The Need For Touchstone Mental Health
Of Minnesota’s approximate 5.2 million residents, 719,000 will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. This is equal to 1 in 4 Minnesotans. Close to 305,000 people live with serious mental illness every day.1 in 17 people in the state of Minnesota live with serious and persistent mental illness.
In the 7 county, Twin Cities’ community, approximately 169,000 adults live with a serious and persistent mental illness diagnosis of major depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder and/or borderline personality disorder.
Homelessness
The leading barrier to improved mental and physical health among adults living with mental illness is the lack of housing stability. Between 50 and 70% of the homeless population in Minnesota reports having a diagnosis of mental illness.
Touchstone’s Stable Housing Supports Include:
Across all Touchstone programs housing stability is a leading outcomes measure. Touchstone community members, residents and clients who have actively participated in a Touchstone program for a year or longer have a 91% success rate maintaining stable housing.
Isolation
Men and women living with serious mental illness historically experience increased periods of isolation and unemployment.
Touchstone’s Peer Development and Community Integration Supports Include:
Across agency programs, Touchstone is dedicated to breaking down the walls of isolation and supporting each person define and work toward their life goals including vocational, educational, leisure and recreational achievements.
Touchstone’s Intentional Community members continue to redefine community integration and peer support through their unique peer driven community structure.
Touchstone Assisted Living has experienced tremendous strength in community. Most residents have lived at the New Hope Apartments for 3 years or longer and in that time created a community which supports one another through success as well as times of personal challenge.
Hospitalization Rates
A key predictor of stability among adults living with mental illness is their reduced reliance on psychiatric hospitalization to help them manage their mental illness symptoms.
Touchstone’s Success Helping Individuals Avoid Hospitalization:
With stable housing, reduced isolation and a community of support, individuals are better equipped to manage their mental illness. Touchstone is dedicated to providing guiding services where and when needed to help each person manage their mental illness and remain out of the hospital.
More than 90% of men and women in a Touchstone program for a year or longer have remained out of the hospital.
Residents at Touchstone Residential Treatment participate in short term intensive treatment (on average about 90 days) with the team to help them acclimate into the community after hospitalization or instead of hospitalization. In the past three years, of those residents who successfully graduated from the program 84% successfully avoided or limited hospitalization and maintained stable housing for at least six months post treatment completion.
Life Expectancy Disparity
Studies show that men and women living with serious mental illness have a 58 year life expectancy – 25 years less than the general population. This disparity is directly related increased incidence of chronic diseases including heart disease, pulmonary disease, cancer and diabetes.
Touchstone Health and Wellness Offerings:
Community members, residents and clients across Touchstone programs have the opportunity to participate in an array of holistic activities including YMCA group outings, walking clubs, nutrition groups and yoga classes.
Touchstone provides complimentary health services including Acupuncture, Healing Touch, stress reduction and mind body skills training to reduce mental health symptoms and to increase self regulation and well being. Benefits of these practices are both researched and proven effective in providing some relief from symptoms of mental, physical and chemical health challenges.
Touchstone’s Care Coordination program is a direct line of physical, mental, and social support integration.
In 2012, Touchstone will open the first in country health and wellness center designed specifically to meet the holistic health and wellness needs of adults with mental illness. The program’s goal is to provide holistic health assessments and individualized holistic health plans for 5,000 members to provide access to healthy lifestyle education and improved quality and quantity of life.
The focus of the center is whole person wellness – vitality, quality of life, optimal healing environment, intentional wellness, prevention and early intervention.
The center’s programs, services and supports are specifically designed to address the holistic health needs of adults with serious mental illness – addressing their physical, mental, social, life-skill, spiritual and emotional needs.