17 May 2022: Mental Health Awareness Month

May is mental health awareness month. This message is from the Michigan Dept of Health & Human Services:

If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that our mental health and physical health go hand-in-hand. We’ve learned, as outlined in Governor Whitmer’s Mental Health Awareness Month proclamation at https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/proclamations/2022/04/29/may-2022-mental-health-awareness-month?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery, that mental health affects how we think, feel and act; how we handle stress; and how we relate to others and make choices. Dr. Debra Pinals, MDHHS Medical Director for Behavioral Health and Forensic Programs, recorded a short video message encouraging us to stop and think about that—and know that help is available if needed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymHvJZm_jh0

One source of help is the MDHHS Stay Well program, which was created in the early days of the pandemic and still offers services and resources to help you manage emotional distress. Here are a few:

* The Stay Well counseling line still provides emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dial 1-888-535-6136 and wait for the prompt to press “8”. Counseling is free and confidential.

* “Cultivating Joy” video series. Visit Michigan.gov/StayWell and click the black button that says Video Resources. You’ll find a collection of short, animated videos designed to help you rediscover optimism and hope.

* The “Be Kind to Your Mind” discussion group meets weekly on Zoom. Anyone can join for a chance to connect with other Michiganders who’ve been weathering the proverbial COVID storms. Register at https://bit.ly/3PilXrV.

Remember, there’s no shame in seeking help if you’re struggling emotionally. In fact, it can keep serious mental health issues at bay. So, here’s to your health – both mental and physical.

16 May 2022: Another threat to the health of women and girls

I find these articles to be disturbing:

* Abortion foes push to narrow ‘life of mother’ exceptions,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/05/13/abortion-ban-exceptions-mothers-life/

* What the “Life of the Mother” Might Mean in a Post-Roe America, https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-medicine/what-the-life-of-the-mother-might-mean-in-a-post-roe-america

We want our physicians to be focused on what is in the best interest of the patient. Health care becomes more dangerous to patients when physicians must also consider possible criminal prosecution, loss of their medical license or loss of hospital privileges for providing optimal care to their patients.

For those of us who place primary importance on the health of the women and girls in our life or in society, I think we need to get more involved politically, in some way. I am circulating the petition for the Michigan Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative, https://mireproductivefreedom.org/, and urge all who care about this issue to get more involved, in some way. What are you doing?

@NatPpolitics