Right here Tomorrow’s mission, which opens in late 2021, is to remodel lives by constructing a neighborhood the place psychological well being care is suitable and accessible. In different phrases, the stigma has been eradicated from their program.
In Florida, suicides have practically doubled over the previous 20 years. As well as, the charges in Duval and St. Johns counties are greater than the nationwide common.
It defies the logic that folks with a medical situation can keep within the hospital for so long as needed, whereas these with a psychological dysfunction are restricted to 72 hours. From first-hand expertise, we are able to let you know that point shouldn’t be sufficient and well timed follow-up care is solely not accessible, which regularly proves disastrous.
Limitations to psychological well being care embody ready lists, insurance coverage points, and a nationwide scarcity of psychological well being practitioners. The Right here Tomorrow individuals can present same-day assist, which is a response time that may make the distinction in success or failure. As well as, many providers are free.
However the important thing to the success of this group is the employees.
Providers are offered by extremely educated and licensed peer assist professionals. A lot of them are individuals with “reside expertise” who perceive what others are going by means of in disaster, as a result of they have been there themselves.
The common value of serving one “pal” for a yr is $1,695.44, with a mean of over 400 calls obtained per week. Native hospitals quote the price of a affected person’s three-day keep at about $6,000.
Here is Tomorrow is receiving grant assist from a number of organizations, together with a three-year problem from J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver to match each present donated—as much as $2 million—by means of 2024.
If you’re a person or have a beloved one who wants assist, or produce other questions, go to HereTomorrow.org, or name or textual content (904) 372-9087. Stroll-in accepted at 910 Third St. in Neptune Seaside.
Richard and Kathleen Marquis, St. Augustine
Watch out for manipulative marketing campaign advertisements
A letter dated January 7 commented on an advert by Daniel Davis that did not even point out he was working for mayor. When pondering expertise have been thought of essential in schooling, I taught a unit on promoting to gifted fifth graders. They’ve discovered that almost all advertisements present the facility of manipulation by means of content material or lack of content material, lighting, colour, music and different strategies.
Marketing campaign promoting has barely begun right here, however we have already got stragglers. At one finish of the spectrum, we have now the loving household man with the gorgeous spouse and youngsters. Adverts like this are all the time vivid and sunny with upbeat music. Sadly, their {qualifications} are sometimes low however they deal with making you be ok with the candidate.
On the opposite finish of the spectrum are advertisements meant to make you hate an opponent, typically used in opposition to Leksha Burton and now LeAnna Cumber. With ominous music and darkish visuals, they remind me of serial killer film trailers. There may be normally an intense pink someplace, which gives colour distinction but in addition signifies an apocalyptic state of affairs that may ensue if this candidate is elected. In the sort of commercial, info are sometimes omitted or distorted to make the candidate one thing she or he shouldn’t be.
Cumber’s declaration even makes her sound like a Democrat – however a Republican.
Thus far evidently each excessive instances come from a sure mayoral candidate. My letter doesn’t endorse any single candidate however is meant to remind us all to take inventory of the numerous advertisements we are going to see within the subsequent few months on TV, in our mailboxes, and elsewhere. Because the election approaches, I hope we’ll see advertisements that focus extra on {qualifications} and fewer on manipulation.
Rhoda T. London, Jacksonville
New guidelines for balloting by mail
All Duval County voters should now re-apply for mail-in ballots. Even in the event you’ve obtained mail-in ballots for the previous 10 years or extra, you could now adjust to a Florida Legislature’s determination requiring you to reapply after every normal election. For those who do now, you should have your ballots for 2 years.
You may apply simply on-line:
- Go to the Superintendent of Elections web site DuvalElections.com
- Select Vote by Mail, the third blue field from the left within the high row.
- When this display opens, select the second merchandise “Mail Vote Software Type (Digital Poll Software)”.
- This brings up screens for getting into your figuring out data. Know that although it refers to your driver’s license quantity or the final 4 digits of your social account, you may want each.
- Be sure you choose “All Election” to get a poll for each election by means of November 2024.
You may as well go to the election workplace supervisor and apply in individual, however be sure to have your driver’s license, Florida ID, and Social Safety quantity with you. You may additionally contact the election workplace supervisor to file an software by cellphone at (904) 255-8684 (255-VOTE). It is usually a good suggestion to verify the present voter registration standing.
Keep in mind that your vote is your voice and a precious asset. Use it in each election.
Pat Wojciechowski, Jacksonville
Crime goes within the improper route
I not often comply with the information anymore as a result of it usually hurts, saddens, and upsets me, however I noticed one thing within the paper on January eighth and needed to remark. Sadly, Jacksonville is notoriously infamous for having a “demise grip” (pun supposed) on the title, “Florida’s Official Capital of Homicide,” and the residents appear very happy with that.
The article talked about that Jacksonville had 163 murders in 2022, in response to unofficial information from the Instances-Union. The earlier yr noticed a major drop of about 27% in homicides with 129, after a stunning 177 instances in 2020.
Would not it make you choke with pleasure?
In keeping with Sheriff TK Waters, “We’re not off course, although it could not really feel prefer it,”
How might a 26% improve be in the fitting route? Except you are speaking about holding onto the Homicide Capital event title, these should not good numbers.
Dale Vickery, Orange Park