The Behavioral Health Toolkit contains messaging focused on stopping mental health stigma and starting the conversation, as well as highlighting the new 9-8-8 national hotline. The toolkit is designed to inform and remind communities about the 9-8-8 hotline, where they can be connected to expert, caring and confidential help. “Stop the Stigma. Start the Conversation,” is a phrase utilized throughout the campaign to emphasize the importance of destigmatizing mental health in rural communities. The elements of the toolkit can be customized to promote conversations about mental health and stress so that community members and patients are not alone.
This toolkit was developed through the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) program.
Campaign Objectives
Decrease the stigma of talking about mental health.
Increase access to tools to share community resources for behavioral health.
Increase awareness of behavioral health programs in your community. People may not know about the 9-8-8 hotline.
Grow the use of behavioral health programming in your facility and organization.
Target Audiences
Community Members and Current Patients
This audience includes people living in communities with a small rural hospitals or critical access hospitals who may be afraid to ask for help.
Knowing that there are resources locally and nationally will help patients manage their condition and improve their health.
Community Partners
There are local resources working toward improving mental health in their community. This toolkit can be shared with local resources to use as well. A conversation can begin on pooling resources and providing a resource page on your facility’s website.
The main image in all print materials can be replaced with stock or custom photography, based on community demographics and your intended audience— to best match the differences of your community. The Customizable Communications Toolkit for Rural Hospitals and Clinics User Guide offers more information about the toolkit and includes instructions for customization. Templates are available as a downloadable PDF for print materials and can be customized using Adobe Acrobat Pro, saving time, effort, and cost when developing new communication materials.
Microsoft Word is required for customization of radio scripts, social media posts, website landing pages, and internal education materials.
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