To the Board of Commissioners,
The Proviso Township Mental Health Commission is pleased to present our annual report for Fiscal Year 23-24. As we began this year of transition for both agencies and staff, I am pleased to report that the Commission is thriving in our mission to help enhance the quality of life for the residents of Proviso. We have strengthened the support for our residents by funding programs that provide a meaningful impact on the issues confronting our entire community. Our network of agencies and programs provided an opportunity for every resident in Proviso to receive help in the areas of Mental Health, Substance Use, Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities as well as Preventative Services.
We are living in an era where behavioral health services are needed now more than ever before. The lost years of COVID continue to have residual effects impacting behavioral health. The greatest impact seemed to be on our younger generations. It was essential to support programs that focused on this population and their issues. Additionally, countless seniors and adults missed out on regular intervals of socialization and human interaction, contributing to lingering adverse effects on behavioral health. The result was a surge in people developing acute depression/anxiety disorders as well as substance use issues. This “lost” time created an unprecedented uptick in the need for behavioral health treatment that went unidentified until well after the pandemic concluded. Our staff, our reporting system, and agency interaction allowed us to continue recognizing trends while maintaining a strong focus on devising ways to mitigate these challenges.
In an effort to deliver on our commitment to the Township, we funded 21 agencies including 39 programs within those agencies. If any residents were experiencing a behavioral health problem, accessibility to help and information was always available. We wanted to be confident that residents knew the agencies and services in their area, and how to access them. We worked to highlight the resources available to them through social media engagement and increased Internet Technology (IT) exposure to direct residents where to go. We established a dedicated number (708-234-TALK) to link residents with individuals ready to answer behavioral health questions and set up treatment. In addition to the (TALK) line, we also promoted agencies through individualized videos highlighting what they do in the community.
As we promoted our agencies and services, we continued to be mindful of the cultural diversity in our community and the need for responsive services focused on providing bilingual support. Consequently, we attempted to locate bilingual services and information whenever possible. To establish our commitment to this underserved population, we collaborated with the Proviso Public Partnership in securing the Cook County Stronger Together grant, which will provide a half million dollars to address behavioral health inequalities in the Township. Ideally this highlights some of the areas of involvement that we spent our effort and resources trying to improve. We are committed to continuing our obligation to manage support for Proviso Township by promoting agencies and programs that put our residents first.
We would like to personally thank the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission Board. Your unwavering support, leadership and guidance showcase the impact the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission has on the behavioral health needs of our community.
Thank you again for your confidence and support.
Respectfully,
Joseph V. Vasilevski
Executive Director
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