Asha Vista Behavioral Institute

The countdown is on. 72 days until NAMIWalks Grand Strand! 💙
Every step helps challenge stigma, encourage conversations, and remind people that mental health care is health care.

We can't wait to join our community and Nami GrandStrand SC on October 10: https://www.namiwalks.org/grandstrand

Will we see you there?

NAMIWalks Grandstrand SC I'm supporting NAMI!

Today is International Self-Care Day, and we are celebrating the small moments that help us show up for others. For Spencer Gray, our HR Director, that looks like going on walks, grabbing a coffee from Brown Fox, and taking in the views along the Marshwalk to reset. It's simple, but it makes a difference in how she shows up for the team.

At Asha Vista Behavioral Institute, taking care of yourself is an important part of caring for our community. How are you practicing self-care today?

MYTH: Mental health struggles are a sign of weakness.
FACT: They are health conditions, not character flaws.

Stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and burnout can affect anyone. Asking for help is not weakness. It is strength.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s end the stigma and remind people they deserve support.

Be Seen in Green and stand up for mental health, and share your photos!

Stress Awareness Month is a reminder that stress is not just “part of life” to push through. Left unaddressed, it can affect sleep, mood, relationships, work, and overall health.

This month, let’s move from awareness to action:

✅ Check in with yourself: Are you more irritable, exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected than usual?
✅ Normalize the conversation: Ask a friend, family member, or coworker, “How are you really doing?”
✅ Build one small daily reset: a 10-minute walk, deep breathing, less screen time at night, or a break to step outside
✅ Know when to seek support: Reaching out for mental health care is a sign of strength, not weakness

Choose one action today, for yourself or for someone you love.

It was such a pleasure to support Murrells Inlet Leisure Friends and Sea Beyond Foundation at last Sunday's 12th annual Oyster Roast Festival. Always wonderful to connect with fellow community members and support a great cause.

We are grateful to Horry County Government and the community for taking the time to listen, ask questions, and consider the full facts surrounding this proposal. This decision recognizes a simple truth: our community is facing a real and growing mental health care shortage, and families deserve access to safe, hospital-based care close to home.

We remain committed to being a responsible healthcare neighbor. We look forward to continued dialogue with the community, transparency in our operations, and working alongside local leaders, first responders, and healthcare providers to strengthen the safety and wellbeing of the region.

This vote is an important step toward ensuring that when someone is in crisis, help is available nearby.

To everyone who showed up in your green shirts on Wednesday, thank you. 💚

Seeing our neighbors, parents, healthcare workers, faith leaders and local businesses all in one room reminded us why we're fighting so hard to bring short-stay, close-to-home mental health care to this community. These photos aren’t just of a town hall; they’re of a community saying *we take mental health seriously, and we take care of our own.*

Your stories about long ER waits, long drives out of county, and loved ones struggling without local options are exactly why we’re here. Together, we’re working toward a hospital that keeps patients and communities safe while giving families the care they need close to home.

From all of us at Asha Vista: thank you for showing up, speaking up, and standing up in green. This is what compassion in action looks like, and we’re honored to be your partners in building a healthier future for Horry and Georgetown counties.