NO WRONG DOOR

Have you heard of this term? I hope so. It is a policy that is being pushed through to all community agencies and professions in the field of community health, public health, mental health and substance misuse. It means that no matter what agency you call or go to, no matter what type of professional you see for an appointment of any kind, they are expected to hook you up with resources and help you even if it is not their specialty. So, if you go to your medical doctor for anything and you mention difficulty with mental health or substance use, they are bound to discuss options to help you and give you resources to call or go to in person....even make the call with you at that moment IF that is what you want. Yes, it is true. That is how bad this opioid crisis is and that is how tragic our numbers of suicides are; not accidental overdoses, I am talking actual suicides. This policy varies from state to state or region to region. If you bravely speak about your difficulty with mental health OR substance misuse OR are experiencing grief from losing someone from an overdose or suicide then whoever you confide in should offer to help you right then. What type of help and how you want to proceed is up to you. If you just want a phone number or website then that is it. Maybe ask for a brochure if available. If you want them to help you make the phone call, they should do that with you or hand you over to the RN nursing coordinator to help you right away. You must speak up and tell us your needs! We are eliminating the stigma to mental health, suicide, and substance use. We want to help but we need to know if you need help and what kind of help you want.