By admin 
NASHVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Mental health awareness week comes to an end Friday inside of one North Carolina Prison, a place where staff say mental health often isn’t talked about enough.
Read more Plaintiffs in Hedingham civil trial seek to use criminal pleas against defendants: Records
Liandra Wheeler, a Human Services Program Manager at Nash Correctional Institution, and other staff put on their first ever Mental Health Awareness Week.
“We put together several different groups with different topics that are relevant to the male population, coping in this environment, getting through,” Wheeler said.
“I think this has been a beautiful reminder this week that healing and accountability can exist together,” she said.
Wheeler and Patty Hays work every day with offenders inside of the prison to get to the root of their mental health concerns. They said focused weeks like this help offenders know it’s okay to ask for help, even behind prison walls.
“I think culturally, the expectation is for men to be strong and strong is not emotional is how that kind of transcribes,” Hays said.
For Brandon Blakeney and Marlon Cruz, the week reinforced their mission to support their fellow inmates every day. They are peer observers, two of 18 men in the prison tasked with overseeing mental health in their units and sitting with offenders who are in a crisis and put on suicide watch.
“A lot of times presence is everything, as opposed to words,” Blakeney said. “In here, there’s not a lot of being present with somebody. Those are moments people get to see someone cares about their wellbeing.”
Read more Raleigh teacher now facing 19 charges linked to child sexual assault allegations
According to Blakeney and Cruz, the programs are helpful, but the real change comes when men leave the programs knowing it’s okay to reach out for help.
“When it’s us guys in this uniform, when we’re together, amongst each other, it’s a lot easier for us to converse,” Blakeney said. “It’s a lot easier for things to come out, opposed to if a staff member ask if we’re you okay. There’s a boundary some people don’t want to cross, especially when it comes to your personal life.”
Staff said it’s an investment worth making because they want to equip the men who will be released to handle their own mental health on the outside.
According to staff, it’s equally important for men who may never be released.
“They are in here serving time for their crimes,” Hays said. “While they are in here, we need to treat human beings as human beings. We need to remind them they do have choices, they do have dignity, and there’s hope.”
For Blakeney and Cruz, being a safe space creates purpose.
“Coming from my veteran background, it gives me a sense of being able to serve and put my duty in place,” Cruz said. “Even in this place, it’s a place that can tear you down and you can lift it up just by doing what you do.”
According to Blakeney and Cruz, this week and the vulnerability that came from it is priceless.
“[The programs] save lives, that’s why,” Cruz said.
Staff say there’s more to come. They sent feedback surveys to offenders and will take that feedback into consideration to see how they can make it better in the future.
Read more Chapel Hill skincare clinic provides free cancer screenings to NC firefighters