2021-05-18 Proclamation - Mental Health Awareness Month 2021- . _ �o`_. _ ,_ _ _ - ,-��r
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�Office of the Mayor k�
Okeechobee, Florida
WHEREAS, the mental health of every citizen, family, business owner and resident of Okeechobee
is a critical factor in its emotional and economic stability; and
WHEREAS, 44 million American adults, roughly 18 percent, are living with a mental health illness;
and
13 percent of American youth, aged 12 through 17, are living with major depression;
WHEREAS, in 2020, COVID-19 depression, anxiety and substance abuse doubled from the
previous year's finding of one in five adults to two in five adults who are dealing with mental
health issues, roughly translating from 20 percent of Americans to 40 percent of Americans
needing mental health services; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) predicts that the psychiatric
impact of a disaster will hit a community approximately 18 months after the disaster; and
WHEREAS, stigma remains the primary obstacle to getting help; and
WHEREAS, as community leaders, we must prepare for an increase in demand on services
through education, outreach, and ever greater access to care to ensure our community's
overall health; and
WHEREAS, it is the duty of each and every one of us to provide continued consistent access to
resources to mental health care; and
WHEREAS, the City of Okeechobee strives to be a community who supports mental weliness,
including greater access to treatment, increasing educational tools and resources for our
citizens, and continually supporting those citizens with mental health opportunities.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Dowling R. Watford, Jr., by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of
the City of Okeechobee, Florida, do hereby proclaim the month of May 2021 as "Mental �•
Health Awareness Month" in the City of Okeechobee.
ln witness whereof, on May 18, 2021, l have set my
hand and caused this sea/ to b,,e affixed
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