Mental Health America of Fredericksburg (MHAF)

Fredericksburg, Va. 

Since it began in 1955, Mental Health America of Fredericksburg (MHAF) has addressed all aspects of mental health, particularly in identifying unmet needs and working collaboratively to develop programs tailored to meet those needs. For example, a new program was established in 2014 to address suicide among young people. Within a short time, over 6,500 high school freshmen have been educated to recognize the warning signs of depression and suicide ideation.

The Senior Visitor program of MHAF received $7,500 in 2018 to expand its free supportive program for older adults. The program provides trained visitors to deliver in-home assistance to improve social, emotional and mental wellness of homebound, isolated seniors. By alleviating loneliness and social isolation, this program helps mitigate known predictors of depression and the risk of suicide.

A volunteer described one of her clients who had difficulty reading and often spent the evenings sitting without anything to do. “I brought my husband’s magnifying lamp to see if that helped my client read her mail and such. She has mentioned how bored she is in the evenings and how she would like to read and crochet. The lamp helped tremendously…”

To learn more about Mental Health America of Fredericksburg visit: www.mhafred.org.