Get help navigating resources for addiction and mental health

Texas County Health Dept.

According to the Mental Health Foundation in 2021 over 10 million people in the United States have more than one addiction and mental health disorder, yet 46 percent would not know where to get mental healthcare. This is just one of the many resources Community Navigator Cheryl Thurman provides for anyone who calls Texas County Health Department.

Task force meetings held at the Texas County Health Department in 2019 found there were barriers, gaps and needs for resources in relation to services for substance use disorders and mental health needs; so the Community Navigator position was formed to help people find the needed resources to fill those gaps and break down the barriers so many people in recovery experience.

A Navigator, in short, does the research to find services that will help those in recovery. For instance, a young soon-to-be mother in treatment court needed financial assistance to have a copy of her birth certificate from the state of Washington. Without a birth certificate she couldn’t get an identification card or social security card required to get a job or housing. So, Cheryl found a local ministry to provide the funds to get a copy of her birth Certificate. Little more than a year later the young lady has a beautiful baby boy, a fulltime job, a home and has graduated from treatment court! She is now working on her GED requirements.

Other services provided by the Community Navigator position have been to provide information about local support groups, counseling, treatment, transportation, housing, job opportunities, adult education, and we have helped with Crisis Intervention Training for the police.

Substance use and mental health issues continue to climb. We must work as a community to address these problems with compassion, acceptance and creativity.

For more information or to contact your Texas County Navigator at Texas County Health Department call 417-967-4131.