Released by Allegiance Specialty Hospital of Kilgore
KILGORE/GREGG COUNTY (KYTX) - Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW)
takes place October 7-13 and is an opportunity to learn more about serious
mental illnesses such as major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Mental illnesses are medical
illnesses. One in four adults experiences a mental health problem in any given
year. "Many people in our community
are directly affected by mental illness," said Kim Brown, Director of Outreach
and Community Relations. "The good news is that treatment does work and
recovery is possible."
Here are some interesting facts:
On average, people living with
serious mental illness live 25 years less than the rest of the population. One
reason is that less than one-third of adults and less than one-half of all children
with a diagnosed illness receive treatment.
One in four Americans will experience a serious mental disorder in
his or her lifetime, including major depression, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia and severe anxiety disorders.
Mental
illnesses are no-fault, biologically based brain disorders which cause
disturbances in thinking, feeling and/or relating. Persons living with these disorders deserve
the dignity of medical treatment and a wide range of supportive services from
mental health care providers and caring congregations. Though the majority of individuals living
with mental illness can successfully be treated, stigma and misinformation
continue to be significant barriers to treatment.
"The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that stigma is a major
barrier to people seeking help when they need it," Brown said. "That's why
Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is so important. We want people to
understand mental illness and join a dialogue in our community.
The more people know, the better they can help themselves or help their loved
ones get the help and support they
need."
With that,
Allegiance Specialty Hospital of Kilgore would like to host an informational
health fair on various mental health related topics in the lobby of our
facility on Tuesday, October 9 and
again on Thursday, October 11, 2012
from 10:00am – 2:00pm, so we can
better educate the people our community.
Allegiance Specialty Hospital is located at 1612 S. Henderson Blvd.,
Kilgore, TX, (in the old Laird Hospital).
About Allegiance
Specialty Hospital:
Allegiance Specialty Hospital is a licensed 60
bed hospital with two specialties: Medical Acute Care and Behavioral Health
Care. The hospital, formerly known as Laird Memorial Hospital, changed
ownership after Allegiance bought the hospital license. Since that time,
Allegiance has focused on providing medical and behavioral health services
exclusively for older adults. Allegiance worked with Good Shepard Medical
Center (GSMC) in bringing emergency services back to the Kilgore community. The
GSMC Emergency Center is now open 24 hours a day.
Allegiance currently has
118 employees with a financial impact to the city of Kilgore of 3.6 million in
annual payroll. The progress of Allegiance Hospital over the last year includes
partnering with the nursing programs of Kilgore College, UT Tyler, Panola
Junior College and UT Arlington whose nursing students rotate through
Allegiance Hospital as part of their training. Over the last year, Allegiance
received over 1200 referrals from 26 counties throughout East Texas and treated
over 100 patients daily in its outpatient programs. In addition to providing
ongoing community education about mental health, Allegiance Hospital is
nationally recognized and accredited by DNV for meeting high standards in
healthcare.
Learn more about our services please visit our website at www.ashkilgore.com. To learn more about mental illness support, education and advocacy visit NAMI at www.nami.org
