Creating healing and hope for those around us
May 22, 2018 -VIRGINIA BEACH. . . Altor/50 merchant processing company has teamed up with the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) in a crusade to end the stigma associated with mental illness.
Chest discomfort, shortness of breath, pain in the neck, jaw or stomach all point to symptoms of a heart attack. Diagnosis: let’s just wait and see. This approach to an impending, possible heart attack isn’t what the doctor ordered.
Why, then, is this type of attitude acceptable in mental health?
“Ignoring mental health has to end,” Courtney Boone, president of NAMI-Virginia Beach, which is a grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for those affected by mental illness. “We need to address issues as aggressively as we would address someone having a heart attack, putting in place preventative measures and systematic health checks along the way.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and NAMI is working hard to get the word out about making changes in the industry. To help spur the effort, Altor/50 merchant processing company has partnered with NAMI -Virginia Beach to make a difference, one credit card transaction at time. Everytime an Altor merchant takes a credit card payment, a charity like NAMI is helped.
“We are honored to be working with such an incredible agency such as NAMI,” said Shannon Kane, partner and chief marketing officer of Altor/50 Processing. “Mental illness affects so many people in our communities and takes a toll on the whole family. We love that NAMI provides compassionate support to the whole family.”
According to the NAMI web site, one in five Americans are affected by mental health conditions and dealing with those issues can create an environment of shame, fear, guilt and silence. Mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings each year.
“There is still a stigma attached to mental health issues and we need to overcome that,” Boone said. “We can take the guilt and shame out of finding help and hope.”
Altor/50 started the giving process in January and will continue to give quarterly donations to NAMI.
“It is partnerships like this, in the community, that will help spread the word about mental illness,” Boone said. “These funds will help grow our programs so that we can provide better support groups and education classes as well as community outreach.”
For more information on Altor/50, please visit www.AltorGivesBack.com
For more information on NAMI, please visit www.NamiVirginiaBeach.org
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