Amy Miller, site director at the Family Resource Center, said, “The hardest part is just walking through the front door. Once you walk through the front door, we will help you with the paperwork to get you enrolled. You’ll go through what's called a diagnostic assessment, and they will match you up with the counselor that is right for your needs, plus the case management.”
The Family Resource Center hosted an open house on Monday to unveil the recently completed remodeling of their Hancock County Headquarters. Staff and community members gathered at the 1941 Carlin Street facility in Findlay to see the $1.75 million of renovations that were made.
Elvis sang about having a “Blue Christmas”, but for a few people those words also ring true during the next couple of months. According to the American Psychological Association, around 1/3 of the people that they surveyed say they feel added stress during the holiday season, which could lead to anxiety and depression. 65% of people who are already dealing with mental illness, feel that their conditions get worse over the holidays. Mental health experts from the Family Resource Center say setting boundaries when it comes to holiday expectations is one way to manage your own anxiety.
Family Resource Center received a grant for four million dollars over a period of four years to continue their mission. They first received the grant in 2020. The funds will be used to expand behavioral health services already offered, such as counseling and therapy, peer support, and case management. The goal is to make mental health services more accessible to more people.
The Family Resource Center has opened up an office in eastern Auglaize County thanks to a five million dollar federal grant to expand their services more rural areas. Their focus is on behavioral health or substance abuse disorders that individuals are suffering from. The Family Resource Center operates a handful of locations in the area, including Findlay, Lima, and St. Marys.
With society slowly returning to a normal state, the mental scars of the past year still weigh heavy. However, the Family Resource Center of Northwest Ohio has set out to help with that. They will be offering free online workshops to tackle the idea of "Caring For Others And Ourselves In A Time of Loss." There will be three sessions next Tuesday through Thursday from 11 AM-12:30 PM on topics covering spiritual community, helping professionals, and community as a whole. The Family Resource Center's Outreach Specialist, Amber Wolfrom, says talking through these issues is especially important during mental health month.
Multiple health organizations in the Findlay area have teamed up to provide accessible HIV testing to the public. Equitas Health out of Lima has partnered with the Findlay Family Resource Center, and LGBTQ+ Spectrum of Findlay to offer these testing sites. Walk-up appointments are free and confidential. Equitas recently acquired a mobile outreach vehicle that will soon travel around the state for these pop-up clinics. Troy Miller, the Northwest Prevention Program Manager at Equitas Health, says HIV testing isn't widely available in Hancock County, so they wanted to help.
In light of Child Abuse Prevention Month SAFY, along with other agencies, hosted an event Tuesday night to showcase services available for children in need. Dozens of people attended the 2nd annual family build futures event at North Middle School. Throughout the evening, children and their families got the opportunity to visit several booths.
Students at Allen East decided to effect change by bringing in their pocket change.
