OneQuest Health backs person-centered mental health care on World Mental Health Day

OneQuest Health marked World Mental Health Day by urging community-based mental health care, support for LGBTQ+ youth and greater use of local data in policy decisions. The Kentucky nonprofit also highlighted the restored 988 Option 3 line for LGBTQ+ youth and a new study on the economic impact of behavioral health challenges.

Why it matters: - OneQuest Health is pushing leaders to move beyond crisis response and involve people with lived experience in how mental health care is designed and funded. - The message lands as demand grows for community-based care, culturally competent crisis support and more sustainable funding models. - The organization is tying human-centered care to measurable regional costs in healthcare, justice, workforce and education systems.

What happened: - OneQuest Health marked World Mental Health Day, observed Saturday, Oct. 10. - The Covington, Kentucky-based nonprofit called for community leaders, healthcare organizations and policymakers to co-design care models and shape policy with people who have lived experience. - OneQuest Health highlighted the restored 988 Option 3 service for LGBTQ+ youth on the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. - The nonprofit said the service gives young people in acute distress direct access to crisis counselors trained in their realities. - CEO Rick Wurth keeps worn canvas sneakers on his desk as a reminder of the human stakes in healthcare leadership.

The details: - OneQuest Health said human dignity should remain central to administrative decisions. - The organization said safe environments are foundational to mental well-being for LGBTQ+ youth and other people facing identity-based stressors. - OneQuest Health recently commissioned a study with the Center for Economic Analysis and Development at Northern Kentucky University. - The research measures the broader economic effects of behavioral health and substance use challenges. - The study looks at impacts on healthcare utilization, criminal justice involvement, workforce participation and education. - OneQuest Health urged support for local outpatient, residential and school-based programs to reduce reliance on isolated, long-stay institutions. - The nonprofit also called for culturally competent care and crisis resources, including the 988 Option 3 line. - The organization asked local leaders and partners to use local economic data and lived expertise to argue for sustainable community funding.

Between the lines: - The campaign reflects a broader shift in mental health policy toward community-based treatment and away from institutional care. - The focus on economic data suggests OneQuest Health is trying to make the case that behavioral health is not only a clinical issue but also a regional economic one. - The emphasis on LGBTQ+ youth support shows how specialized crisis services are becoming part of the public conversation around suicide prevention.

What's next: - OneQuest Health is inviting community partners and donors to help scale accessible, compassionate care across Kentucky and the wider region. - The nonprofit will likely use the Northern Kentucky University study to support future advocacy around funding and service design. - The organization says building effective healthcare systems requires involving the people who rely on them.