Health Aware: Texas ranks lowest in nation for access to mental health care

***If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis please call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.***

MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Francisco Garza is a veteran who stopped letting his personal beliefs stop him from receiving the mental help he needed.

“I was considering suicide myself,” Garza said. “I had struggled to integrate back into the community after I got out of the service. I just didn’t feel like I was the same person in a lot of ways.”

September is suicide prevention month, and Texas had over 4,000 deaths by suicide in 2022, shows data collected by the CDC.

Texas also ranks last of all states across the nation for access to mental health care, according to a study done by Mental Health America.

“Culturally there’s some stigmas behind it because I’m a Hispanic male,” Garza said. “The perception was that you’re supposed to be strong you’re not supposed to show weakness… When I finally reached out for help there were a lot of people willing to work with me.”

Suicide was the 13th-leading cause of death for veterans overall, and the second-leading cause of death among veterans under age 45-years-old, in 2021, shared the VA 2023 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.

The suicide rates amongst Hispanics rose from 5.7 per 100,000 Hispanics to 7.5 per 100,000 Hispanics in 2020, and amongst Hispanics, the age group most impacted by suicide are adults ages 25 to 34, according to the CDC.

But for those who are worried about the cost to mental health service in the Permian Basin, Dalia Ramirez, PermiaCare’s MHFA Training and Outreach Coordinator said not to worry.

“Mental health services are not cheap,” Ramirez said. “Luckily, we can accept anyone with insurance or without insurance.”

PermiaCare is located in Midland, Texas, and it is an organization focused on providing mental health resources for veterans, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, children, and individuals who are seeking support for mental health or substance abuse. Their phone number is 1-844-420-3964 to be connected to resources.

PermiaCare also serves a large population around the Permian Basin.

“But really the need that we have here and really just anywhere, we just have so many as far a PermiaCare we cover a lot of rural counties and there’s nothing out there so being able to provide education and provide just resources to them is amazing,” Ramirez said.

Garza also supports members of the Permian Basin, and is now a Oceans Behavioral Health Care and uses his own experiences to connect with other veterans and support them in their mental health journey.

“Luckily, I was able to access that at the time or else things could have ended differently for me. Which I am glad they did not because now I get to use these experiences to help other people that are going through similar things, and I can show and teach them from personal experience.”

Oceans offers comprehensive In-patient and Out-patient treatment programs for depression, anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, schizophrenia, substance abuse and behaviors related to Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and they can be reached by phones at 432-561-5915 or 432-638-3749.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis please call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

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