Mental Well-Being Initiative is building a healthier future for the Wood River Valley
St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation invests in mental health
KETCHUM, Idaho – Since its launch last year, Blaine County’s Mental Well-Being Initiative (MWBI) has envisioned a future of mental well-being in the Wood River Valley, shaped by the input and needs of our diverse community. Spearheaded by the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation in response to a clear need for improved mental health resources, the Mental Well-Being Initiative brings together over 30 partners from across sectors—including local government, healthcare, nonprofits, education, business, and religious organizations—to build a mental well-being ecosystem through a shared vision and collaborative approach.
Megan Tanous, Chief Development Officer of St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, explains: “We’re focused on building the infrastructure for ongoing collaboration that will prioritize our community’s mental health for years to come. Through monthly workgroups, partner organizations and community members are refining objectives and identifying tactics to achieve our shared vision. These gatherings help us align our efforts and ensure we’re moving forward together.”
Over the past few months, the team has been charting a path forward and securing early wins. At its September board meeting, the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation Board of Directors awarded a series of grants to support the Wood River community’s mental well-being.
“Thanks to the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation’s funding, we’re excited to roll out Sanarai, an online therapy program specifically designed for Spanish speakers,” said Jenna Vagias, Project Manager for the Mental Well-Being Initiative. This pilot program will offer over 700 sessions of professional online therapy, delivered in Spanish by native speakers, with support from local case managers. The online therapy program will be offered through partnerships with organizations like the St. Luke’s Center for Community Health, The Hunger Coalition, Family Health Services, and The Alliance of Idaho. “It’s a major step toward expanding mental health services for our Spanish speaking population,” said Tanous.
In addition, SLWRF provided $41,000 to the St. Luke’s Center for Community Health Counseling Scholarship Fund which helps to defray the high costs of mental health counseling for people in need, eliminating the financial barriers that prevent access to counseling. “Given the high demand for mental health services, the need to provide assistance for people to access community-based counselors is high, despite St. Luke’s having its own mental health counselors. We continue to provide this assistance to people seeking therapy support with providers outside of St. Luke’s,” said Sarah Seppa, St. Luke’s Wood River’s Director of Community Health & Engagement. These critical counseling sessions help address a wide range of mental health issues including suicide, parenting, anxiety, and depression. Seppa emphasized, “Treatment of underlying mental health issues through behavioral health therapy, particularly for those with limited or no resources, is crucial to the health of our community,”
In addition to addressing access, the initiative is also working on prevention. Recognizing that depression is on the rise in Blaine County youth, the Blaine County Mental Well-Being Initiative has made prevention a key goal of its work. To support prevention strategies, the SLWR Foundation has made a three-year $35,000 per year investment in the Hailey-based Flourish Foundation. This investment will help expand mindfulness programs in early childhood education. Funding will allow 70% of K-2nd Blaine County classrooms to offer mindfulness programs.
Ryan Redman, Executive Director of Flourish Foundation, emphasizes the program’s impact: “Focusing on these early years helps children develop foundational strategies for mental balance, resilience, and social harmony. Research shows that early childhood experiences are key to shaping long-term cognitive and emotional development. By providing young children with tools to calm their minds, improve attention, and foster kindness, mindfulness practices can significantly enhance their well-being now and in the future.”
The grant will also support a teacher mindfulness cohort, bringing 12 educators together for a 9-month program. Redman adds, “This funding allows us to dedicate staff time to build youth mentorship programs.”
To measure the impact of the critical work to address mental health in Blaine County, the Mental Well-Being Initiative has been invited to join the Katz Amsterdam Foundation’s Shared Measurement Framework. This is a collaborative effort that tracks behavioral health data across eight mountain resort communities in the western U.S. The shared measurement framework will allow the MWBI to track progress on goals for years to come and allow for comparable data to similar mountain communities. Vagias offered, “joining the Katz Amsterdam Foundation’s ongoing focus on mental and behavioral health in the mountain west will go a long way to assist us as we track our progress towards achieving our goal of becoming the most mentally well community in the United States.”
The Blaine County Mental Well-Being Initiative continues to collaborate on goals identified by the community, including building stronger connections, offering mental health trainings, improving access to care, and enhancing crisis response. The aim is to meet the mental health needs of everyone in the community, from prevention to all levels of care. The St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation has funded the Initiative’s work thus far and, this spring, committed to three more years of funding to ensure expert coordination of the collaboration. Achieving meaningful and lasting success will require engagement and investment from community partners and leaders, along with continued support from all county residents.
Tanous encourages, “We invite everyone who cares about our community’s health and well-being to stay engaged and look for opportunities to contribute your time, talent, and resources as we move forward together.”
To learn more about the SLWRF and the Mental Well-being initiative, visit https://www.slwrf.org/blaine-countys-mental-well-being-initiative/
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MWBI Partners include St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, Spur Community Foundation, The Hunger Coalition, Love Like Ky, Carbonate Recovery Center, Wood River Community YMCA, The Crisis Hotline, Blaine County Education Foundation, Far + Wise, The Advocates, The Space, Just Serve, Higher Ground, Flourish Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness WRV, St. Luke’s Wood River, Family Health Services, KH Counseling, Alpine Integrative Wellness, Sun Valley Ketamine Clinic, Flow State Psychotherapy, Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Blaine County Sheriff’s Department, Blaine County School District, Hailey Public Library, Wood River Interfaith Council, 5B Suicide Prevention Alliance, 5B Digital Wellness Network, Wood River Early Learning Collaborative, Rene Smey, Kim Pertel, Tom Poole; Resiliency Rising and Laurie Strand, Redside Foundation.
***News Release***
Date: September 30,2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Joy Prudek
Public Relations Manager
St. Luke’s Wood River
prudekv@slhs.org
(208)727-8435
