Welcome to the newest podcast on the Texas Hill Country Podcast Network, Beyond the Label. This podcast is the story of the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Centers (the Hill Country MHDD Centers). Today, the Hill Country MHDD Centers is one of 39 agencies that deliver mental health and developmental disability services in communities across Texas. Hill Country MHDD Centers has 22 locations, including 15 mental health clinics, serving a population of approximately 816,000 across a 22,714-square-mile area.
In this first episode of Hill Country MHDD’s podcast, Beyond the Label, we introduce the staff and the purpose of Hill Country MHDD: to share mental health knowledge, recovery stories, and community support across 19 counties. The team outlines May Mental Health Awareness Month activities including a Harry Potter-themed Fredericksburg School of Wellness and Recovery (12–3 at Marktplatz), a Junction summer carnival featuring a mobile clinic van, art shows in New Braunfels and Llano (including kids’ art with Facebook voting), and a May 30 San Antonio Missions “mental health night” with jersey fundraising and the CEO throwing the first pitch. Psychiatrist and CMO Dr. Kristopher Steinke describes his training and Hill Country roles, the CSU’s 14-day crisis diversion model, access barriers (distance, transport, acuity limits), prescriber recruitment via contracts and UT San Antonio telemedicine rotations, outpatient services across ages, and clinical overviews of major depression, bipolar I, schizophrenia, and related conditions, emphasizing help-seeking, medication adherence, and therapy (including CBT).
Key highlights:
- Podcast Mission
- May Events Rundown
- Telehealth for Rural Care
- Outpatient Services Overview
- Understanding the Big Three
- Kids’ Diagnoses and ODD
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