In East Gainesville, community members train to become mental health and well-being coaches

University of Florida and Florida Blue Foundation partnership empowers residents to address stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and effective management of anger

In Gainesville’s predominantly Black east side, the availability of mental health services remains scarce even as stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and anger persist among some residents. University of Florida researchers are working to address this disparity by joining with the Florida Blue Foundation and a collaborative of local churches on a new community-centered mental health and well-being program.

Through the initiative, local adults and youth are training to become mental health and well-being support coaches, who will then lead support groups for peers in the community. The team is currently enrolling participants in the support groups — those interested can call 352-294-0652 for more information.