OUR VISION
The mission of the Mental Health Initiative (MHI) is to serve individuals of economic disadvantage in obtaining high-quality and symptom-appropriate mental health services through education, referral, and when necessary, financial assistance.
Furthermore, MHI is committed to educating the greater community concerning the current mental health crisis, the stigma against mental health care, and the inequity of access to quality mental health services for individuals of economic disadvantage and the shortcomings of the current healthcare system in their services to this population.
Additionally, MHI serves to compensate mental health providers by contracting with them for ethically-congruent compensation to increase the integrity of, and access to services provided for individuals of economic disadvantage.
THE MHI SOLUTION
We desire to assist underserved individuals through educating the community of the gaps to access, building a network of mental health professionals who can provide symptom-appropriate and quality services, and providing informed financial assistance to make quality mental healthcare affordable to uninsured and underinsured people in need.
WHY IS MHI NEEDED?
In America, over 4.7 million adults with a mental illness seek mental health services without insurance.
Forty-two percent of the population saw cost and poor insurance coverage as the top barriers for accessing mental health care.
One in four (25%) Americans reported having to choose between getting mental health treatment and paying for daily necessities.
18% of Bartow County residents are uninsured which limits their ability to access needed mental health care.
For those insured, many low-premium insurance plans do not cover mental health services until the deductible is met -- often meaning the individual’s insurance will never pay for therapy.
Because many insurance companies have failed to increase their reimbursement rates for decades. Fewer and fewer mental health care professionals are accepting insurances, with other companies even cutting their reimbursement rates.
Georgia ranks among the lowest in terms of lacking an adequate number of providers, facilities, and funding to support the states’ populations.
OUR VALUES
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MHI recognizes that all individuals have different mental health needs, as well as personal and social resources to access quality mental health services. MHI believes that all individuals deserve access to the opportunities and resources necessary to achieve their mental health goals.
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MHI will serve those seeking mental health services, mental health providers, stakeholders, and the community-at-large with openness and honesty through communication, compensation, and transparency.
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MHI will create and maintain relationships with individuals seeking services, the community of mental health providers, contracted providers, and community stakeholders.
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MHI will honor individuals seeking services, the community of mental health providers, contracted providers, and community stakeholders with communication and practices focused on ethics, integrity, and transparency.
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MHI seeks to be accountable to stakeholders through ethical practices and documentation.
