Olly Murs, who values the importance of mental health therapy, is showing admiration for Simon Cowell for publicly acknowledging his mental health problems.

Fans will recall when Cowell recently opened up about his mental health journey, emphasizing the “super positive” impact of therapy, which he wished he had sought earlier in his life.

Murs believes such revelation from the “X Factor” creator, who inspires many globally, including himself, would encourage fellow males to follow his steps by openly discussing their mental health struggles. 

Olly Murs Says Simon Cowell’s Mental Health Talk Is ‘Going To Help Other Men’

The “Thinking of Me” singer, who rose to fame through the 2009 edition of Cowell’s “X Factor,” touched on the value of therapy at the Heineken-partnered National Television Awards, emphasizing how seeking professional help should be a necessity for people.

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“I think therapy is massively important for everyone. I don’t think it’s something you should shy away from,” he said per Mirror.

“We are always unearthing and unlocking new things about ourselves,” Murs continued. ‘And trying to understand why I reacted this way or why I said this or why I’m feeling like this.”

He felt that the more people knew themselves, the better they would be, adding that “speaking to strangers” often helped. Speaking about his experience, the “Please Don’t Let Me Go” vocalist revealed that he sought therapy years ago before appearing on “The Voice,” and it was an “incredible” experience.

He then dished on Cowell’s journey, saying, “It’s great that someone like Simon is talking about that because he is someone that people look up to like a god. Well, for me anyway.” Murs further pointed out all the 63-year-old had achieved in his career before calling him a “strong, powerful man” whose candidness about mental health would be a source of inspiration for the male population.

He stated, “For someone like him to talk about it is only going to help other men, and if that can help one person or hundreds of men to talk out more, then that’s great.” During the first episode of The Mirror’s “Men In Mind” podcast, Cowell opened up about seeking therapy, admitting that the COVID-19 era triggered his decision. 

The English TV personality, who regretted not trying the process decades ago, confessed that he once attributed his depressive episodes to his “character traits” over the years. However, he ultimately recognized the importance of therapy, saying, “I wish I had done this 10 or 20 years ago… it’s like a weight has lifted off my shoulders.”

Cowell felt relieved at the “super positive effect” of therapy in his life, and with that, he made the step to reexamine his priorities, including curbing his unhealthy habit of obsessing over TV ratings.

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The “Britain’s Got Talent” creator also spoke about his anxiety during the pandemic, recalling his fear of contracting COVID-19 after witnessing friends’ experience with the virus. He was worried that if he caught the virus, his son Eric and fiancée Lauren Silverman would also be affected.

Even with his concerns, he eventually came down with a relatively mild case of COVID-19, prompting him to reevaluate his mental health and endeavor to improve it. 

Cowell was able to reflect on things in a way he never would have done before the pandemic, and as things got back to normal, he delved more into mental health, receiving suggestions from friends who appreciated therapy. 

In addition, he became aware of his need for a change and compared his mental health journey to his “head going to the gym.”

The ‘Heart Skips A Beat’ Singer Got Married To His Sweetheart In A Festival-Themed Ceremony

Back in July, Murs tied the knot with his beautiful partner Amelia Tank in a lavish festival-style wedding on Essex’s Osea Island as the Daily Mail reported. The couple hosted 60 guests, including their family and celebrity friends, for the ceremony, while 100 more joined them for the festival bash, named Murs Fest, the following day.

According to an insider, the 39-year-old music star and his bride “had a food truck from McDonald’s serving up all of the classics, including McNuggets” during the ceremony.

They also had Craig David perform a DJ set for their guests while Murs reportedly got up on stage for a few songs, including The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” despite promising Tank he would not perform. 

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Photo by Gabriel C. Pérez/KUT

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 by Olivia Aldridge, KUT

Integral Care, the mental health authority for Austin-Travis County, voted Thursday to approve a budget that eliminates nearly 10 percent of its positions. Along with the 48 individuals who were identified for layoffs, 67 vacant positions were also cut.

Employees in the union United Workers of Integral Care said layoffs would further strain staff already struggling to meet the needs of its large client base. As of 2022, Integral Care reported serving 27,550 people, making it the largest local provider of mental health services.

Megan Moriarty, who does intake and counseling at Integral’s Care’s Second Street clinic, said some patients without health insurance already don’t get the services they need due to a lack of organizational resources.

“We don’t have the staff to do it – before any cuts, before layoffs, before programs disappearing, we already don’t have enough people,” Moriarty said Thursday at Integral Care’s budget meeting.

The agency’s $131.5 million budget for the 2024 fiscal year is more than $22 million less than last year’s budget. Officials have largely attributed this dip to unexpected changes in the funding Integral Care receives from federal and state sources.

As the local mental health authority, Integral Care gets funding from the county and the city of Austin, as well as Travis County’s public hospital district, Central Health. However, state funding sources make up the largest share of its budget.

Previously, state funding primarily came by way of a federal 1115 Medicaid Waiver. In states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, these waivers finance programs that provide care to uninsured and low-income patients. Texas’ 1115 Medicaid Waiver was temporarily in jeopardy, however, when the Biden administration challenged its renewal in 2021. Although the challenge was ultimately dropped, Texas still made adjustments to how it supports entities like Integral Care, funneling money through the state’s Charity Care Program and Directed Payment Program (DPP).

According to the agency’s Chief Operations Officer Dawn Handley, these programs allow less flexibility in how funds are used. Whereas the Medicaid 1115 functioned like a grant that supported entire programs, the state’s new model ties funding to the number of units of service the organization delivers. During FY 2022, Integral Care did not deliver as many services as the state expected and must return $1.6 million to the state as a result, Handley said.

Another consequence is that Integral Care will officially end several of its programs, including its 15th Street respite center and mood disorder clinic. Officials said services offered through those programs would be folded into other Integral Care offerings.

Additionally, organization leaders said, $4 million in expected funding from the Legislature did not materialize this session. Instead, lawmakers approved only $400,000 in annual payments over the next two years.

While Integral Care leadership searched for grants and other sources to make up for the unexpected losses, Handley said, they were not successful in time for this year’s budget process.

“(We) worked diligently to reduce the shortfall as much as possible,” she said at a budget forum earlier in August. “In addition to looking at new and existing funding streams, we also looked at ways to reduce administrative costs and more. We’ll continue these efforts into the next year as well.”

A number of Integral Care employees and clients expressed concern over the layoffs at Thursday’s meeting, so the board of trustees voted to approve the layoffs and reduced budget with a caveat – that affected employees get 12 weeks of notice before their positions are eliminated instead of six. Integral Care will also keep those employees informed of positions that become available due to potential new revenue sources.

In a statement, the union’s leadership said the change was an improvement, although “not an all-out win.” Over the next three months, UWIC said, it will turn its attention to local funders who could offer support.

“The union is now calling on the City of Austin and Travis County elected leaders to use this 12 week period to urgently work with (the Integral Care board) to secure additional funding to prevent any employee layoffs and cuts to services,” union leaders said in a statement.

This story was produced as part of the Austin Monitor’s reporting partnership with KUT.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.

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The Bucks County Commissioners voted to approve the construction of a $16 million mental health diversion center.

The Bucks County Administration Building. File photo.

The Bucks County Commissioners voted Wednesday to approve a more than $16 million mental health diversion center that advocates and officials have said is needed.

At the public meeting, the commissioners – two Democrats and one Republican – voted to hire contractors Guy M. Cooper Inc., Integrity Mechanical, Magnum, The Farfield Company, and Vision Mechanical to complete the planned Diversion, Assessment, Rehabilitation and Treatment Center.

The center will be constructed on the site of the previous Bucks County Women’s Community Corrections Center off Route 611 in Doylestown Township. That building was demolished earlier this year after the Bucks County Department of Corrections moved its programs to other facilities.

County officials said groundbreaking on the Diversion, Assessment, Rehabilitation and Treatment Center will happen in the coming weeks, with completion of the building expected by late 2024.

A statement said the center will “serve people in the criminal justice system who are suffering from mental illness.”

A rendering of the proposed facility.
Credit: County of Bucks

Bucks County Behavioral Health/Developmental Programs Administrator Donna Duffy-Bell said the need for a center like the one planned was first identified in 2016.

A public spotlight on the issue was raised in 2020 after reporting, including articles published by public media station WITF, on mental health-related cases in the county. The reporting by WITF, LevittownNow.com, and other news organizations led to county officials announcing a center was going to be constructed.

The 23,000-square-foot, one-story new building will have the capacity for 28 people.

There will be a short-term observation unit, a restoration of competency unit, and a residential treatment facility for men and women. The length of stays at the facility will be from weeks to as long as nine months, Duffy-Bell said.

The Diversion, Assessment, Rehabilitation and Treatment Center will be able to serve as an alternative for a district judge to send a person for evaluation and resources instead of sending them to the correctional facility. People leaving the jail, in custody, or on probation and parole will also be able to use the facility, according to Duffy-Bell.

Bucks County Project and Diversity Officer Bernard Griggs will oversee the project and work with county departments and contractors.

“It’s an exciting project,” Griggs said. “A whole lot of work went into getting to the point where this project is.”

Some of the patients the center is expected to serve would traditionally be sent to Norristown State Hospital, a psychiatric center operated by the state in Montgomery County. Sending Bucks Countians to the hospital can be a slow process and lead to delays in moments when hours count.

The center will work in conjunction with Bucks County’s new mental health court that was established in 2021.

Throughout the planning, county officials looked at reusing the former women’s center, but the building was determined to be unusable, Bucks County spokesperson James O’Malley previously said.

The county will use state and federal grants and funding streams and American Rescue Plan Act money to pay for the new center.

Bucks County Commissioners Chairperson Bob Harvie called the planned center “long overdue,” noting it will help those in need and public safety officials.

He added that Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia had been “banging the drum” for more mental services for years.

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By the Legislative Task Force, El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium. 

The El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium Legislative Task Force is writing to express our sincere gratitude to the El Paso State Delegation – Sen. Cesar Blanco, Rep. Mary Gonzalez, Rep. Joseph Moody, Rep. Lina Ortega, and Rep. Claudia Ordaz along with Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Gov. Greg Abbott – for their leadership and commitment throughout the 88th Legislative Session to expand mental health access and services for the El Paso region.

We are especially grateful to the El Paso Delegation for their work securing a $50 million appropriation as part of Senate Bill 30 to fund planning and land acquisition to expand the El Paso Psychiatric Center. 

Presently, the El Paso Psychiatric Center has a 74-bed capacity with little investment in its facility since its opening nearly 30 years ago. We estimate that in the next 10 years, the El Paso State Hospital System will need to double its size to better serve children, adolescents, adults, and forensic patients in our region, including addressing a current wait list.

With planning funds, the consortium seeks to expand and enhance the state hospital to include a psychiatric emergency room, crisis stabilization, and step-down services.

Expanding the state hospital has been a goal of the consortium since it was formed 10 years ago. The consortium was established in 2013 to engage regional stakeholders to develop and implement collaborative solutions to improve mental and behavioral health services and support for the residents of our region. 

The work of the consortium is led by individuals and organizations across three Leadership Councils:

• The Family Leadership Council works with child, adolescent, and family health organizations, other child-serving agencies, and natural support systems to transform El Paso County into a model community for child and family behavioral health services and support.
• The Justice Leadership Council works with Justice System leaders and stakeholders as they transform the current system to support person-centered, recovery-oriented care and treat as many people as possible in healthcare settings instead of within the criminal justice system.
• The Integration Leadership Council works with healthcare providers to increase access to recovery-oriented behavioral healthcare by increasing the number of available providers and by integrating behavioral health and recovery supports into primary care settings.

This new $50 million funding allocation is an important next step to increase capacity and services for families in need. Thank you to the El Paso delegation for delivering these resources to improve mental health in our community.

The El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium Legislative Task Force consists of the El Paso Chamber, El Paso Children’s Hospital, El Paso Psychiatric Center, Emergence Healthcare Network, Medical Center of the Americas Foundation, Paso del Norte Center at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Paso del Norte Health Foundation, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and University Medical Center El Paso.

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