Officials celebrate Mental Health Month
Published 7:14 pm Thursday, June 8, 2017
- From left are Jennifer Dunn of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Moultrie Mayor William McIntosh, Dave Underwood of the Moultrie Police Department, Brittany Marshall of the MPD, Molly Byrd of the Georgia Pines Community Service Board, NAMI Moultrie President Shannon Bell, Raul Leal of the MPD, Assistant District Attorney Brad Shealy, Chris Robinson of the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office, Justin Lindsay of the MPD, and Daniel Lindsay of the MPD, a CIT trainer.
MOULTRIE, Ga. — NAMI Moultrie celebrated Mental Health Month in May with a proclamation presented by Moultrie Mayor William McIntosh.
McIntosh cited recent improvements in mental health services and resources, including Georgia Pines’ Mental Health Clinic, MH/SA Treatment Court, Peer Support Wellness and Respite Center, and NAMI Moultrie. Each resource fills a unique need in Moultrie and Colquitt County to complement services provided by Turning Point and Colquitt Regional Medical Center, according to a press release from NAMI Moultrie.
Shannon Bell, NAMI Moultrie president, spoke to the importance of law enforcement in helping individuals and their families who are dealing with a mental health crisis. Moultrie Police Department has two officers, Daniel Lindsay and Rocky Hancock, trained to teach Crisis Intervention Team (CIT).
CIT training is an intensive week of instruction focusing on de-escalation strategies. The course is recognized nationwide as making a difference in interacting with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The goal is for every Colquitt County law enforcement officer and first responder to become trained in CIT. The next course is being offered in August. Interested individuals may contact Daniel Lindsay with MPD for more information.
On behalf of NAMI Moultrie, Bell presented gift bags to local law enforcement officers and first responders in thanks for their dedicated service to the community. She encouraged citizens to register for NAMIWalks Southwest Georgia at www.namiwalks.org/southwestgeorgia. This community event will be held on the Courthouse Square Saturday, Oct. 28. NAMIWalks’ purpose is to raise funds for education, support and advocacy and to foster awareness of mental health and recovery.
Contact Shannon Bell (shann.mbell@gmail.com) or Lynn Wilson (lynnbw45@gmail.com) for additional information.
