NEWBURYPORT — The mayor is looking for some feedback on the city’s mental health needs and is seeking those willing to join focus groups to make that happen.
Looking to address some of the lingering local impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Sean Reardon formed the Task Force on Mental Health of roughly a dozen residents, city staff and stakeholders in the spring.
Reardon said he had been hearing about an increase in anxiety and depression brought on by the pandemic’s lockdowns and restrictions while first campaigning for office in 2021 and the Task Force on Mental Health will focus on educating and reaching out to residents, researching and understanding the city’s mental health issues, and providing programs and wellness initiatives.
“We have stakeholders from all across the city and of all ages. We have mental health professionals, people from Anna Jaques Hospital, the schools, Newburyport Youth Services, the Council on Aging and a whole host of people,” Reardon said. “I know we have so much expertise in the city and I wanted to bring these people together and have a more holistic view about what is happening, where our residents are at, and ask if we are reaching those residents that need our help.”
Although Anna Jaques Hospital administers a community health needs assessment of its own and Newburyport Youth Services does the same, the Task Force on Mental Health is also moving forward with conducting a mental health needs assessment. Those assessment include a series of focus groups that will roll out over time.
Reardon said the focus groups will target residents whose voices may not always be heard, including seniors; youth caregivers (parents, grandparents or guardians); people who speak Portuguese as their primary language; low-income housing residents; people who struggle with co-occurring disorders such as mental health issues and substance abuse; and the 18 and over LGBTQ+ community.
“We want to look at trying to reach all of these groups and gathering all of this information and that’s why we’re looking for people to form these focus groups,” Reardon said.
Chief of Staff Andrew Levine said the administration is now looking for residents to take part in the first three scheduled focus groups, which are expected to begin next week.
Each focus group participant must be a resident of the city who is comfortable sharing perspectives and opinions on mental health services, speaks enough English to actively participate and is able to commit to a specific date and time.
“We are reaching out to a number of populations, some of them somewhat targeted, and asking them about mental health and mental health services in the community and where people think the needs and deficits are,” he said.
The LGBTQ+ focus group will be conducted at the Senior/Community Center on Monday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The youth caregiver focus group will meet via Zoom on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., and the seniors focus group will take place at the Senior/Community Center on Thursday, Nov. 9, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Focus group participants will be asked to provide; their perspectives and opinions of mental health-related resources and services in the city and how they feel about them; ways to improve their experience while accessing care; and the trusted resources and organizations they utilize in the community.
Each roughly 90-minute focus group will be confidential and is expected to include 10 to 12 volunteers. Participants will be asked to provide as much feedback as they can but can skip any question they wish, and will receive a $35 gift certificate to a local business for their time.
Levine said the $20,000 mental health needs assessment is being paid for via a $142,500 grant Newburyport Youth Services received from New York-based The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation.
“They’ve had some help with prevention work and some extra capacity building funds through one of their grants,” he said. “So it is a perfect extension of their work.”
Reardon said he wants to get over the stigma that can sometimes be associated with mental health issues.
“We still have people who feel isolated coming out of the pandemic and are still struggling,” he said. “But we want to get to those people and give them a voice. This could also grow into a more regional effort. Because, I think we’re finding that the surrounding communities are having a lot of the same issues. But the first thing we need to get is that data, which is what we’re going to try to do with this assessment.”
Those interested in volunteering for a focus group can reach out to Renee Miciek at 978-572-6406 or through email at: [email protected].
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.