The Well Community serves in the context of a wider community. We partner with local businesses, restaurants, churches, civic groups and other nonprofits to provide the best holistic care we can for our members, who suffer with chronic and debilitating mental illnesses.
Recently we had an experience that involved a number of agencies coming together to care for Marguerite,* a longtime member of the Well. An older woman who uses a wheelchair, she has dealt with mental health issues all her adult life. In addition, she has helped care for her two daughters and son-in-law, who also live with mental illnesses.
Marguerite was living in substandard housing that became dangerous. In desperation she reached out for help. Unfortunately, those who offered to help failed to care appropriately for her, and she ended up on the streets of downtown Dallas night and day for nearly a week over a long holiday weekend.
It took the Well Community staff several days to find Marguerite. When we did, we sprang into action. Several key staff in several agencies joined us in caring for Marguerite, and within the week she was placed at a care facility in Kessler Park, where she has a room and access to meals and other services.
In this instance I was reminded of the network of which the Well is a part and of the great difference we can make when we come together for the sake of others. My deepest thanks to Kirstin at Parkland Hospital (the SW manager of the RIGHT Team), Nakeshia with the City of Dallas Crisis Intervention Team, the social workers at Methodist Hospital, the CEO and staff at The Bridge, Angela at The Renaissance at Kessler Park and, of course, Ericka with our Well Community staff. I can only guess how many people-hours it took to help Marguerite. But that is why we and these agencies are here. How thankful we are to this greater community working alongside the Well Community.