ABC-7 launches Be Mindful. campaign in the Borderland
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- ABC-7's Be Mindful. multi-platform initiative seeks to strengthen the Borderland's mental health system by empowering its residents through information and education in order to promote a culture of resiliency, reduce stigma and improve wellness.
"Be Mindful. is an opportunity for everyone, for the community to come together and be in a better place," ABC-7 General Manager Brenda De-Anda Swann said. "This is all about resiliency."
ABC-7 is launching the campaign this month, but it will continue throughout the year.
Through our reporting, ABC-7 will inform residents of resources available in the Borderland and how to obtain them.
"One of the most important things that we have to do is work together because in our community, we have to address needs that we consistently have shortfalls in," Paso del Norte Center Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Executive Director Enrique Mata said. "The only way to do that is to find solutions together."
Other goals of Be Mindful. include:
- Amplify the collaborative efforts of agencies working to improve mental health
- Demystify conversations about mental health issues by engaging leaders and influencers to talk about it naturally with the goal of decreasing stigma
- Improve the rate of access to mental health in the Borderland
- Promote wellness across all age groups, from school-age children all the way to elderly residents.
"It is just something that should be normal," De-Anda Swann said about demystifying the stigma associated with mental health. "It should be just as normal as saying, 'I have a cold, I need to go to the doctor.' And everyone is like, 'Okay!'"
ABC-7 was awarded a competitive grant from Report for America to hire a reporter dedicated to covering mental health in the Borderland.
If you have a mental health story you would like to share, e-mail us at news@kvia.com.
