Mid-Shore Mental Health Systems, Inc. in Easton invites the Spy community to help with their survey about behavioral health attitudes and if stigma efforts were effective.
Kathy Stevens, Behavioral Health Coordinator at Mid-Shore Mental Health Systems, Inc., recently wrote this in the organization’s newsletter:
“Four Salisbury University graduate students are working diligently to survey 1,000 people living in the mid-shore region to determine what people think about behavioral health. Measure.
The students —Virginia Johnstone, Margaret Allen, Ashley Freeman and Caroline Egleseder— are completing a project as part of their master’s in social work program.
The survey, called the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), was employed in the United Kingdom to track attitudes about mental health just after the launch of Time to Change UK, a stigma awareness campaign launched in 2007. With startup funding, Time to Change surveyed 1,700 unique residents annually to measure effectiveness of the campaign and make adjustments.
Likewise, Mid-Shore Mental Health Systems, Inc. looks to measure attitudes about behavioral health. Completing the baseline survey is the first step. MSMHS and partnering agencies that comprise the Behavioral Health Coalition continue to devise strategies and implement programs aimed at reducing stigma related to mental health and substance use disorder.
Johnstone said other classmates’ projects consisted of handouts and attendance at informational events.
“We are all really excited about this,” Johnstone said about the endeavor. “This really feels like we’re doing something substantial and meaningful.”
Please take the survey here.
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