Every day, members of our community suffer from the effects of mental illness and are debilitated by it. For these individuals lacking resources and support, the nightmare is far from over.
Individuals with Serious Mental Illness make up a significant portion of our population in Central Ohio. They are put into a system that is confusing for them… one that wasn’t designed to support a mentally ill person’s social or emotional needs, and where they feel frightened and alone.
With Your Help, It Does Not Have to Be This Way…
PLAN of Central Ohio provides case management, socialization programs, and future care planning designed to fill the gaps in mental health service provision. All too often individuals are linked with a community mental health agency for psychiatry, therapy, and case management but these services do not address full continuity of care. PLAN’s case management service is open on weekends and after hours and is available to assist with care and support at times that are often inconvenient to most organizations. Over the past 20 years, PLAN has sponsored a “lunch club” for our members consisting of a weekly outing to an area restaurant. For many of our members whose familial supports are lacking, this is the only socialization they receive. We also offer a monthly support group that is evidence based and is peer-led by individuals with a lived experience of mental illness. Overall, our members report lower rates of hospitalization with program involvement as well as a greater sense of agency and autonomy over their healthcare decisions.
Our existing program is private-pay which excludes the majority of mentally ill persons in Franklin County who are often lower income given the impact of their disability. We seek funds from our community to be able to offer PLAN services to individuals who otherwise would not be able to afford our care.
The Shocking Statistics on Mental Illness
(Prevalence rates in Franklin County alone)
21-24% have experienced Any Mental Illness in the past year.
6.48% estimated to have experienced Serious Mental Illness in the past year.
68% of adults with Any Mental Illness also have at least one limiting physical health condition.
What is PLAN?
We are a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disabled adults due to mental illness.
Incorporated in 1999, PLAN was formed by a group of families with disabled family members concerned about who would care for their disabled dependents when they were no longer able to do so themselves. Our services diversified to case management and socialization when community demand became apparent. Our members report high levels of satisfaction with our programs, frequently citing PLAN as their primary driver for interfacing with their community.
We are part of a national network of PLAN organizations, 3 of which are in Ohio, all of whom share the same mission.
Our local team employs 2 case managers, a program director, an art therapist, and a social worker who serve as program staff and are the existing infrastructure of PLAN of Central Ohio. We have volunteers from our board and family members of existing clients who serve as additional layers of support for our gatherings. We seek to serve all diagnoses be they mood disorders, thought disorders, or substance use disorders with our program as our existing model thrives in providing judgment-free, highly interactive care and support.