ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — Hurricane Ida added to the stress, anxiety and struggles many of us were already facing due to the pandemic.
Now, Northshore residents have access to free online therapy sessions and it may be especially needed as the Safe Haven Crisis Receiving Center is shut down for several months.
Nick Richard with NAMI St. Tammany said data following Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Isaac and the 2016 floods showed showed suicide rates spike.
"Two years after that there was an average of 41 percent increase in suicide rates. 41 percent for citizens in St. Tammany Parish," he said.
That's why starting this week, anyone at least 18-years old who was living in St. Tammany, Washington, Tangipahoa or St. Helena parishes during Hurricane Ida can receive two free online therapy sessions a month for three months plus unlimited messaging with a therapist on "Talkspace." It's through an initiative called "WellConnected."
"We know if we don’t do something different we're going to lose more of our citizens again and we don’t want that to happen," Richard said.
It's made possible through a grant from the Northshore Community Foundation.
To learn more about WellConnected visit www.wellconnectedns.com or reach out directly to NAMI St. Tammany's WellConnected call line at 985-626-6402 or by email at wellconnected@namisttammany.org.
The new initiative comes during a time when another program has to temporarily close. The Safe Haven Crisis Receiving Center in Mandeville opened in October.
The goal of the center is to give people in crisis a place to go or somewhere law enforcement can take them other than the emergency room or jail.
The center has treated an average of 30 patients a month with a goal to lower St. Tammany's suicide rate. Forty-five citizens died of suicide last year. Patients can walk into the center and receive intervention or stabilization during a crisis.
"This is for any body to walk through in a crisis. It really needs to be open and needs to accept everyone and that’s what we will do moving forward with our new operator," said Mary Burckell, Director of Health and Human Services for St. Tammany Parish Government.
They are searching for a new operator as the current one, Start Corporation, stopped accepting patients June 17.
"Due to budget cuts and ongoing budget concerns, Start Corporation will cease to operate the Safe Haven Crisis Receiving Center in Mandeville, LA. We have notified St. Tammany Parish Government of our intent to exit and all patients have been released with a thorough discharge plan," a Start Corp. post said.
The St. Tammany Parish Government plans to submit a request for proposals July 6. The goal is to quickly select a new operator and have the center back open by October.
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