Public Health

The Boone County Commissioners are taking this opportunity during Mental Health Awareness Month to remind residents of the wide range of mental health resources available within the county.  Mental Health Awareness Month, observed in May, aims to raise awareness about mental health issues and promote the importance of mental well-being. …

In an ongoing effort to try to understand the rising suicide trends throughout our nation and county, Boone County Coroner Justin Sparks shared his thoughts on what his office is witnessing and how people and parents can get mental health assistance when their loved ones are in acute crisis. A …

Commissioners reveal findings from annual Indiana Mental Health Summit  BOONE COUNTY, Ind. (December 14, 2022) — The Boone County Commissioners have revealed some resourceful findings from the annual Indiana Mental Health Summit. Commissioner Tom Santelli attended the summit hosted by the state on October 21. Commissioner Tom Santelli “The education …

Deaths involving illicitly manufactured fentanyl are on the rise. Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids in 2020 were 18 times greater than the number in 2013. Boone County Coroner Justin Sparks processed a 14-year-old Boone County youth who died from an overdose last year. I spoke with Sparks about the prevalence …

Mental Health America of Boone County (MHABC) is a 501(c)(3) organization and a chapter of Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association), the country’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With approximately 300 affiliates nationwide, MHABC represents a growing movement of Americans who …

As Boone County continues the trajectory of unprecedented growth, the [Boone] County Commissioners and other county leaders are working to better educate the public about the existing resources as well as looking at how the county can expand upon those resources once the construction of the justice center has been …

Boone County has recently organized the Boone County Suicide and Overdose Fatality Review Team and Boone County Coroner Justin Sparks explained the team’s purpose in detail. Why Suicide and Overdose Fatality Review? Even prior to the pandemic that began in 2020, death rates for suicide have continued to rise both …

For the past 50 years, Aspire Indiana Health has been helping the most vulnerable Hoosiers overcome physical and mental illness and experience an improved quality of life. Aspire is a nonprofit with centers located in Central Indiana with a reach that extends to assisting Hoosiers throughout the state. What Does …

In this first of two segments focusing on the Boone County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and its partnerships with Aspire Indiana Health and Integrative Wellness (InWell), we look at how these entities are three of Boone County’s strongest advocates for mental and behavioral health for not only county residents but for …

In October 1965, Sylvia Likens died from what one sheriff described as “Indiana’s most terrible crime.” Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center (Sylvia’s CAC) is dedicated to her memory and to the cause of protecting children from abuse—physical, mental, and sexual—throughout Boone County. What Is Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center? Sylvia’s CAC is …