THE ISSUE
More common than one might think, mental health issues continue to rise in New Braunfels. Locally, River City Advocacy has seen a 72% increase in counseling clients and a 91% increase in peer support participants since 2021. In 2023 alone, the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team screened 970 of our neighbors in a mental health crisis. Additionally, data collected by Hill County MHDD shows that 76.8% of our neighbors which they served reported a history of suicidal thoughts.
While mental illness is on the rise in Comal County adults, our children are also struggling. Communities in Schools data shows that in the 2021-22 school year, 4,464 case-managed students in Comal County received mental health prevention and intervention services. Despite these significant figures, however, many community members may struggle to find help due to a longstanding lack of infrastructure support for crisis services, treatment options, and education for those affected by a mental disorder.
Local Mental Health:
- In Comal County, we lost one neighbor to suicide every 14 days in 2021
- 44.9% of students in Comal County are ‘at-risk’
- 15.8% of New Braunfels Adults reported frequent mental distress in 2021
Sources: Hill County MHDD/Communities in School; National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2021; City Health Dashboard, 2021; County Health Rankings, 2023
1 in 5
face a mental health need
590:1
There are 590 Comal County residents per one mental health provider
THE INSPIRATION
It is the McKenna Foundation’s vision to support quick and easy access to mental health services for children and adults across Comal County. To accomplish this vision, the Foundation convened twenty-nine provider agencies to establish the Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force. Now known as the Behavioral Health Leadership Team, this coalition is actively developing, improving, expanding, and promoting access to the necessary services in our community.
