Panhandle Mental Health Guide Launches in Texas Panhandle

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The Texas Panhandle now has a resource for accessing local mental health services and information related to behavioral health, the Panhandle Mental Health Guide.

In tandem with Mental Health Awareness Month, PanhandleMentalHealthGuide.org has launched and features search options to help people quickly find agencies and providers who offer services for a wide spectrum of mental health and substance use concerns.

The Panhandle Mental Health Guide is a project of the Panhandle Behavioral Health Alliance, made possible by support from the Amarillo Area Foundation, the Mary E. Bivins Foundation, the West Texas Area Health Education Center and Superior HealthPlan.

“It’s difficult for many people in our area to access care,” said Shree Veeramachaneni, executive director of the Panhandle Behavioral Health Alliance. “We have tremendous need, and navigating the system isn’t easy for many. The Panhandle Mental Health Guide addresses this barrier with an easy-to-use website that will make mental health care more accessible for everyone in the Texas Panhandle.”

Within the Panhandle Mental Health Guide, visitors have two options to find important services: a keyword search that can help them find specific services near them and a guided search that can make it easier to understand which services would fit their needs.

Additionally, visitors can use the website’s resource library to find articles about a number of mental and behavioral health topics, including symptoms, tests and treatments.

According to the 2018 Community Health Assessment by the City of Amarillo Public Health Department, mental and behavioral health issues are one of the top three health issues facing the community, and mental and behavioral health patients are one of the top three populations whose healthcare needs are not being addressed adequately.

The Panhandle Behavioral Health Alliance exists to improve mental well-being for the people of the Texas Panhandle by addressing awareness, access to care, workforce shortage and mental health in the justice system. The United Way of Amarillo and Canyon is the fiscal sponsor and supporter of PBHA.