Sangamon County sending out mental health survey to residents

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Surveys focused on mental health will start arriving in randomly selected mailboxes across Sangamon County this week.

The newly established Sangamon County Mental Health Commission wants to identify gaps and explore future funding options for the current mental health system.

“This survey is one of the most important ways the public can directly influence how we move forward as a county to address mental health,” said Mike Murphy, Chair of the SCMHC. “If you receive it in the mail, please take just a few minutes to fill it out. Your input will help us identify where the gaps are in our mental health system and how we can make recommendations on how to fix them.”

The random selection is meant to ensure a representative sample of residents from across the county. The county hopes that households who receive the survey will complete them, as the information will play a critical role in shaping future mental health strategies, services, and potential funding in the county in the future.

“In our previous survey work in Sangamon County, one finding that stood out was the rising rates of reported mental health challenges,” said Dr. AJ Simmons, Research Director of the UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership, who is helping the Commission with survey data collection. “I’m glad to support this new effort to gather representative, actionable insights from the community that will help inform the Commission’s work.”