JCDPH, WCU address mental health

Lippard has worked closely with a group of students in the Communications Department at Western Carolina University to create a public relations campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month in May.

The goal is to create more awareness about mental health and decrease the stigma surrounding the topic.

“I am thrilled to be partnering with WCU’s Communications Capstone class on developing and implementing a mental health communications campaign to encourage our community to talk more openly about mental health,” Lippard said. “It is our hope that through this campaign we will reduce the stigma around mental health and encourage our community to seek help and find support when needed.”

Some of the assets the director and the students are using during this campaign are billboards on N.C. 107, the health department’s social media pages and flyers at Smoky Mountain High School. All information provided by the JCDPH comes from verified sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lippard and the students believe that mental health disorders need to be destigmatized and addressed and the first step is to provide access to mental health resources to the local community, Lippard said.

For more information, contact Emma Michalak at emichalak1@catamount.wcu.edu.