A local mental health organization has received a grant to help continue and expand its programming. 

The Iberia Mental Health Initiative was one of several local organizations to receive a $2,500 grant Tuesday from the Iberia Parish Foundation. 

The IMHI celebrated its second year in October, Catherine Wattigny, the head of the initiative, said. For those two years, the group has operated without funding but with the dedication of its members and the volunteered time and commitment of a handful of mental health professionals. 

Wattigny said approximately 60 emergency visits to the Iberia Medical Center a month are related to mental health issues, as are approximately 200 911 calls a year. 

“Louisiana has the highest number of people needing mental health services, and the lowest number of available mental health care,” Wattigny said.

In May, more than 75 people attended an educational event focused on child mental health issues, including a presentation by a child psychologist, that the group held at the main branch of the Iberia Parish Library. The organization held a similar event last month focused on dealing with grief during the holidays.

“We want to start a family mental health support group. There are so many people impacted by mental illness. We want to have a professional counselor that can work with groups, and we want to be a referral source for assisting people in finding the help they need,” she said. 

“A lot of the time, what it takes is making that first call,” said Darlene French, an Iberia Parish School Board employee who also volunteers with the IMHI. “A lot of the time, I’ll say, ‘Do you want me to make that first phone call for you?’ It’s up to them to follow through, but a lot of people just need that first call to be made.”  

“There can be such a stigma, and we’re trying to break that down,” French said. “If people can realize, the brain can be sick like the body can be sick, then people are less reluctant to get help.” 

French said the group is focused on education right now. 

“It started because we wanted to educate the community on mental health issues,” she said. “There is a need, and we don’t have that education in place.” 

She said she is hopeful the grant allows them to expand on what they’ve already created. 

“The library has been absolutely wonderful, but of course we’re hoping to eventually outgrow it,” she said.

She mentioned a next step, among others, is to survey the community to see where educational needs are greatest. 

The IPF presented the grants at the Boys and Girls Club, which was another grant recipient Tuesday. That grant will fund an after-school community gardening project. 

“This will get the kids actively involved after school, and we’re going to try to get other community groups tied into it too,” Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Micah Nicholas said.

“We want to get School Days,” an elderly community nearby, “involved, get the Council on Aging involved. That way we can bridge that generational gap. It will be useful for a generation that can sometimes be dominated by technology, to get them outside working in the dirt,” he said.