LIFE LINE

WRITTEN BY ROBERT COCUZZO

How Fairwinds has strengthened the community’s mental health safety net

“If you’re feeling sad, anxious or depressed, call us,” says Jason Bridges, Fairwinds’ executive director. “We need to break through the misnomer that one has to be in a terrible mental health crisis before they call a crisis hotline.” If your child is having an anxiety attack, or a co-worker appears to be struggling, or if you yourself are grappling with depression or addiction, Fairwinds can swoop into action at a moment’s notice. “This service is insurance blind and is available to everyone regardless of their ability to pay,” Bridges explains. “We don’t care if you have good insurance or no insurance.

We don’t care if you’re a Nantucket native or if you just stepped off the boat. We’re a nonprofit and our mission is for all of our community to have access to these very important services.”

Once on-site, the Fairwinds Crisis Response Team will provide a 100 percent confidential mental health evaluation, treatment plan and stabilization support, and offer options for next steps in coordination with future care needs. When needed, a medication management intake can be conducted by either a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who can then prescribe medication as one part of services. “We are coming at this from all angles,” Bridges says. “We’re going to get to people quicker, and over time, we’ll get back the mental health of our community.”

Fairwinds’ Mental Health Crisis Response Hotline is 508-221-3315. The Fairwinds Crisis Response Team responds to anyone, anywhere in our community 24/7, 365.

The Fairwinds Crisis Response Team is proud to collaborate with the Nantucket Cottage Hospital, Nantucket Police and Fire Departments, Nantucket Public Schools and many other stakeholders to communicate effective mental health and substance misuse services.