Paubox was honored to attend the annual Henderson Behavioral Health Gala in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on May 5 2022. We joined over 160 members of their team, board members, and fellow partners in celebrating another year of serving South Florida’s mental wellness. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, first organized in 1949 to end the stigma against mental illness. Millions of Americans struggle with their mental wellness daily. Behavioral health has a large footprint in Paubox’s customer base and is a key component of our culture.
Mental illness is among the most common health conditions in the US. Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global health, Mental Health America reported 19.86% of American adults suffered from mental illness. One year into the crisis, 55% of women and 38% of men reported the pandemic had negatively affected their mental health. At last week’s Gala, Henderson Behavioral Health board member Katherine Koch shared about half of all adults in the US will suffer from
Koch also pointed out that “no one used to talk about mental health – certainly not if it was affecting someone in their family.” Today, over 70% of Gen Z report issues with anxiety and depression, and social media platforms like Til Tok saw an 80% rise in the use of “mental health” as a hashtag. In fact, that hashtag alone has over 32.2 billion views.
The majority of Henderson Behavioral Health’s patients come from underserved communities. As Koch put it, Henderson helps “people who have no place to turn.” Henderson is a premier provider of quality health care services, and one of the largest non profits doing this work in South Florida. They see over 30,000 patients annually, including support for 8,000 children struggling with mental health. In addition to offering medical care and psychiatric treatment, Henderson secures job training and placement, as well as educational opportunities for their patients. Above all, Henderson believes their patients deserve to “live a life of value, self respect, compassion, and dignity.”
The gala is a key fundraising event for Henderson, whose budget depends on donations to ensure sustained operations. One board member shared that 1 in 8 human service non profits became insolvent in the last year. Paubox was a sponsor of the event, and helped out where we could in the live auction.
Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the US. Paubox contributes to mental health awareness by offering mental health days to our employees, and sets the example at the leadership level of exercising those benefits regularly. Doing temperature checks in both 1:1’s and in team meetings is key to ensuring everyone on the team has space to share and feel heard.
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