By Michael Heins
The Golden Triangle governing board met Monday in Great Falls to create more awareness of mental illness in the Hi-Line communities.
Hill County Commissioner Doug Kaercher attended the meeting and said the group learned that the one in four women and one in six men have had some type of sexual abuse in their life time.
Nina Wendt, assistant director of Community Support Program- Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse, spoke to the group about sexual abuse.
The committee joined in a series of discussions and meetings throughout the day. Mental health problem affects society as a whole and everyone is touched by this problem, Kaercher said.
"We worked to become more aware of the problems of mental illness and how it affects us," he said.
Hill County is working to create a public awareness committee to improve the public's awareness of mental illness, Kaercher said.
Montana law establishes mental health regions and provide that the center's corporate board should be made of county commissioners from participating counties. Each participating county pays its proportionate share at the center's budget.
The Golden Triangle Community Health Center is a private non-profit mental health facility equipped and staffed to provide treatment for persons with mental disorders.
It offers a variety of mental health facilities and a variety of mental health services throughout our region.
