Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH).  The goal is to share information with our community about local issues and projects, public health alerts, and even facts about the scope of responsibility that local Boards of Health manage.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One Board of Health responsibility is to inform residents about this important public health issue because there is no health without mental health. Risk and stigma reduction in both mental health and substance use disorders can be achieved by encouraging open discussion, identifying some of the resources available in Westport, and by promoting connection, support, and hope in our community. 

“Threads of Hope” is the mental health awareness theme this year.  The connection between mental health and physical health, as well as the importance of support in instilling hope, will be highlighted. Depression can lead to feeling hopeless, but loss of hope can also lead to depression and thoughts of suicide or of harming others.  People who have lost hope are in a painful state of mind. How can we extend a thread of hope when someone is barely holding on?  Preventing harm of any kind requires intervention and understanding that the message of help is the source of hope.

To help prevent child and teen suicide, the Westport Middle High School initiated a new support team called “The Hope Squad.”  A select group of students begin their training this month focusing on recognizing the warning signs of suicide, how to reach out to help, and to connect a struggling peer with a trusted adult. They will learn about grief, mental illness, leadership, and being resilient to better educate their families, schools, and community. They are led and supervised by school adjustment counselors and a nurse. 

There is other ongoing help in Westport.  On the second Tuesday of every month there is a Caregiver Support Group from 2:30 to 4:30 pm at the public library.  Individuals caring for a loved one at home share their struggles and are given suggestions and support by others who truly understand. It is facilitated by a mental health professional.

The opposite of addiction is connection. For those struggling with substance use in need of support Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meet at 5:45 pm every Wednesday at the Grange, 931 Main Road.  Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings occur at the Grange every Saturday at 6:30 pm, at 7 pm on Tuesdays at Pacific Union Congregational Church, 526 Old County Road, and 7 pm on Sundays at The Quaker Meeting House, 930 Main Road. “Parents and Other AFG” is the name of an Al-ANON meeting held in the basement at Our Lady Grace Church, 569 Sanford Road, Wednesdays at 7 pm. This group provides support and guidance to family, friends, and anyone else connected to those struggling with alcohol use. Individuals can feel less alone by connecting with others facing the same struggles.  Hope can be found by talking with those who have lived experience and have moved forward in the recovery process.

The Hope Project will be an ongoing art installation at the library throughout the month. Starting May 9, from 10:30 am to 12 noon, there will be a discussion about the relationship between both mental and physical health and hope, as well as ways to instill hope when you or someone else feels hopeless. After the discussion, creating the art installation will begin.   Any visitor to the library will be able to add messages of hope and support to this community art piece throughout the month of May. You may add a saying, picture, item, or poem that may foster hope for anyone or for all in our community. Your involvement and intervention in the art installation could offer a thread of hope to someone in need. Remember, the message of help is the source of hope.

A registered nurse, Amaral is a member of the Westport Board of Health.