Baptist Health Hardin raises awareness of mental health, suicide prevention
ELIZABETHTOWN, KY (Sept. 10, 2024) - Baptist Health Hardin staff held a Chalk the Walk event to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. The event was part of Baptist Health’s 100 Days of Service centennial project for September.
Staff drew messages of encouragement and support for those living with mental illnesses, as well as their families. Visitors stopped to admire the chalk art, and some even drew their own messages of hope.
“Today we chalk the walk to spread understanding about mental illness and to reduce the stigma that has encrusted itself around mental illness for far too long,” said Mary Bauer, nurse manager, Baptist Health Hardin Behavioral Health.
September is also Suicide Prevention Awareness month. Some art included messages around this theme.
The hospital will also host a free, virtual free Mental Health First Aid online session, aimed at employers, police, hospital staff, first responders and faith leaders. The session will from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sept. 18. For more information, or to register, email Lrichard2@bhsi.com or Brittany.Marsee@bhsi.com.
“We recognize that now, more than ever, behavioral health services are greatly needed,” said Chris Holcomb, Baptist Health’s associate vice president for behavioral health. “Baptist Health has been rapidly expanding its behavioral health services – both in-person and virtually – but we have a long way to go to fully meet the demand.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 50 percent of Americans will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. One in five will experience a mental illness in any given year.
Behavioral health is a growing focus for Baptist Health, which saw a nearly 500 percent increase in those outpatients, from 22,000 visits in 2020 to 128,000 this year. In 2020, Baptist Health launched a multi-year plan to significantly expand its capacity to provide behavioral health care, which encompasses mental health, substance use/prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.
Long-time focus, growth
The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville was among the first private hospitals in the nation to open a psychiatric unit in 1949.
Behavioral health services are being offered in all nine Baptist Health hospital markets. Baptist Health treats a range of behavioral health conditions, with the most prevalent being depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use. For more specific information, visit www.baptisthealth.com/services/behavioral-health or call the Baptist Health Behavioral Health Resource Connection at 1.800.395.4435.
Centennial celebration
The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville opened its doors in November 1924 following years of rallying community support and fundraising. Baptist Health has since expanded to nine hospitals and more than 2,700 licensed beds, reaching nearly 75 percent of Kentucky residents and a wide swath of southern Indiana.
In 2024, Baptist Health celebrates its 100th anniversary, and is marking each month with a health-related “gift” to its communities. In August, Baptist Health Hardin provided falls prevention education and held a shoe drive in collaboration with Baptist Health Foundation Hardin and Julie Sutton’s Shoes. More than 350 pairs of shoes were collected to help local students prepare to go back to school.