Catholic Charities joins National Catholic Mental Health Campaign set for Oct. 10-18

Focus on raising awareness of available mental health services in community for individuals of all faiths, ages & backgrounds

Sent on Behalf of Catholic Charities of Buffalo

Catholic Charities of Buffalo is joining with other Catholic organizations in observing World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), and the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign (Oct. 10-18). As a faith-based organization, Catholic Charities is working with parishes and other local diocesan organizations to promote this upcoming campaign through prayer and education about mental health services available in Western New York.

“Mental health issues know no socioeconomic barriers, and providing needed access to counseling services for the poor and marginalized is essential to giving these individuals hope for a happier and healthier life,” said Shabrin Haque, M.D., medical director, Catholic Charities Behavioral Health. “Catholic Charities operates from the basic belief that everyone who needs help should receive help.”

Each year, more than 8,000 Western New Yorkers of all faiths, ages and backgrounds rely on the counseling and behavioral health services at Catholic Charities to deal with acute and chronic mental health challenges. Services are available to help with day-to-day troubles and serious concerns for families, adults and seniors throughout all eight counties of Western New York. Catholic Charities also offers children’s clinics in Niagara Falls and Lockport that serve children ages 3-21 who present an emotional disorder, and who are appropriate for outpatient care.

The focus of the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign is threefold: to raise awareness of the mental health crisis, combat stigma surrounding the topic of mental health, and advocate for all those impacted by mental health. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness.

If you or a loved one needs mental health services, please contact your local Catholic Charities office in the surrounding Western New York counties. For more information or to initiate a referral in Erie County, call the Behavioral Health Central Intake unit at 1-877-448-4466.

About Catholic Charities of Buffalo

For more than 100 years, Catholic Charities of Buffalo has provided HOPE to individuals and families of all faiths, backgrounds and circumstances. As the most comprehensive human services agency in Western New York, Catholic Charities delivers wide-ranging programs to address systemic poverty, sudden financial crisis, hunger, behavioral health, workforce readiness, family stability, legal immigration and resettlement, and help for older adults. More information can be found by visiting ccwny.org.