24 Hour Crisis Line (316) 660-7500
Marilyn Cook, LSCSW - Executive Director
COMCARE provides a wide array of mental health and substance abuse services to residents of Sedgwick County. COMCARE is the largest of the 27 Community Mental Health Centers in the State of Kansas and is committed to helping individuals served lead more productive lives.
As the local mental health authority for Sedgwick County, COMCARE is the safety net for individuals in need of mental health services that cannot afford to obtain them elsewhere in the community. Good mental health is as critical as sound physical health. COMCARE serves over 14,000 individuals in the community and with the help of a significant number of community partners.
COMCARE's quality comprehensive services are prioritized and provided for all citizens regardless of ability to pay. Services are provided in the most cost efficient and cost-effective manner. Sedgwick County provides programs which are accessible to the public without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religious or political affiliations, disability, or status as a disabled or Vietnam-era veteran.
News and Events
September 2010 is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Recovery Month is an annual observance that takes place during the month of September. The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, applauds the contributions of treatment providers and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. The observance also encourages citizens to take action to help expand and improve the availability of effective substance abuse treatment for those in need. This year’s theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!”.
Recovery Month provides a platform to celebrate people in recovery and those who serve them. Each September, thousands of treatment programs around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why. Substance abuse treatment providers have made significant accomplishments, having transformed the lives of untold thousands of Americans. These successes often go unnoticed by the broader population; therefore, Recovery Month provides a vehicle to celebrate these successes.
Recovery Month also serves to educate the public on substance abuse as a national health crisis, that addiction is a treatable disease, and that recovery is possible. Recovery Month highlights the benefits of treatment for not only the affected individual, but for their family, friends, workplace, and society as a whole. Educating the public reduces the stigma associated with addiction and treatment. Accurate knowledge of the disease helps people to understand the importance of supporting treatment programs, those who work within the treatment field, and those in need of treatment.
Over the last 20 years, National Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Recovery Month (Recovery Month) has inspired millions of people to raise
awareness about addiction, share their stories of recovery, and assist others
who are still struggling. View the "Recovery Month: 20 Years of Excellence and
Achievement" Timeline. This timeline showcases the many strides the treatment
and recovery field have made and details the campaign's success and evolution of
Treatment Works! into Recovery Month.
Information provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance
Abuse Treatment. www.samhsa.gov
Survivors of Suicide Day - November 20
Every 16 minutes someone in the United States dies of suicide; every 17 minutes someone is left to make sense of it.
Thousands of survivors of suicide loss will gather together around the world on November 20, 2010 for a day of healing, support and empowerment.
If you have lost someone in your life to suicide, please join us at 9:30 a.m. at Via Christi Hospital McNamara Center, 3600 E. Harry, third floor in Wichita.
Click here for more information.
Suicide is Everybody's Business
One out of every five Kansans who dies from suicide is from
Sedgwick County. Each year, there are more suicides in our community than
homicides, yet no one speaks of the 16-year-old boy who couldn’t handle another
day of being bullied at school, or the 87-year-old grandmother who suffered from
hopelessness and desperation and how they both ended their lives. Conversations
about suicide do not happen openly because it’s uncomfortable, and many of us
just don’t understand it.
Society used to hide chemical dependency, domestic violence, smoking and drunken
driving, but in the past 20 years these issues have been brought into the public
spotlight for scrutiny, often leading to solutions. But many say mental illness
and suicide remain behind closed doors, and will, until we start talking about
it.
Click here to read about suicide warning signs and what you can do to prevent suicide.
Stress Relief
Most of us would agree that in our lives we are challenged by demands, deadlines, hassles and frustrations. And with our busy schedules, stress is pretty common and, for some of us, a way of life.
Stress isn’t always bad. In fact, in small doses stress can be a good thing making you more alert, helping you perform under pressure and motivating you to do the best you can. But when you are constantly running in emergency mode, stress can take a toll on your mental and physical health.
Click here to read more about the effects of stress on the body and ways to reduce it.
For the Dads - Balancing Work and Life
With Father's Day around the corner, our thoughts turn to Dad: his love, the life lessons and the sacrifices he makes for his family. It's not always easy to be a dad, especially one who provides for himself and his family and spend quality time with them. Read this article by Clinical Social Worker Jason Scheck about the importance of dads finding balance between work and life.
Understanding Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is a more difficult mental illness to diagnose without the help of a professional. It often is mistaken for general moodiness. But the mood episodes associated with bipolar disorder are much more intense emotional states and changes. Click here to read more about this misunderstood disorder and how you can help a loved one who may be struggling with it.
Help for Parents of Children with Behavioral Problems
It's difficult enough to recognize problems our children may be facing, but even more difficult to know how to help them. COMCARE's Children's Services is here to lend a hand. Click here to read an article by Jody Patterson, director of Children's Services, about help available for families with children who have behavioral problems.
Economy Prompts More Calls to Suicide Hotlines
In this article, Marilyn Elias of USA Today attributes the upswing in number of Americans who are calling suicide hotlines to the downturn in the economy.
Children's Hands Raise Awareness
During the April 28 Board of Sedgwick County Commission meeting, a hand for each of the 1700 youth who receive services at COMCARE was displayed as a public awareness effort to call attention to Children’s Services Mental Health Week, May 2 - 8. The goal of this year’s Mental Health Week was to promote positive development of infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents and to ask residents of Sedgwick County to increase their understanding of the mental health needs of children and their families.
Suicide Prevention Coalition 2008 Annual Report
Read about the goals, challenges and achievements of the Suicide Prevention Coalition in 2008 by clicking here.
Sedgwick County Prescription Discount Card
Since 2004, Sedgwick County has
partnered with the National Association of Counties and Caremark to provide
Prescription Discount Cards free of charge to uninsured and underinsured
residents of Sedgwick County. The discount card provides individuals an average
18% discount on their prescription drugs.
For more information on this program and to learn
how to receive a card, email or call
Brandi Clarke
at 660-7673.
The Sedgwick County Prescription Discount Card is now available online! Just click here to find a printable card.
Mission:
COMCARE of Sedgwick County helps people with mental health and substance abuse needs to improve the quality of their lives.
Vision:
We envision a healthy community where people are provided the support needed to reach their potential.
COMCARE
of Sedgwick County
First
Appointment – 316-660-7540
24-Hour Crisis Intervention Services – 316-660-7500
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