Council backs Mental Health Awareness Month resolution, asks for local resources and police social‑worker participation in follow-up

The Waltham City Council on May 27 adopted a resolution recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month and asked the city to compile and publicize local mental-health resources.

Councilor Shanti Durkee, sponsor of the resolution, said the measure recognizes the 988 suicide-prevention and crisis lifeline and calls on the council to work with Director of Public Health Michelle Feeley and other department heads to produce a list of Waltham‑specific public, private and nonprofit mental‑health resources. Durkee said stigma is a primary barrier to care and asked the council to spotlight the 988 lifeline and local services; she also requested that the city’s police social workers attend the committee meeting to provide input on outreach and service coordination.

Durkee cited statistics during her remarks (as stated in the resolution text): she said roughly 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience an anxiety disorder and 1 in 12 experience major depression, and that rates for teenagers are higher (the resolution text gives 1 in 3 and 1 in 5 respectively). The resolution asks the council to collaborate with the public-health director to provide contact information for Waltham‑specific resources; the council closed discussion on the floor and sent the resolution to committee for follow-up and for the compilation and publication of resources.

Councilors noted that a police social worker and a certified addiction counselor position were hired following a similar resolution five years earlier and agreed committee sessions should explore further outreach steps. The committee to which the measure is referred will invite police social workers and departmental staff to discuss implementation and resource publication.