by Jolene Toves

Guam - In light of the tragic events that occurred in Tumon this past week, many in the community have struggled to process and understand what happened and what led 21-year-old Ryan Desoto to go on a rampage, hitting six pedestrians with his car and stabbing eight others including two young children, there is an ongoing effort for greater awareness of support and services for mental health as government officials and private organizations believe that people on Guam don't know who to speak with and where to go.

But there's a movement to change that.

Key stakeholders from the Government of Guam, and non-profit organizations in conjunction with families first will be engaging in a strategic mapping process that will lay the ground work for an overall communication plan for mental health. Key stakeholder and Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities director Ben Servino told KUAM News, "Mental Health along with DISID, some of the key stakeholders have been meeting with Senator Aline Yamashita and one of the participants an individual that actually has a stake in this from the community is going to be heading our strategic planning sessions."

According to Servino community leader Therese Matanane will be facilitating the event. The initiatives goal is to promote greater awareness of support and services for Mental Health. "We are going to be developing an awareness campaign a calendar of events looking at resources that currently exists in the community that people with mental health issues can access," Servino continued.

Servino adds that in light of the recent tragedy in Tumon and the impact it has made, his department and Mental Health want to be proactive instead of reactive and reach out to the community and eventually set up a forum. "Individuals who are not aware of these processes can either go to a site, access the information at our website, or Mental Health's website . We are trying make it easier for people to access this information," he explained.

The initiative acknowledges that the main problem for island residents who are in need of assistance is not knowing where to go or who to contact. "Part of the strategic plan would include having agencies that are out there that specifically cater to this targeted population and developing a whole comprehensive array of services for these individuals to access," he added.

Stakeholders will be meeting at the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse conference room at 8:30am on Monday, February 18, 2013. For more information on services and support that are available contact the DISID office at 475-4646.