Regions Hospital taking steps to fight stigma
Mental illnesses are diseases that can be treated and often times cured, but nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental illness never seek help from a health professional. Stigma, discrimination and neglect often prevent them from receiving the care and treatment they need.
To address these issues, HealthPartners has joined the Minnesota branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness to reduce stigma.
Through a $100,000 grant from HealthPartners, NAMI Minnesota launched a community campaign to work first with Regions Hospital and then hospitals throughout the state to change patient experience and reduce the perceptions of mental illness.
When the results of a survey conducted by NAMI Minnesota of patients who had been in mental health units throughout the state came in, the responses were startling, and, in many cases, heart wrenching. Comment after comment stressed a perceived lack of compassion and an unwillingness to listen on the part of health care workers. Patients listed concerns such as: “When you are mentally ill, you are always wrong, and they are always right,” and, “Treat us like humans and like someone who has diabetes and not depression.”
The anti-stigma campaign will work to transform mental health units into environments that promote recovery and hope, encourage the involvement of family and friends and change the attitudes of staff.
As Regions Hospital begins construction on a new mental health facility, more than just the physical space will change. Working with NAMI, a team has been set up to look at redesigning patient care in the mental health unit.
Some steps of the campaign have already been implemented. Posters that can be used in mental health units around the state have been developed and will debut at Regions Hospital soon. The posters welcome patients and their families, offer tips to talk about mental illnesses and provide simple ideas to help family and friends understand and support someone with a mental illness.
Another way to fight the stigma is to meet people with mental illnesses and hear their stories. “In Our Own Voice” is a public education program developed by NAMI in which two trained speakers share their personal stories about living with mental illness and achieving recovery. In May, NAMI Minnesota brought “In Our Own Voice” to Regions Hospital.
“It was an incredibly powerful hour,” says Nancy Miller, a performance improvement project manager in the mental health unit at Regions Hospital. “This is something every medical professional should see. As medical professionals, we think we know best, but it is the patient’s voice that should be heard.”
The next step in the anti-stigma campaign is to develop a video and brochure for family and friends that will educate them on what their loved one is facing and how they can help.
These small steps, from the posters and presentations to the videos and brochures, serve as an important reminder to patients, families, friends and staff that mental illnesses are just that— illnesses— and together we can improve care.