During a roundtable conference in Springfield, Illinois leaders and mental health advocates gathered to discuss upcoming improvements to mental health services. The meeting, hosted by the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, took place at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library during Mental Health Awareness Month. The event not only reviewed state initiatives supporting mental health services but also celebrated graduates of the Certified Recovery Support Specialist program.
Governor JB Pritzker launched the Transformation Initiative in 2022, providing Illinois youth with access to mental health services. The transformation team highlighted their work with the BEACON portal during the meeting, which is an online resource connecting families to publicly funded mental health services. The BEACON initiative is expected to launch this summer, providing an important resource for those in need.
Leaders at the conference also discussed the Mental Health Bill of Rights, which aims to ensure that all Illinoisans have access to trauma-informed, evidence-based care when needed. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Transformation Initiative collaborated on a Spotify playlist featuring songs from Illinois mental health advocates. The playlist promotes strategies for managing stress and encourages listeners to be AWESOME:
– Attention: Tune into your breath
– Watch: Notice your thoughts
– Embrace: Stay in the present moment
– Sense: Savor sights, sounds, or tastes
– Observe: Notice your surroundings
– Move: Stretch or exercise your body
– Experience: Get outside in nature
Those interested in learning more about managing stress can tune into the playlist here.
