By Rita Casman
According to Dr. Scheyett, Anna, in her TED Talk “Social Workers as Super-Heroes, we will all need a social worker at least once in our lifetime. One of the populations that is in high need in Arizona is the SMI population, a term used to describe a patient with two or more mental illnesses that fall under the serious mental illness category https://eligibility.solari-inc.org/eligibility-determination-information/.
Common conditions include borderline personality disorder, Schizophrenia with psychotic features, autism, and bipolar disorder, amongst others. These patients struggle with relationships, including the law and the workforce.
The question is: how do we acquire more funding to help these patients navigate case management, mental health facilities, and employment agencies? Many agencies like Copa Health Arizona Behavioral & Mental Health Services – Copa Health count on day programs, but they are not enough. The problem we are facing is to create more opportunities and think outside the box, including taking care if the staff and peer support that are part of these agencies.
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) explains that serious mental illness can substantially affect a person’s ability to participate in major life activities, including interpersonal relationships, employment, and recreation SMI Designation.
According to SAMHSA’s 2024 Arizona Mental Health Services Profile, 245 of 515 reporting mental-health facilities (47.6%) had programs or groups specifically designed for adults with SMI. National Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey (N-SUMHSS) State Profile 2024.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reported that some people with serious mental illness face barriers to physical activity because they cannot afford or cannot get to fitness programs. NIH Study Shows People with Serious Mental Illnesses Can Lose Weight – National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Recreation is recognized as an area affected by the SMI population as a problem. Terros Health receives funding for recreation just as other organizations. GRANT to TERROS INC | USAspending. However, it is not enough, and other federal programs receive much more generous grants. The barrier is the Cost, including transportation, and social barriers can prevent participation. While government funding requires extensive advocacy, it is necessary to use existing behavioral-health infrastructure to expand affordable, accessible recreational opportunities through partnerships, donations, drives, and other activities that continue to create awareness. Volunteering is a gift that can be utilized here, just as donating blood, for example. Organizations such as the Lions Club Lions Clubs of Arizona – Home can help in this matter, as they have blood and eyeglasses drives. On the left, a picture with Blanca Luz Wug Pelaez, one of the first women governors for the Lions Club in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Category: Social work
Tags: SMI, Serious Mental Illness, Funding, Recreation