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Wlaf1450CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN. (WLAF)- Did you know Ridgeview hosts a podcast on its YouTube Channel?
Born out of the desire to connect with community partners and consumers of behavioral health services and to promote hope, healing and recovery, Ridgeview introduced “The Ridgeview POD” in January 2021 on the agency’s YouTube Channel, Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services – YouTube .
The first episode was entitled, “Hope as a Muscle,” and it launched what would become nearly a weekly podcast to provide educational outreach and engagement to the rural communities served by Ridgeview.
The guests and topics are diverse, reflecting a multitude of behavioral health interests and community partners. Those include, for example, but in no way reflect the full range of podcasts offered: Ridgeview programs, services, and program leaders; Peer Recovery Specialists; county-specific Health Department Directors; National Alliance on Mental Illness; University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine; Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network; Legal Aid Society; Sexual Assault Awareness; Genoa Healthcare Pharmacy; Foster Parenting with Department of Children’s Services; United Way of Anderson County; Free Medical Clinic; Back-to-School Tips; Lifeliner and Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist; Mindfulness as Coping Strategy; Helping Helpers through Debriefing; Mental Health Association of East Tennessee; and so many more.
The Ridgeview POD has published 76 videos with over 4,857 views. Furthermore, the channel has 97 subscribers who seek to be alerted each time a new podcast is published. Though the POD is not published at the same level of frequency as it was during the height of the pandemic, community agencies continually seek out opportunities to be a featured guest as it affords them opportunities to conduct outreach and engagement to promote services that strengthen the local community.
In 2022 and 2023, Ridgeview added “Rapid Fire Questions” as part of each episode’s conclusion to help viewers get to know guests outside their professional role. These questions have been described by others as “fun discussion questions within our own programming. It really gets people talking and engaged with one another.”
To be sure, Ridgeview took a courageous step by developing a new way to connect with consumers of our services and to involve our community partners in the overall recovery effort from the pandemic. The Ridgeview POD has had a positive impact in promoting hope, healing, and recovery from the pandemic and continues to support stigma reduction for community behavioral health services in rural communities. Ridgeview remains excited about the POD’s future as it has evolved over time with the inclusion of thumbnails and music introductions. The producers remain encouraged and excited to meet the needs of local communities through this outreach and engagement strategy, while also looking forward to leveraging other social media platforms to further the growth and reach.
(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 1/16/2024- 6AM)