Douglas County, in partnership with the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and Kansas Department of Health and Environment, will provide for free the MyStrength app to Douglas County residents. MyStrength offers individuals support for managing depression, anxiety, stress, sleep and other health issues. It also allows users to set health goals and track their changes over time.

Sonia Jordan, director of Informatics at the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, said people often can be afraid to seek help due to stigma surrounding behavioral health issues. “The availability of something like myStrength and the ability for people to download it to use on their phones means they don’t have to worry about that — at least for that initial step of trying to manage some of their mental health needs,” Jordan said. “They don’t have to get in their car and drive somewhere. They can start to access this treatment from their phone in private.”

Douglas County is providing $19,500 this year for myStrength through a quarter-cent sales tax voters approved in November to improve behavioral health services and facilities in the county. Douglas County and the health agencies plan to roll out the myStrength app this summer.