Initiative helps people See the Signs of struggling and provides helpful resources
A coalition of organizations in the Bow Valley has launched a campaign to help people who could be struggling and at risk of crisis due to the many challenges caused by almost two years of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign urges people to take a moment to ‘look inside’ and use a website to help assess their personal well-being. If they ‘See the signs’ of distress or are struggling, they are offered tips and resources to help take care of their mental health. The website at SeetheSigns.ca provides strategies to address stress and self-care ideas to maintain good mental health.
“Bow Valley residents have been through so much over the past 20 months – with changing health restrictions, anxiety about the virus, anxiety about work, and many personal and family issues – that it’s understandable that people can become overwhelmed by stress, and some people may not be fully aware their mental health may be struggling” said Ella-Jean Schatzmann, a Program Facilitator for Bow Valley Addiction & Mental Health, Alberta Health Services (AHS).
“Our coalition of organizations came together to provide tools to help individuals assess their current state, find supports that can help, and above all, know they are not alone.”
A simple quiz on the website helps people assess a snapshot of their current level of stress. Contacts and local resources are available for people in distress.
The initiative involves a web resource, a social media campaign and promotions in local media.
The See the Signs campaign aims to:
- Protect and promote individual well-being and resilience by providing concrete ideas for self care and coping as well as providing resource information regarding local programs and services.
- Mitigate and prevent mental and behavioral health issues arising from the stress associated with the pandemic by supporting individuals to have a better understanding of when they might be struggling, or need to ask for help.
- Provide clear and consistent community messaging for all residents of the Bow Valley about how to take care of oneself during these distressing times.
The Bow Valley Wellness, Recovery & Preparedness Coalition was first established to support emergency response and psychosocial well-being following the 2013 floods. Now, consistent messages were developed for coalition organizations to promote local wellness activities, resources, services, and relevant health information in order to support the recovery phases of the pandemic. Coalition members include the towns of Banff and Canmore, the MD of Bighorn, AHS, the YWCA Banff, the Bow Valley Victim Services Association, Right from the Start, Canadian Rockies Public Schools, the Bow Valley Primary Care Network, and the Bow Valley Immigration Partnership. The coalition has placed on the website a tool kit with downloadable social media posts, posters and videos for any organization to use.
For media information, please contact:
Ella-Jean Schatzmann
Bow Valley Addiction & Mental Health, AHS
Phone: 403-679-9578
email: ella-jean.schatzmann@albertahealthservices.ca
https://www.seethesigns.ca/
Facebook.com/bowvalleywellnesscoalition