1. Planning for Mental Health and Wellbeing Moderator : Della Acosta
Of Sound Mind
Planning for Mental Health and Wellbeing
Moderator : Della Acosta

2. Objectives
Understand relationship of mental health and built environment
Understand how mental states or illnesses affect day-to-day functioning
Develop methods to adapt built environment for mental health
Develop networking tools for planners and mental health professionals
Della

3. Timeline Panelist Introductions Activity : A Day in the Life
Why is considering mental health important for planners?
Panel discussion
Della

4. Panelist Introductions

5. Panelists
Della Acosta Comprehensive Planner at Michael Baker International Angie Hood-Medland, MD Primary Care Clinician and Postdoctoral Fellow, UC Davis Shannon Suo, MD Family Medicine/Psychiatry Clinician Educator, UC Davis Al Rowlett, MSW, MBA CEO of Turning Point Community Programs Rachel Ford Consumer Affairs Liaison, Solano Behavioral Health; diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
Della

6. Activity “Choose your own adventure” style game As a group:
Read the bio card for the person you are playing
Play through the day of the individual
Each step in the person’s daily routine will have choices to make
Each choice will take a number of energy tokens
Della

7. Three tokens : high-level
Energy Tokens
Represents the level of energy each choice or action takes. The number of tokens must be paid for each choice.
Level depends on difficulty of the task, the mental health status of the role, and the particular stressors of that person
Della
One token : low-level
Two tokens : mid-level
Three tokens : high-level

8. Energy Tokens
Each person has a different number of tokens, dependent on their starting energy levels
Each person should end with a specific number range of tokens remaining to represent the ideal actions chosen and energy level throughout the day
Della

9. Crisis!
If your person hits zero tokens, they have hit their capacity to emotionally manage the events of the day and have a mental crisis. Turn over and read the crisis card for that person, and the round is over.
To succeed each round, the person has to be within a specific range of tokens remaining to represent they have chosen the best actions to manage their energy level throughout the day
Della

10. While you play
Starting Tokens:
Carmen: 15 tokens
Arnold: 12 tokens
Teresa: 15 tokens
Philip: 9 tokens
Rebekah: 12 tokens
Jack: 9 tokens
Draw or write ideas on the large sheet of paper for discussion at the end: How would a city planner work with staff, officials, and other agencies or departments to reduce the energy required for these scenarios?
Della

11. Ideal Tokens Remaining
Carmen: tokens
Arnold: 2 – 4 tokens
Teresa: 2 – 4 tokens
Philip: 1 – 2 tokens
Rebekah: 2 – 4 tokens
Jack: 1 – 2 tokens

12. Why is talking about mental health important?
Angie

13. not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
What is Mental Health ?
“A state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential,
can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community”
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Angie
World Health Organization

14. Prevalence
1 in 4 people affected by a mental health problem in any year
Globally, mental disorders cause more disability than any other non-communicable disease
Angie – give more context
Mental health concerns are not just the realm of those with diagnosed disorders – they affect almost all people at some point of their lives

15. Mental Health Affects Cities
Direct Costs
Health care
long-term care
Disability
Physical health
Mortality
Undertreatment
Indirect Costs
Informal care
Homelessness
Employment
Angie
Direct and Indirect costs of mental illness = 4% GDP

16. Urban Living
Increase in
Mood disorders
Anxiety disorders
Schizophrenia
Cocaine and heroin addiction
Decrease in
Suicide risk
Dementia
Alzheimer's disease
Alcohol, prescription drug, methamphetamine abuse
Angie
Reasons cities may increase mental health problems
Pre-existing factors
Social factors
Environmental factors
Overload
Erosion of protective factors
(A lot of the recommendations for sustainability, resiliency, growth management are COUNTER to the recommendations for mental health)

17. Why should planners talk about mental health?
Della

18. Planning for Mental Health:
Significantly improves quality of life and social capital
Strengthens resilience
Helps to reduce and accommodate the most common mental health concerns
Improves the productivity and efficiency of the community
Reduces burdens on residents and jurisdictions

19. Panelist Discussion
Go table to table for summary of thoughts and ideas, and then ask for general questions

20. Della Acosta Michael Baker International dacosta@mbakerintl
Della Acosta Michael Baker International Angie Hood-Medland, MD UC Davis Shannon Suo, MD UC Davis Al Rowlett, MSW, MBA Turning Point Community Programs Rachel Ford Solano Behavioral Health