This resource guide assists mayors and other municipal leaders in providing leadership and support for constituents' "behavioral health," which refers to both mental health and substance use as often inter-related disorders.
In the section on "What You (the Mayor) Can Do to Engage Your Community," guidance is provided on reducing health care costs; emergency department use; prescription drug misuse; absenteeism from work and school; special education costs; and crime. Other suggestions pertain to preventing child maltreatment and the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; and guidance is offered for improving academic achievement, the community environment, community partnerships, family stability, and wages and productivity. Community conversations on mental health are encouraged, using a SAMHSA toolkit. "Potential Next Steps" are outlined for assessing needs related to community behavioral health; building capacity to meet those needs; planning interventions; and conducting evaluations of interventions. The following events that could be conducted to engage the community in behavioral health are described: National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day; National Prevention Week and Substance Abuse Prevention Week; National Wellness Week; National Recovery Month; and Mental Illness Awareness Week. Suggested resources for promoting behavioral health in a community are presented under the topics of prevention/promotion, treatment resources, and recovery support. An appendix poses questions and answers on frequently asked questions about mental health.