Kearney mental emotional poverty awareness project (kmepa) - this project will increase the capacity of kearney public school (KPS) staff and community partners to identify significant symptoms of…

Kearney mental emotional poverty awareness project (kmepa) - this project will increase the capacity of kearney public school (KPS) staff and community partners to identify significant symptoms of mental health illness and DE-escalation strategies. This will be accomplished by training in youth mental health first aid and crisis preventions and interventions training. The project will also expand community resources and support for KPS students with serious mental health illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED). This will be accomplished by providing a referral network of community providers and supports that KPS staff and community organizations will use to help KPS students receive assistance. Buffalo county community partners, a partner in this project, will also engage in a evidence-based social media campaign to help raise awareness of mental health conditions among children and youth in our community. And, this project will establish referral mechanisms and support for KPS students with SMI and SED. We will develop referral forms and hold quarterly meetings with an advisory board of community mental health partners who will guide the direction of this project by looking at the data collected through training and referrals to help identify challenges and opportunities for project improvement.