May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, and University Medical Center (UMC) New Orleans is highlighting the importance of proactive mental healthcare.
On May 21, National Trauma Survivors Day, the UMC Seeds of NOLA Trauma Recovery Center team will host an event in the hospital’s courtyard to honor, draw inspiration from, and support trauma survivors and those that care for them in and out of the hospital.
“National Trauma Survivors Day is a powerful reminder of the strength and resilience of those who have endured unimaginable challenges, as well as the healing that happens in community,” said Erika Rajo, MD, director, UMC Trauma Psychology Services.
The Seeds of NOLA Trauma Recovery Center at UMC focuses on healing for individuals who have lived through traumatic injury and violent crime. Rooted in principles of health equity and social justice, the center offers comprehensive, wraparound services to survivors aged 13 and older, as well as their families and loved ones experiencing trauma. Their multidisciplinary team, comprised of case managers, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and violence intervention specialists, employs a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to provide support. These services include individual and family psychotherapy, support groups, psychiatric medication management, case management, legal assistance, and violence prevention and intervention programs.
Last year, UMC also launched a new mental health awareness campaign called Vital Signs with local radio personality and entrepreneur Wayne “Wild Wayne” Benjamin, Jr. Designed to shed light on health issues affecting the New Orleans community, the campaign focuses on topics such as stress, trauma, depression, generational trauma, grief management, and holiday stress. Vital Signs includes content aimed at reducing the stigma around mental health in communities of color, providing specific resources and tools to help families address and break the cycles of generational trauma.