T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Harrison County Health Department Administrator Linda Masters, from left, Harrison County Health Commissioner Annie Worthington, Village Network Intensive In-Home Based Treatment Supervisor Marsha Woods, Mental Health and Recovery Board Executive Director Lisa Ward and Belmont County Coroner Amanda Fisher are honored Tuesday by the Mental Health and Recovery Board. Monroe County Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio CEO Beverly Perch was honored but unable to attend.

BRIDGEPORT — Taking care of our minds is as important as caring for our bodies, and several local individuals were recognized Tuesday for helping others to understand that.

The Mental Health and Recovery Board held its third annual Mental Health Champion Awards luncheon on Tuesday. Mental Health and Recovery Board Executive Director Lisa Ward said that the recipients were selected based on their advocacy work and their dedication to bringing communities more awareness of mental health and available resources.

Belmont County Coroner Amanda Fisher, The Village Network Intensive In-Home Based Treatment Supervisor Marsha Woods, Harrison County Health Department Administrator Linda Masters, Harrison County Health Commissioner Annie Worthington and Monroe County Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio CEO Beverly Perch were all honored, but Perch wasn’t able to attend.

“There are many individuals, like the ones that we are going to be awarding today, that are in our communities that don’t necessarily work in behavioral health, maybe work with other community organizations that are true advocates around mental health, and try to encourage conversation so we can bring down the stigma and remind people to take care of their minds as much as we’re supposed to be taking care of our bodies,” Ward said.

Fisher said she was honored and surprised by being awarded at the luncheon.

“This isn’t why we do the work that we do, and I couldn’t do this work without everybody else that was here today, the Mental Health Recovery Board, all of the other organizations, services, and volunteers who put all this time and effort into it. It really is a joint effort for battling the mental health crisis that we have in this county and our surrounding counties,” Fisher said. “I am very humbled to get recognized for the work that our coroner’s office has been doing for mental health, and I just really hope that we can continue the advocacy and make a difference. And I say it all the time, but even if just one person who we help can change the course of their life, then that’s why we do what we do.”

Fisher said that not only her office but most of the community uses the phrase “meet someone where they are,” which she said means that every person has different needs and there is no one size fits all solution when dealing with mental health.

“For me, what that means is, when I’m dealing with a family directly on scene after a traumatic incident, after their loved one has passed away, some people might not have already been dealing with mental health problems and some people may already be dealing with mental health problems. And we know that this is going to make it worse. This may cause what we consider a spiral,” she said. “We follow up in the next few weeks to make sure that this hasn’t started to weigh on them.

“So everybody is in a different place with their mental health. Some might not be struggling at all, and some may be struggling worse than we know about. So when I say, meet them where they are, whatever their need is, we want to make sure that we’re there for them and offer them the appropriate services.”

Woods said she was honored to even be invited to the luncheon, but being recognized as a champion of the community is a huge honor for her.

“I’m really excited, but honestly, social work is what I live and so I get to work and do what I love every day. I appreciate the board recognizing me for my hard work,” Woods said.

She added that she’s been working in the field of social work since 1999 and is glad to see younger people getting into social work to continue the efforts that she and her teams have been doing.

Both Masters and Worthington said that all of the resources their organization provides are listed online at the Mental Health and Recovery Board’s website, but they stressed the importance of 988, which is the national suicide and crisis lifeline.

“We promote 988 for everyone to call whether you’re having a mental issue or if you’re a family member or a friend of someone, call 988 and get some advice,” Worthington said.