Wellcore?s ymhfa project for the northern highlands - the increase in youth behavioral health issues, including SMI and SED, in the northern highlands has been dramatic

Recognizing the rise in behavioral health disorders, especially during the covid-19 pandemic, calls for the need for more robust mental health awareness training in the northern highlands communities. The goals and measurable objectives established by wellcore and its committed partners for the mhat project will expand the capacity of our communities to detect and respond to behavioral health issues impacting school-aged children and children with SED to connect those with behavioral health issues to needed services. Objective 1: wellcore will conduct outreach and engagement strategies with parents and caregivers as evidenced by an increase by 20% in the number of individuals attending community MH/SA community presentations during the 2021-22 FY over the 2019-2020 implementation year. Objective 2: increase the mental health literacy of school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged children as evidenced by an increase of 20% in the number of individuals trained in an evidence-based program during the 2021-22 FY over the 2019-2020 implementation year. Objective 3: increasing the capacity of communities to respond to the behavioral health issues of school-aged children as evidenced by an increase by 20% in the number of individuals trained in an evidence-based program during the 2021-22 FY over the 2019-2020 implementation year. Wellcore will use a training log that details 630 unduplicated number of individuals trained, the total number of trainees in each training class, the trainees' organizational affiliation, and the instructors to ensure that those being trained are adults who are in contact with adolescents. Implementing the plan, wellcore will train emergency first responders, school personnel, and other relevant individuals; establish linkages with MH agencies to refer individuals for appropriate services; train others to utilize crisis DE-escalation techniques; and educate parents and other caregivers of the community's available resources. Wellcore previously implemented an mhat-funded program and is well-equipped to not only expand local capacity to detect and respond to issues impacting school-aged children and children with SED but also assess and report on project performance.