Wellness

The 10 by 10 Wellness Pledge

In 2008, BHI joined other organizations in committing to SAMSHAs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services) 10 by 10 Wellness pledge. The pledge is as follows:

“We envision a future in which people with mental illnesses pursue optimal health, happiness, recovery, and a full and satisfying life in the community via access to a range of effective services, supports, and resources.

We pledge to promote wellness for people with mental illnesses by taking action to prevent and reduce early mortality by 10 years over the next 10 year time period.”

BHI is committed to achieving this pledge for those we serve.

To learn more about the 10 by 10 pledge, click here: http://www.bu.edu/cpr/resources/wellness-summit/pledge.html

Life Expectancy of People with Mental Illness

Why the 10 by 10 Wellness pledge is so important?

Research shows that people who are living with a mental illnesses die, on average, 25 years earlier than people who do not have a mental illness. This means people with mental illnesses who live in the United States have a life expectancy similar to people who live in third world countries.

The reason for the lower life expectancy might surprise you. Although suicide affects the life expectancy of people with mental illness, it does not tell the entire story. A large part of the lower life expectancy rate is caused by physical disease or illness.

These physical illnesses are usually ongoing. These ongoing illnesses include lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, and infection. These diseases have many causes. The following are a few examples.

  • Personal health habits such as diet and exercise,
  • Poverty (little or no money),
  • The inability to access medical healthcare,
  • The inability or struggle to following through on medical advice,
  • Social isolation,
  • Medications, and
  • Smoking. For people with mental illness, more than half of the annual deaths are caused by smoking. Click here to see the Tobacco 101 PowerPoint presentation.

To learn more about increased illness and lower life expectancy click here: http://www.nasmhpd.org/general_files/publications/med_directors_pubs/Technical%20Report%20on%20Morbidity%20and%20Mortaility%20-%20Final%2011-06.pdf

The Good News: Prevention and Early Intervention is possible

While research on life expectancy seems grim, there is a silver lining! It is possible to take steps to improve overall health, increase quality of life, live longer, and have a more fulfilling life.

Since the factors that contribute to disease and mortality are complex, any program that aims at addressing these issues must support overall health and well-being in a variety of ways. BHI's Wellness Program was created to address these complexities. Our links provide information about BHI's wellness efforts and ways to connect to community resources that may useful. You may either email BHI's Wellness Coordinator or call (720) 490-4411, or contact Alicia Nix at (720) 490-4422 for more information.

Resources:

This section is still in the development stage. Please revisit often.