Saturday, September 7, 2024
9/7/2024
Project Name: Identifying and Responding to Youth Mental Health Needs (IRY). Target Populations: IRY is a community-academic partnership that aims to increase the community’s capacity to identify mental health concerns of youth ages 12-18 and improve their access to needed supports and services. Strategies/Interventions: Adults who regularly interact with youth will be trained on Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), which is evidence-based and has proven effective at increasing trainees’ knowledge of mental health disorders and decreasing stigma related to mental health. Trainees learn to identify the signs and symptoms of mental health concerns in youth and how to respond to those who are experiencing a mental health challenge. YMHFA also teaches trainees de-escalation strategies they can use with youth having a mental health crisis. Finally, the YMHFA curriculum teaches trainees how to make the “warm handoff” of a youth in crisis to a licensed mental health professional. Additionally, a mental health community awareness campaign rooted in evidence-based practices will be implemented. Project Goals and Objectives: Goal 1: Increase the capacity of non-clinicians, parents, school personnel, and other community members in identifying and responding to youth ages 12-18 experiencing mental health challenges and/or emotional disturbances. Objective (Obj.) 1a: Provide YMHFA training to 400 participants annually. Obj. 1b: 70% of First Aiders (i.e., those who complete the training) will exhibit improvements in attitudes, recognition, confidence, and knowledge related to youth mental health. Obj. 1c: Create and distribute mental health first aid kits to every trained First Aider. Obj. 1d: Annually recruit at least one additional collaborative partner to the project from middle and high schools, community- and faith-based organizations, and other key stakeholder groups. Goal 2: Increase awareness of mental health services available in the catchment area. Obj. 2a: Create (and update annually) the list of local mental health resources and disseminate to all trained First Aiders. Goal 3: Increase referrals made to mental health services for youth with serious mental illness or severe emotional disturbance. Obj. 3a: Develop a referral pathway protocol detailing the procedures First Aiders should follow when they identify youth with service needs. Obj. 3b: Document 200 referrals made by First Aiders each year. Goal 4: Raise community awareness about mental illness and the need for culturally competent and developmentally appropriate services for youth. Obj. 4a: Develop and implement a mental health awareness campaign countywide. Obj. 4b: Launch the project’s website and/or social media pages. Obj. 4c: 600 website visitors annually. Obj. 4d: Participate in community health fairs to promote project activities and share information about mental illness, stigma, success stories, and local resources. Goal 5: Assess the cultural appropriateness and relevance of the Spanish YMHFA curriculum. Obj. 5a: Collect perception data from all First Aiders and instructors at the end of each YMHFA training to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of the curriculum with Spanish-speaking residents in the county.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
