• By Annie Vasquez
• Posted Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Public invited to help inform behavioral health needs assessment in Forsyth County

A public listening session on local mental health, substance use, and behavioral health services is being held on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6-7:30 p.m. at the Forsyth Tech Mazie S. Woodruff Center, 4905 Lansing Drive Room 114, in Winston-Salem.

The listening session is part of a county-wide assessment on behavioral health services that will include a virtual listening session later this winter. Refreshments will be provided.

Forsyth County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) has engaged the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to assess the County’s system of services and supports for youth, adults and families with mental health, substance use and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities.

“Our goal is to make behavioral health services easier to access, more responsive and more equitable for everyone in Forsyth County,” said Annie Vasquez, Substance Use Services Coordinator. “To do that, we need to understand the real experiences of residents, families and providers. This process is about learning from the community, not speaking for it.”

Throughout the assessment, HSRI will conduct public community listening sessions and discussions with community members, including people who use services and their loved ones, service providers, county leaders, and others to gather input on the strengths, needs and gaps of the current system. HSRI will also gather and analyze data regarding community characteristics, prevalence of mental health and substance use issues in Forsyth County, and service use and capacity.

Findings from the assessment will be presented in a final report available to the public in June 2026.

For more information, please contact Annie Vasquez at vasquead@forsyth.cc or 336-703-3175.