All Hartford residents, students and employees will soon have access to a free one-year subscription to a mental health app to help deal with what officials say is a rise in anxiety and depression in the community. city.
A new partnership with the mental health application, Headspaceand the West Hartford wellness nonprofit, Copper Beech Institute, will offer personalized content recommendations, daily mindfulness and meditation activities, tips and information on mental health.
“We have seen for many years now, but especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in stress, anxiety and mental health issues that manifest in so many different ways,” said the Mayor Luke Bronin. “We see it like so many communities across the country, showing up in everything from personal conflicts that escalate into road rage, to truancy in our schools and workplaces, to domestic violence and gun violence in the community, of all kinds.
Hartford, which struggles with high poverty rates, has long been seen by experts as a mental health care desert where costly services are out of reach for people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. Transportation also poses a barrier to accessing mental health care, since 35% of households in the city do not own a car, according to state data.
“Historically marginalized communities continue to experience growing mental health disparities and also face significant structural barriers to obtaining the therapeutic interventions that can truly help them heal, grow, and thrive,” Wizdom Powell , CEO of Headspace. “We know that residents of the Hartford community have been hit the hardest. We looked around after the COVID-19 pandemic and we all saw the attrition that occurred in our community.
According to DataHaven 2021 Stock Profile, Hartford residents report higher rates of depression and anxiety than wealthier surrounding cities. Seventeen percent of adults in Hartford reported experiencing anxiety regularly, compared to just 12 percent of adults in the Greater Hartford area. In the same report, 14 percent of adults in Hartford reported being regularly bothered by depression, while only 9 percent of adults reported experiencing depression regularly in the same Greater Hartford area.
“Mental health problems like depression and anxiety can be linked to social determinants like income, employment and environment, and can also pose risks for physical health problems, including complicating the ability to cope. a person to monitor other aspects of their health care. » according to the DataHaven report.
Hartford HealthCare Dr James O’Deavice president of Behavioral Health Network, said that while the app is not a panacea, it is a great entry point to start discussing mental health, a topic that has been shrouded in stigma for decades. O’Dea said anyone who feels they need further help should always contact their GP in the first instance.
“Making mental health resources available to people, in whatever form, is a positive thing,” O’Dea said. “I don’t think there’s a silver lining to any aspect of the pandemic, it’s a tragedy compounded by tragedies, but I will say it’s easier for people to talk about the frequency of these mental health problems. We exposed the idea that these problems have always existed and made people aware that these are very common and treatable illnesses.
Hartford has historically introduced mental health resources as part of the city’s public safety and crisis response. Since 2003, the city police and Capitol Area Mental Health Center jointly responded to 911 calls for adults in crisis. More recently, the city created the The HEART team which deploys mental health workers to help people in crisis in place of the police. The HEARTeam is comprised of licensed clinicians and peer responders trained in crisis intervention and began responding to 911 calls in 2022.
“I’ve already signed up for my free year and have already completed one of the meditation exercises,” O’Dea said. “We need to think of this as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Everyone will benefit from the support of a little wellness and how to manage the stresses of everyday life. But through the app, we can then stratify people who might need a little more help, like face-to-face or virtual counseling. I think what the mayor has done is created an entry point for mental health services. It normalizes that these are things that every family goes through.
But some advocates worry that the app is just a Band-Aid for much larger structural problems driving mental health disparities. Additionally, many Hartford residents do not have access to fast, reliable internet services and the city has one of the best lowest internet subscription rates in the state, fueling fears that it will not be accessible to residents.
“Residents have real needs that are not being met, we have a real homeless problem in the city. We desperately need housing. We’re in crisis mode,” said Hartford activist Ivelisse Correa of BLM 860. “The internet throughout the city doesn’t work well most of the time, so how do they expect most of the people access it? This doesn’t solve the real problems.
City officials said they will continue to work to ensure residents have access. The initiative also includes a partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Hartford creating public art that reinforces the importance of mental wellness and self-care.
Hartford residents, students or employees can register for a 1 year free subscription to the Headspace app here.
“There are two ways to register: One is to use a City of Hartford-specific link or QR code. We share both the code and the link in a variety of ways, including on the Hartford website. city and through the school system to make sure all students and staff are aware of it,” said Thea Montanez, Hartford’s chief operating officer. “We’re trying to use as many channels as possible to get the word out message.”
Montanez said that as part of the registration process, the city asks users to attest that they are either a Hartford resident, student or employee. However, to make the registration process as simple and barrier-free as possible, anyone with the link can register.
“It’s currently on the honor system, but we work very closely with Headspace to monitor registration activity,” Montanez said. “We will be able to see the number of registrants and ensure that residents, students and employees are the only ones using this free membership. »
As part of this initiative, the Copper Beech Institute will provide self-care and mental wellness training to approximately 140 city employees, with a particular focus on employees of the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation, and the Hartford Public Library, as these agencies work directly with community members who provide services.
Stephen Underwood can be contacted at sunderwood@courant.com
