky, specifically in Graves County, there is a great amount of need from a great amount of people: homeless, ill, elderly, victims of abuse and neglect. Because there are so many people in need there is a very diverse set of resources in demand. Throughout this paper there is a list of resources available in Graves County for various needs. There are many resources available to help those in need.

For infants, children and adolescents in need in the Graves County area, The Omni Family of Services provides mental, behavioral, and emotional therapy. The Omni Family of Services for our area in located in Hickory. The Department of Child and Family Services can provide a medical card and/or food stamps to families that qualify. This department is in Mayfield. For an emergency, there is the Teen Crisis Text Line.

For the elderly who find themselves in need, West Kentucky Allied Services in Mayfield, can provide services such as, housekeeping and laundry, personal hygiene assistance, and the Indigent Program for Prescription Medications. The Senior Citizens Center in Mayfield provides transportation in the city of Mayfield and through the county. They also provide a service called Meals on Wheels. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society of Mayfield provides food and clothes to those in need of all ages.

For the acutely and chronically mentally ill, Four Rivers in Mayfield and Paducah provides mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, and developmental disability services. For victims of abuse, the Lighthouse, located at The Healing Place Church, in Mayfield, provides shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence or abuse. For rape or sexual assault victims, Lotus, which has two locations, Paducah and Murray, provides support and advocacy services, whether it be legal or medical, as well as specialized therapy. There is also a sexual abuse hotline and a child abuse hotline available 24/7.

For developmentally disabled children and adults, Graves County is fortunate enough to have the J.U. Kevil Center in Mayfield. J.U. Kevil provides programs for mentally, physically, and developmentally persons. They can help find job openings, prepare resumes and set up interviews for some people. There is also Generations Adult Day Services in Mayfield. Generations provides a safe, home-like environment for adults who are 18 years or older, who are disabled, suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia related disorders.

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For a those who suffer from a chemical dependency in the Graves County area, Four Rivers Behavioral Health in Mayfield provides substance abuse counseling and substance abuse support groups. There is also Recovery Works, located just outside of Mayfield. Recovery works offers a drug and alcohol treatment center. They also have a residential, intensive outpatient program which includes outpatient counseling. For those who are homeless in the Graves County area, the Graves County Need Line provides free food supplies for those who qualify based on the size of the family. The Purchase Area Housing Corporation of Mayfield provides housing assistant programs.

Upon reflection of the services offered in our community, I cannot help but see that there is not necessarily and abundance of one type of service, but there are considerably more resources available to those who need things like food and clothing. The Need Line, St. Vincent de Paul, and many churches throughout the county take in donations and have fundraisers in order to be able to have food and clothes to those who need it. Although this is incredibly important and is the most basic need in life, there are not many resources after that. There are only a couple of homeless shelters in our area, but even the ones we have are selective to who can come. Some of the homeless shelters only allow women and children, no men. I think this is because there is a stigma that “men can handle themselves” whereas women cannot. There need to be more homeless shelters in general, but there need to be more options for homeless men in Graves County. Food, water and shelter are the utmost basic needs of a human.

After the most basic needs, food, water, clothing and shelter, is the need for belonging, to be loved or cared for. Many people who have behavioral health issues in some way struggle to meet this psychological need. People who struggle with substance abuse, mental illness, disabilities, or even being homeless, often find themselves being looked down upon, made fun of, or even as “less”. Services such as, J.U. Kevil provides the opportunity for people with similar disabilities to make friendships with each other, with other people in the community, and to be more independent. Services such as Recovery Works, provides a safe environment for a drug abuser or an alcoholic to come and not be judged, to find people who have walked the same shoes or who are, it allows them to accept their past and become more independent. Places like the Purchase Area Housing Corporation help the homeless find a safe place to rest their head, and to hopefully get them back on their feet.

I truly believe that we have a good set of resources in our community for those who are in need, but we could use more; this I would consider a strength. We need more homeless shelters. We need more services for the acutely and chronically mentally ill. This I would consider a weakness. We have plenty of resources, but they are not diverse enough.

Nurse make an impact wherever they work. Nurses in our areas, most likely know about all these services, they are very popularly known by most. But just because they know of these services, does not mean they are utilizing them or asking if they need to be used. From my personal experience, I have never heard or seen a nurse ask if someone needs assistance. I believe that nurses would have much more impact on our community if they would ask. If they would stay curious, but not pry.

Based on my findings throughout my research process, I would recommend that maybe our local government raise the awareness of the amount of homeless people in our area, raise the awareness of the substance abuse issues, and to act to make more resources available. Partner with clubs and groups throughout the county like the Lions Club, the local business chapters, and even the school clubs, to host fundraisers and to raise awareness of these issues in our communities. People want to help, they just do not know how to help or where. If we were to raise awareness, I firmly believe our community would come together, like it always does, and help one another out.

References

1. Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings in Mayfield KY 42066 - Hope and Action Group - 303 W Broadway St, Mayfield, KY 42066, USA - Monday. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prevailintervention.com/meetings/alcoholics-anonymous-meetings-in-mayfield-ky-42066-hope-and-action-group-303-w-broadway-st-mayfield-ky-42066-usa-monday/
2. CHFS Homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://chfs.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx
3. Four Rivers Behavioral Health. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://4rbh.org/
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9. Mayfield Social Security Office 1526 Cuba Road Mayfield Kentucky 42066. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ssofficelocation.com/mayfield-social-security-office-so541
10. Mayfield-Graves County Need Line and Food Pantry. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/Mayfield-Graves-County-Need-Line-and-Food-Pantry-88900907814/
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12. Public Housing. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mayfieldhousing.com/public-housing/
13. Recovery Works Mayfield. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pinnacletreatment.com/location/recovery-works-mayfield/
14. Saint Vincent de Paul Society. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-Vincent-Depaul-Society/133981299987623
15. Support Survivors, Strengthen Families, Empower Communities. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://hopehealgrow.org/
16. The Omni Family of Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theomnifamily.com/
17. The Salvation Army Paducah. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/SalvationArmyPaducah/
18. Welcome to Generations! (n.d.). Retrieved from http://generationsads.azurewebsites.net/
19. West Kentucky Allied Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.wkas.info/