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You can easily find a kiosk to check your blood pressure. ATMs are commonplace to quickly check your bank balance and grab some cash. Retailers offer employment kiosks to check for opportunities and apply for jobs. Now, you can also use a kiosk to check your mental health.
Really?
Yes. Screening for Mental Health, Inc. has created the MindKare kiosk, which health officials in Edgecombe County, NC have made available in the waiting room of the county health department.
The goal is to provide an easily accessible, stigma-free resource that will encourage people to get the help they need. “Sometimes with a mental health issue, you don’t want to go and sit down and talk with someone,” said Karen Lachapelle, health director with the Edgecombe County Health Department. “The kiosk isn’t going to counsel you, but just help you get to the right resources.”
The kiosks offer an interactive touch screen display that takes users through an online screening program. They provide a quick, confidential self-assessment tool to check your mental health. The kiosks include screenings for anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and alcohol use disorders. The tool provides a mental health assessment and access to local treatment sources. Each kiosk is customizable for the organization and location where it is used.
The Edgecombe kiosk offers questionnaires in both English and Spanish and provides referral options in the community if individuals need treatment or additional resources. Karen Salacki, chief of external operations at Eastpointe, stated “Patients also will be able to get the questionnaire information online, which will connect them directly to the county health department’s call center for immediate assistance and set them up with an appointment to see a provider.”
County health officials hope the input collected from the kiosk will help bring more providers into Edgecombe County. Lachapelle explained, “One of the biggest challenges for us is the lack of providers and getting people to providers because transportation for our patients can be an issue when providers might be in Rocky Mount or Greenville. We’re hoping by getting enough data this can eventually help us resolve the issues with the need for providers and transportation.”
Mental Health Screening, Inc. hopes this system provides an innovative mental healthcare solution that can be used in a variety of settings, such as colleges, workplaces and community organizations. The goal is to “reduce stigma by making checking in on one’s mental health as easy and commonplace as checking their blood pressure.”
Images Courtesy of iStock
