Rural communities opioid response program - pathways - avera sacred heart hospital, in partnership with lewis & clark behavioral health services, yankton public schools, and mount marty university…

Rural communities opioid response program - pathways - avera sacred heart hospital, in partnership with lewis & clark behavioral health services, yankton public schools, and mount marty university propose the project, yankton's best (behavioral health experiential student training): a multi-sector consortium for high school career pathways in a rural upper midwest community. Awarded funds would be leveraged to meet the increased need for enhanced behavioral health career workforce development and recruitment - especially surrounding substance use and opioid use - services in rural, southeastern south dakota. Responding to this crisis requires time, innovation, and collaboration across several sectors. Objectives will be completed by planning, operating, and sustaining a new behavioral health pathway program and peer-supported resources for middle-and high-school students, to close the gaps in health care disparities magnified by the covid-19 pandemic in rural south dakota and promote a safe environment for patients, family, and staff. This is aligned with the program goals of hrsa-25-093. The partnership between avera sacred heart hospital (ASHH), lewis & clark behavioral health services (LCBHS), yankton public schools (YPS), and mount marty university (MMU) proposes to develop a well-coordinated and integrated pathway for the recruitment of a rural behavioral health workforce for today and tomorrow. These goals will be met through several key initiatives, including a community workforce assessment, formalization of a behavioral healthy pathway model for yankton high school students, and the implementation of a tiered peer-support behavioral health program. Finally, the project team will track and assess these efforts to create a sustainable and highly replicable model with enhanced long-term outcomes for middle- and high-school students. Awarded funds would enable ASHH and network partners to plan, operate, and sustain a behavioral health pathway program to increase capacity and the ability to better serve yankton and surrounding communities in southeastern south dakota. There is a well-documented and growing shortage of behavioral health professionals across the united states, particularly in rural regions such as southeastern south dakota. Given the low unemployment in south dakota and rising need and openings for behavioral health providers, there is a clear need for youth-focused, behavioral health workforce pathway programs to encourage students to participate in behavioral health careers post-graduation. Yankton's best will address these needs to create a sustainable and replicable model for rural communities nationwide.