Catawba County News
New wellbeing resource for Catawba County
Published: February 17, 2025
NEW RESOURCE PROVIDES FREE, CONFIDENTIAL RESOURCES FOR WELLBEING
HICKORY – Catawba County now has a powerful, free tool for all county residents who want to improve their overall wellbeing.
CredibleMind, a new brain health platform, launched in Catawba County on February 17. CredibleMind is a one-stop shop for credible, personalized mental wellbeing resources and includes free assessments, things you can do at home, links to other local resources and more. It is available 24/7 at https://catawbacountync.crediblemind.com/.
“When we think of anxiety, depression and stress, there can be stigma attached that prevents people from seeking help,” said Jennifer Lindsay, Health Services Manager at Catawba County Public Health. “Because this platform is online and allows people to access resources anonymously, we are able to move past stigma and get people access to resources that help them thrive.”
The platform offers:
- Thousands of evidence-based assessments and resources, all reviewed by both experts and users.
- Allows people to gain knowledge and skills to work independently on their brain health.
- Resources that allow users to find information to help them make positive improvements, no matter what their learning style may be. Resources include videos, apps, podcasts, books and more.
Signing up is optional, but allows users to save their assessments and track progress over time. Personal information is kept confidential for everyone who uses the platform, whether they register or not.
Response to community need
In 2023, Catawba County Public Health released the latest Community Health Assessment, which brought together community data and expert input from community partners and people who live, work, play and pray in Catawba County.
The assessment brought forward compelling data that made Brain Health an important area to address so that our county’s residents can thrive.
- Adults reporting poor mental health 14 or more days a month is increasing.
- Emergency Department visits for suicidal ideation increased across the board, but especially among children and teens.
- The mortality rate related to suicide has risen and is 23.4% higher than the state.
- Our drug overdose rate has increased.
- Many people reported feeling lonely or isolated.
- A quarter of the people who took our survey identified mental health services and supports as something our county needs.
“In conversations with expert organizations and people who have lived experience in our community, stigma was identified as one of the key reasons why people don’t seek and receive the care they need,” said Lindsay. “Brain health is vital to our overall wellbeing and this resource is something we can offer to everyone in an environment that is private and everyone can decide what they want to work on.”
Catawba County residents can get started on their journey to improve their overall wellbeing by going to https://catawbacountync.crediblemind.com/. It’s free, confidential, credible and available 24/7 online. The platform is intended for users age 14 and over and is available in English, Spanish and Hmong. People who register and take an initial Mental Health Check-in Assessment (https://catawbacountync.crediblemind.com/landing/catawba-county-launch-promo) from February 17-28, 2025, will be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card.
More information: https://www.catawbacountync.gov/county-services/public-health/initiatives-partnerships/credible-mind/
A downloadable flyer is available here.