Madison County Mental Health Board

10/28/2026

🚨 Honoring Our Heroes on National First Responders Day! 🚨

Today, we honor the incredible bravery, dedication, and selflessness of our firefighters, police officers, EMS/paramedics, and dispatchers who run toward danger when others run away. From medical crises to natural disasters, they are the backbone of our communities, working tirelessly to keep us safe 24/7. Thank you for your courage and sacrifice!

💙❤️💛 The Ever-Changing Role of Our First Responders 💛❤️💙

Today’s first responders do much more than respond to physical emergencies—they are also on the front lines of mental and behavioral health crises. Recognizing the rise in these critical situations, first responders are continually evolving and training to handle mental health calls with compassion, skill, and specialized protocols:

🧠 Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT): Many agencies now utilize CIT-trained officers and responders. These specialized teams receive 40+ hours of training to identify psychiatric emergencies and safely de-escalate crisis situations, prioritizing empathy over force.

🤝 Co-Responder & Mobile Crisis Teams: By partnering with civilian mental health professionals and mobile crisis teams, first responders are able to connect individuals directly to treatment and support, bridging the gap between emergency response and long-term care.

📞 Compassionate Dispatch & Call-Handling: Dispatchers use active listening, empathy, and specialized screening to recognize when a call involves a behavioral health crisis, ensuring they send the right resources and prepare units on the ground.

🚓🚑 Diversion to Care: Instead of directing individuals into the justice system, responders work to route those in crisis toward medical stabilization, treatment, and community services where they can get the help they need.

Today, as we say "thank you," let’s also acknowledge the enormous emotional toll of this work. Support the mental health of our first responders, just as they support ours.

To all first responders: We see you, we appreciate you, and we thank you for your service today and every day. 🙏

Need help or in a crisis? The 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24/7—simply call or text 988.

10/27/2026

✨ The 3rd Annual Partnership for Drug Free Communities (PDFC) Meet & Greet is coming up! ✨

We’re excited to announce the details of this year’s PDFC Annual Meet & Greet, hosted alongside the Madison County Mental Health Board!

This year’s celebration is extra special as the Partnership marks 10 years as a coalition and is celebrating the progress and impact in our communities! 🎉

Join us as we reflect on how far the community has come over the past decade, share the Partnership's vision for the future, and connect with the people and organizations working together to prevent and reduce substance use throughout the surrounding communities.

📅 Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
⏰ Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Doors open at 10:30 AM)
📍 Location: 144 E. Ferguson Ave., Wood River, IL 62095
📝 Registration is required by November 17!
🔗 Visit https://forms.gle/cPN4VBuRexfvQTDB8 to register.

Whether you’ve been part of the Partnership for years or are just hearing about it for the first time, we’d love to see you there!

Let’s celebrate the progress, strengthen our partnerships, and continue building healthier, drug-free communities together!

10/27/2026

📣Upcoming Meeting Notice: Madison County Mental Health Board

📅 Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
📍 Location: County Board Room 380, 157 N. Main St., Edwardsville, IL
⏰3:15 PM – Personnel Committee Meeting (Finance & Board rescheduled for 11/5/26)

🔗 View meeting agenda and details here: https://tinyurl.com/mr389hf

10/22/2026

We are proud to share the impact of our recent System Development investment in the 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, in partnership with Southern Illinois Pathways (an affiliate of The Arc of Illinois) and the 𝐒𝐈𝐏 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!

Navigating special education rights, healthcare, and transition services can feel overwhelming for families raising youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮, 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥." – Shauna Gholston M.ED, Executive Director of SIP Arts Foundation

Serving as a welcoming "front door" to ongoing support across Madison County, these free workshops helped families build personalized, color-coded Pathways Advocacy Binders covering education, health, self-advocacy, and adult services. It also served as an opportunity to learn about rights and self-advocacy, learn about available resources in their communities, and build connections with other families.

"𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘤 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦." – Shauna Gholston, Executive Director of SIP Arts Foundation

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🌟
Sharon’s Story: "Sharon picked up a binder for her daughter at a workshop held at her local library, and it brought her back. She came to the next three sessions because building it felt like being in school again, and she used them to learn how disability rights work. A self-advocate herself, she has since made friends through Pathways Self-Advocates outings."

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 📊
110 Unduplicated Individuals Served
87 Advocacy Binders Distributed
9 Binder Workshop Sessions & 4 Community Events Attended
39 Partner Agency Referrals for Specialized Care

Every family who opens their binder and uses the knowledge gained at these workshops at their next IEP meeting carries this community investment into the room with them. Thank you to Southern Illinois Pathways and the SIP Arts Foundation for building a stronger, more inclusive Madison County!

10/15/2026

📣𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝓢𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡!!📣

This scholarship is available to support college-bound or current students pursuing education or a certification in behavioral health, with a focus on Mental Health, Substance Use Disorders, or Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities.

Click here for more details and the application!

🔗: https://tinyurl.com/2027SpringScholarship
📆Deadline: November 25, 2026 by 4:00 p.m.
📧Submit completed apps to: [email protected]
📱Questions? Call 618-692-4358

Applicant's will be notified by Fri., Dec. 4. Awards will be paid directly to the students school enrolled at for the 2027 Spring Semester.

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

📣Upcoming Meeting changes for 10/29/26: Madison County Mental Health Board

Due to a conflict, we have rescheduled the 10/29 Finance Committee and Board meetings. New date/times are:

🗓 Thurs. Nov. 5, 2026
⏰Finance Committee: 4:15pm
⏰Board Meeting: 5:00pm
📍157 N. Main St., County Board Room,
Edwardsville, IL 62025

🔗Link to agendas here: https://tinyurl.com/mr389hf

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day. 💚

In a world that constantly tells us to hustle and keep moving, it’s okay to pause. It’s okay to breathe. And most importantly, it’s okay to not be okay.

We often go out of our way to take care of our physical health, but our minds need just as much grace and attention. Whether it’s setting a new boundary, talking honestly to a friend, seeking professional support, or simply taking five minutes to step outside away from screens—your mental well-being matters today and every day.

Let’s commit to creating environments where asking for support is always met with compassion and understanding, rather than judgment.

Check in on yourself today. Then, check in on someone you care about. A simple, "How are you really doing?" can make all the difference to someone fighting a silent battle.

Take a moment for yourself today. Step away from the desk, take a deep breath, and remember that your well-being comes first. 💚

10/09/2026

Madison County Mental Health Board Executive Director Amber Donnelly attended and spoke about the funding allocated to substance use prevention services and programs, emphasizing the ongoing need for resources to support these efforts. While investments are being made in prevention, available resources remain limited.

Continued collaboration, community awareness, and support are essential to strengthening prevention efforts, expanding access to resources, and helping individuals and families affected by substance use.

Madison County officials report 48 overdose deaths in 2026 and call for stronger prevention, treatment and recovery support amid continuing opioid addiction.

10/05/2026

🧠 This week (October 4–10) is Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mental health conditions affect millions of lives, yet stigma and silence still prevent too many people from getting the help they deserve. It’s time to change the conversation, break down the barriers of stigma, and show up for one another.

The Reality of the Numbers:

🟩1 in 5 adults experience mental illness every year.
🟩Mental health conditions touch nearly every family, workplace, and community.
🟩Despite how common they are, diagnosis and treatment gaps remain a challenge due to judgment, fear, and a lack of accessible resources.

Mental illness is not a personal failure or a sign of weakness—it is a health condition, plain and simple. Just like any physical illness, it requires understanding, care, and professional support.

How you can help raise awareness this week:

💬 Check-In Challenge: Reach out to three people you haven’t heard from in a while with a simple, genuine, "How are you really doing today?"
📚 Educate & Share: Share a mental health resource, book, or podcast on your feed to help normalize the conversation.
🧘 Prioritize Self-Care: Take 15 minutes each day for an intentional mental break—whether that’s going for a walk, journaling, or disconnecting from screens.
🤝 Know the Resources: Save crisis support numbers in your phone, like calling or texting 988 for free, confidential support 24/7.
💚Break the stigma: Speak openly about mental health to normalize the conversation and remind others they are never alone.

Let’s turn awareness into action.

#988