Training NYC youth-serving organizations in youth mhfa - applicant: coordinated behavioral care, INC

Project name: training NYC youth-serving organizations in youth mhfa overview: coordinated behavioral care (CBC) will provide youth and teen mental health first aid (mhfa) training to 1) new york city (NYC) intermediate/high school (HS) and child welfare agency staff; 2) parents; and 3) HS students. With 4 NYC mental health agency partners, CBC will train 5,558 adults and teens to recognize the signs and symptoms of behavioral health challenges, and help them access evidence-based community treatment and supports. Population to be served will be youth ages 12 to 18, with a focus on youth from low-income households who have historically suffered from racial disparities including lack of access to behavioral health (BH) care. All have been in remote schooling since march 2020 and are expected to be returning to in-person school in september 2021 with negative impacts from the pandemic-trauma, depression, anxiety and grief. Youth benefitting from this project are mainly from low-income black/latinx communities heavily impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. In recent years, about one in ten NYC public school students (110,000) were homeless, homelessness and income inequality in NYC have been consistently correlated with increased youth suicidality. Many BH issues go undetected and/or untreated in NYC youth. One study found that 55.1% of NYS youth with major depression did not receive any mental health services. The covid-19 pandemic has deepened these problems for NYC youth. S trategies/interventions: CBC will offer virtual and blended youth mhfa training to public school teachers and other school staff, as well as child welfare workers in preventive and foster care programs. CBC will facilitate easy to access information about community mental health and chemical dependency services and supports. In collaboration with our behavioral health agency partners, we will ensure a simplified referral process and timely services. HS students will be trained in teen mhfa to help them be able to identify, manage and seek help for BH challenges they may be experiencing and to help their friends and fellow students. Project goals/objectives: CBC's objective is to train a total of 5,558 adults and teens; 770 adults in year 1, and 1,197 adults and teens in each of years 2-5. Project goals are to 1) increase the capacity of youth-serving adults and parents to identify adolescents experiencing symptoms of a mental and/or chemical dependency disorder and expand their knowledge of available BH services and supports; 2) improve access to BH services and supports for low-income NYC youth; and 3) equip HS students with the knowledge and skills to foster their own wellness and to support friends struggling with BH challenges.