Sheridan Chester had a hard childhood. She grew up in an abusive home. At just 12 years old, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “My sister attempted suicide when she was 7 for the first time,” Chester said. “We knew we were in trouble. We always knew we were in trouble.” Over the years, Gulf Coast News has shared stories of people like Sheridan: people living with mental illness, but struggling to find the help they so badly need. The latest data from the National Institute of Mental Health shows more than 1 in 5 adults are living with a mental illness. Only half of those people received treatment in the past year. In 2022, in our 5-county region along the Gulf Coast, there was a rate of just 88.3 behavioral or mental health professionals per 100,000 residents. The target rate from experts in the area is 188.5 professionals per 100,000 residents. That means the region needs to add about 1,450 licensed professionals to meet the need. “The impact is life or death,” Dawn Belamarich said. “The suicide rates go up. We have kids who sit on a waitlist for months to be seen by a provider. And, quite frankly, we have people in our community who can’t access care.” Belamarich is CEO of the Collaboratory, a community foundation serving Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties. They’ve worked to compile data and share it with the entities that offer mental health services in the region. “It’s not as simple as just hiring 1,450 providers,” Belamarich said. “There’s insurance parameters. There’s pay scales for providers and how much we pay therapists.” “It’s challenging for the students to become licensed professionals,” Nicole Liberto explained. “It’s also challenging for their supervisors to be able to provide the necessary supervision.” Liberto is with Lee Health, which is among the partners working to find solutions to the problem. It’s a complicated issue that cascades to impact the entire community. Untreated mental health problems can lead to substance abuse, which can then lead to other issues – even homelessness. “It’s just like any other medical disease. The longer you wait to treat, the worse it gets,” Liberto said. “We’re not in a good place. Florida’s never been in a good place. You bring it down to Lee County, it gets even worse,” Lauren Walker said. “We need everyone to be singing the same tune, which is that mental health deserves the attention and the dollars that we’re not getting.” Walker is CEO of the nonprofit Hope Clubhouse, a day program that serves as a community beyond the crisis for people living with mental illness. They are working to expand their current building to meet the growing need and also hope to add a second location soon. While the statistics are a serious concern, Walker has noticed one change for the better with mental health. “People are talking about it now. And it’s not this hushed thing that can’t be discussed,” she explained. “It’s, ‘How can I help you? How can I lift you up?’” It’s Hope Clubhouse that has helped lift up Sheridan Chester. She has been through so much – made it through so much – to get to where she is now. She’s proof that the right help can make all the difference. For that, she’s grateful. “There’s so many things that God has given me,” Chester said. “I am so grateful every morning, I thank you that you woke me up to another day. To experience something. To learn something. To share something. To be something.” DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
Sheridan Chester had a hard childhood. She grew up in an abusive home. At just 12 years old, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“My sister attempted suicide when she was 7 for the first time,” Chester said. “We knew we were in trouble. We always knew we were in trouble.”
Over the years, Gulf Coast News has shared stories of people like Sheridan: people living with mental illness, but struggling to find the help they so badly need.
The latest data from the National Institute of Mental Health shows more than 1 in 5 adults are living with a mental illness. Only half of those people received treatment in the past year.
In 2022, in our 5-county region along the Gulf Coast, there was a rate of just 88.3 behavioral or mental health professionals per 100,000 residents.
The target rate from experts in the area is 188.5 professionals per 100,000 residents.
That means the region needs to add about 1,450 licensed professionals to meet the need.
“The impact is life or death,” Dawn Belamarich said. “The suicide rates go up. We have kids who sit on a waitlist for months to be seen by a provider. And, quite frankly, we have people in our community who can’t access care.”
Belamarich is CEO of the Collaboratory, a community foundation serving Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades counties.
They’ve worked to compile data and share it with the entities that offer mental health services in the region.
“It’s not as simple as just hiring 1,450 providers,” Belamarich said. “There’s insurance parameters. There’s pay scales for providers and how much we pay therapists.”
“It’s challenging for the students to become licensed professionals,” Nicole Liberto explained. “It’s also challenging for their supervisors to be able to provide the necessary supervision.”
Liberto is with Lee Health, which is among the partners working to find solutions to the problem.
It’s a complicated issue that cascades to impact the entire community. Untreated mental health problems can lead to substance abuse, which can then lead to other issues – even homelessness.
“It’s just like any other medical disease. The longer you wait to treat, the worse it gets,” Liberto said.
“We’re not in a good place. Florida’s never been in a good place. You bring it down to Lee County, it gets even worse,” Lauren Walker said. “We need everyone to be singing the same tune, which is that mental health deserves the attention and the dollars that we’re not getting.”
Walker is CEO of the nonprofit Hope Clubhouse, a day program that serves as a community beyond the crisis for people living with mental illness.
They are working to expand their current building to meet the growing need and also hope to add a second location soon.
While the statistics are a serious concern, Walker has noticed one change for the better with mental health.
“People are talking about it now. And it’s not this hushed thing that can’t be discussed,” she explained. “It’s, ‘How can I help you? How can I lift you up?’”
It’s Hope Clubhouse that has helped lift up Sheridan Chester.
She has been through so much – made it through so much – to get to where she is now.
She’s proof that the right help can make all the difference. For that, she’s grateful.
“There’s so many things that God has given me,” Chester said. “I am so grateful every morning, I thank you that you woke me up to another day. To experience something. To learn something. To share something. To be something.”
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.