GRAND CAYMAN,Tuesday, 21 March: CayMind, formerly known as the mental health helpline, announces an upcoming rebrand and island-wide marketing awareness campaign with the help of a CI$15,000 donation from the R3 Cayman Foundation. 

The rebrand of the non-profit organisation aims to help reduce the stigma of mental illness and make mental health wellness more easily accessible in the Cayman Islands by encouraging individuals to be more proactive about engaging help if they need it, and by increasing awareness of the free mental health helpline.

Initiated by the Cayman Islands Government during the Covid-19 pandemic to help those struggling with mental health issues, CayMind will continue to offer a free and confidential telephone service for people experiencing stress, anxiety or any emotional or psychological concern, providing them with a listening ear, support and guidance on resources available.  

“The primary goal of the rebrand is to make it easier for people to call for help,” said Dympna Carten, Mental Health Lead, National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and founder of CayMind. “Mental health is so important to a person’s overall wellbeing and we’re so grateful to the R3 Cayman Foundation for enabling us to better position ourselves within the local community, with a fresh new name and identity, to help us to increase awareness of this free resource within the Cayman Islands.” 

Volunteers at CayMind say they have seen a small reduction in call volume from when the Covid-19 restrictions were in full force, but that the lines remain active with many calls for help being received since the organisation’s inception in March 2020. 

Danielle Coleman, Director, Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI), who oversaw the administrative set-up of the helpline during the Covid-19 pandemic, said, “Mental health has been a priority of HMCI for a number of years and was incorporated into the NEOC structure in 2019. The initiative of the mental health helpline was a significant step and its continued usage demonstrates that people continue to need it. It is heartening to know that  the right services are readily available and as such, we will continue to support the line, both in an emergency or otherwise. We are most grateful to the R3 Cayman Foundation for its very generous grant.” 

The free-of-charge service is staffed by trained volunteers and currently available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to anyone over the age of 18, with the hopes of extending its hours of operation soon with the onboarding of new lay volunteers instructed and certified using the Samaritan training programme through the organisation’s membership with Befrienders Worldwide. 

“CayMind was created in response to a rise in mental health concerns during Covid-19 and the R3 Cayman Foundation is pleased to continue to support our islands’ recovery from the pandemic with the funding of vital community programmes such as this,” said Sophie Ebanks-Gibbs, Recovery Chair, R3 Cayman Foundation.  

The not-for-profit’s name, CayMind, was chosen by Carten, to connect the last four-digits of the helpline (MIND) with its locale. Six logo designs have been shortlisted, three of which were submitted from students at Layman Scott High School, Clifton Hunter High School and The Let Me Live Foundation, and the winning brandmark will be chosen following a public vote. 

“It’s important that we have an up-to-date brand and logo that reflects the organisation’s new name, makes reaching out for help less intimidating and allows us to bolster the delivery of mental health care services in Cayman,” added Carten. 

Complementing the rebrand is the launch of a multi-channel awareness campaign that will seek to normalise mental health issues and help to improve the islands’ response to mental health overtime. 

“You may not be struggling, or know anyone who is, now, but this initiative will ensure individuals are aware of the resource for when it is needed in the future, as well as ensure we maintain the infrastructure in the event of another natural disaster or emergency,” explained Ebanks-Gibbs.

To cast your vote on the six logo designs, visit the following locations this Saturday, March 25; 

• Cost.U.Less, Governors Square: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 
• Camana Bay Observation Tower: 12:00 p.m – 2:00 p.m.
• A.L. Thompson’s, Countryside Shopping Village: 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.   

If you need help right now, or know anyone who does, please dial 1-800-534-MIND.