Horizon Behavioral Health Launches Community Resilience Initiative

New program aims to support students and families as they head back to school.

Lynchburg, VA – Horizon Behavioral Health has indicated that according to the Centers for Disease Control, our nation's youth are experiencing a mental health crisis (CDC, 2023). The most recent Lynchburg Youth Survey (LYS) showed nearly 30% of high school students in Lynchburg reported feelings of sadness and hopelessness over the past year (LYS, 2024).

 As students return to classrooms across Central Virginia, Horizon Behavioral Health is investing in youth mental wellness by emphasizing the importance of positive messaging and community connectedness as resiliency factors for building safe, happy, and healthy communities.

Back this season, Horizon is offering yard signs to the community to encourage neighborhoods to build their resiliency with positive messages of hope. Yard signs will be made available at no cost to individuals residing in the Counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, and the City of Lynchburg. Community members can claim their favorite yard signs at no cost, while supplies last, at one of Horizon’s Wellness Centers, Monday – Friday, from 9:00am – 4:30pm, beginning on Monday, August 18^th, at the following Horizon Wellness Centers:

• Horizon Wellness Center at Amherst
• Address: 120 W. Commerce St. Amherst, Virginia 24521
• Horizon Wellness Center at Bedford
• Address: 1409 Ole Dominion Blvd. Bedford, Virginia 24523
• Horizon Wellness Center at Campbell 
• Address: 37 Village Hwy. Rustburg, Virginia 24588
• Horizon Wellness Center at Appomattox
• Address: 226 Union Boulevard Appomattox, Virginia 24522
• Horizon Wellness Center at Langhorne
• Address: 2215 Langhorne Road. Lynchburg VA 24501

Horizon is also partnering with over 23 schools in Central Virginia to provide behavioral health treatment, intervention, and support within the school setting, where youth are strengthened by protective factors such as a healthy and supportive learning environment, parent engagement, connectedness, and community involvement. To learn more about services offered by Horizon’s school-based team, visit www.horizonbh.org.