CentraCare and Marco Team Up for Year End Giving Campaign Focusing on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

(KNSI) — The CentraCare year end community giving campaign is officially underway.

Funds raised this year will go to support CentraCare’s current and future needs in the area of mental health, including suicide prevention, education, and community awareness.

Brad Konkler, vice president of the CentraCare Foundation, tells KNSI they also have a community partner to help highlight mental health needs. Marco has stepped forward with a $100,000 gift match, so all gifts of any size will be matched dollar for dollar up to that $100,000 mark between now and December 31st, 2021.

He says, sadly, suicide prevention and awareness and mental health issues are a hot topic right now, “regretfully, for good reason.” Some programs and services are offered through CentraCare and covered by insurance and other sources, but “there are gaps” he says. “There are a lot of needs that are either underfunded, or not funded at all. And those programs and services are really vital and that’s where our community can really make a difference. By making a donation, taking advantage of the match to double the impact and help fund some of the programs and services that otherwise would not be offered to our community.”

Konkler says every day, roughly 12 people will show up at the emergency room at St. Cloud Hospital with some sort of mental health crisis or emergency. CentraCare’s new Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment, and Healing, or EmPATH unit at St. Cloud Hospital, opened its doors in August to provide care for adult patients that transition them away from the sometimes chaotic environment of a hospital’s emergency room and into a more calm and welcoming setting. Konkler says the EmPATH unit came about thanks to community philanthropy.

The EmpATH unit was largely funded through a $1.2 million gift from the Leona and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Konkler says it looks nothing like an ER or a hospital space. He says it’s a calm and healing environment overlooking the river with dedicated, professional staff to work closely with mental health or substance abuse patients. Konkler says the patients can be closely observed and have a tailored treatment plan with a specially trained team.

Jennifer Johnson is on the finance committee for CentraCare, but she also works at Marco, who is a community partner with CentraCare.

Johnson says Marco has also been impacted by suicide, “unfortunately, it has taken some of our Marco employees and some of their family members way too early.” She says as a strong community partner, they want to make an impact and do their part, adding that the holiday season is about family and Marco “wants to make sure that families who have suffered directly, or indirectly from mental illness are getting the help and support they need.”

Learn more about the campaign or make a donation by clicking here.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and speak with someone. The call is free and confidential. You can also chat with a counselor by clicking here. If you are a veteran or concerned about a veteran in your life, you can call the same number and press 1 or text 838255 for the Veteran’s Crisis Line.

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