YMCA, GRAND Mental Health Providing Support For Families In Tulsa

Two local organizations, GRAND Mental Health and the YMCA of Greater Tulsa, are coming together to provide mental health support to Tulsa area kids and their families.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 17 percent of kids experience depression and anxiety each year and the YMCA and GRAND Mental Health said Tulsa falls in that range.

GRAND and the YMCA are working to address crisis issues in the community. Jeff Harlin, the CAO of GRAND Mental Health said some of the YMCA locations experience individuals dealing with crisis or mental health issues, which is how the initial partnership between the two organizations began.

The YMCA and GRAND will provide mental health support to kids and families at many of the YMCA's locations around Tulsa. The help includes virtual behavioral health crisis services and on-site behavioral health support at YMCA summer camps.

"I think there are so many children and families that need our services, that need [the YMCA's] services. And I think that’s really the key to what we are trying to do here. We’re trying to help children and families, and at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing," Harlin said.

Harlin also said addressing someone's mental health needs is just as important as their physical health. He said it's why GRAND and the YMCA are a perfect match for this partnership.

With summer camps getting ready to start at the YMCA, GRAND Mental Health will be embedded within the camps to make sure to help out the children anytime an issue arises.

"We know that we can have better outcomes if we have a partner truly embedded within our locations and within our programs. And so we're excited to see how we can help support not only the YMCA population, but our community as a whole," Kyle Wilkes, Chief Development Officer for YMCA of Greater Tulsa said.

There will also be other services available to kids and families at the summer camps in addition to the virtual behavioral health crisis services and on-site behavioral health support at YMCA summer camps. This includes free walk-in mental screens at five Tulsa area YMCA locations.