YORK, Pa. — Dozens of supporters decked out in green stepped off in downtown York, shining a light on mental health.
"May is the month we choose to really highlight mental health and mental illness," said Casey Darling-Horen, the York and Adams County administrator for mental health intellectual and developmental disabilities. "Not just May, but every day, mental health needs and mental health services are a 24/7, 365 gig."
Community organizations stood by as county leaders proclaimed May as mental health awareness month in York County moments before the walk through the city.
"Mental health impacts so many facets of our daily life," Darling-Horen said. "We collaborate with law enforcement partners to be able to provide relief so that people who do have a mental illness do not come encounter or become involved in the legal system."
The march comes during a week of giving in the county.
"Many of the agencies that we work with are non-profits and depend on some of the donations they receive throughout the year, including the big push with Give Local York," Darling-Horen said. "Many of our local providers are represented there."
That includes the York-Adams County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an organization offering support services, educational programming and mental health resources in the community.
"Outpatient services, residential services and all this continuum of care is crucial to our communities to be able to support people who have a mental health diagnosis," Darling-Horen said.
For more information on all the non-profits participating in this year’s Give Local York, click here.