Mental health services available to Austin musicians

For 27 years, Ascension Texas has collaborated with the SIMS Foundation to provide local musicians with mental health and substance use services. In the following Inside Austin podcast, Dr. Lowell McRoberts, psychiatrist of Ascension Texas explains how we work with SIMS as part of our mission to help those in underserved communities.

https://omny.fm/shows/inside-austin-podcast/podcast-edit

The findings of a pre-pandemic survey from the Music Industry Research Association (MIRA) show that musicians disproportionally struggle with mental health and substance abuse issues. In fact, 50% reported "feeling down, depressed or hopeless" for at least several days in the last two weeks, compared with less than 25 percent of the wider adult population.

Like many other Americans, the pandemic has compounded mental health problems for those in
the music industry as their ability to make ends meet from in-person events and other gig work was and still is limited.

In Austin, Ascension Texas and the SIMS Foundation have worked together for 27 years to
provide musicians and music industry professionals with access to mental health care and substance abuse programs, delivered with no barriers and at low or no cost. The SIMS Foundation is the only nonprofit to serve musicians, music industry professionals and their dependents and families – not only the voices and faces of bands, but those behind the scenes, both onstage and off. For more information, go to https://simsfoundation.org/.

Ascension Texas is focused on making a lasting positive impact on the lives of Central Texans. This article is part of a series of Ascension Texas Impact Stories - each celebrating how we live our mission through clinical service delivery, public partnership, community benefit, community investment and community engagement.