SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Finding help for someone experiencing a mental health crisis can be difficult. It can also be a lofty task for a family member or friend seeking support for a loved one in need.

Now South Lake Tahoe has a new educational resource to help direct people to local services — mental health kiosks.

Each kiosk highlights local mental health services available and educational materials. Brochures are in both English and Spanish, and updated regularly.

“It can be very challenging to get a complete picture of what services and resources are in our community,” South Lake Tahoe resident Marsha Ticas said. “It is our hope to provide a less intimidating approach for a person to get on a healthy path and reduce the stigma around mental health.”

Ticas is a member of the El Dorado County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), an advocacy and support network for families and people affected by mental illness. She and Jeanne Nelson, a NAMI facilitator, designed and implemented the kiosks in six South Lake Tahoe locations.

Ticas and Nelson help update information and track which brochures are taken from each location.

“The kiosks also provide us insight into what issues community members want to know about and where people need more support,” Ticas added.

According to Ticas, in the last month information about depression and bipolar disorder have been taken the most.

The mental health kiosks were funded by the Barton Foundation’s Community Health Grants. Grant proposals are currently being accepted and the deadline to apply is Thursday, June 30.

The Barton Foundation is giving $50,000 in grants to improve community health, with priority going to projects and programs that address mental health, substance abuse and access to healthcare services.

For an application and more information, visit http://www.bartonhealth.org/grants.