West virginia system of care grant for expansion and sustainability of comprehensive community mental health services for children - the west virginia system of care (SOC) grant for expansion and…

West virginia system of care grant for expansion and sustainability of comprehensive community mental health services for children - the west virginia system of care (SOC) grant for expansion and sustainability of comprehensive community mental health services for children will enhance WV's foundational SOC to fill service gaps, including crisis stabilization, respite, and intensive outpatient services; facilitate ongoing feedback, peer support, and SOC leadership opportunities for underserved, diverse youth and families; provide evidence-based training for the behavioral health workforce; and adapt services, language, and messaging to reduce behavioral health disparities and stigma. IT is anticipated that the WV SOC project will serve 1,000 children and youth up to age 21 at risk of or with serious emotional disorder (SED) or serious mental illness (SMI) and their families per year -- or 4,000 children and youth over the four-year project period -- across all 55 WV counties. Enveloped by the appalachian mountains, WV has a declining population of about 1.78 million individuals, including about 20% children and youth. Most people in WV are white (91.5%), followed by black (3.7%), two or more races (2%), hispanic (1.9%), asian (0.9%), and native american (0.3%), according to the U.S. Census bureau. WV has approximately 10,300 lgbtq youth, including the highest per capital number of transgender youth in the nation, according to the ucla williams institute. Most west virginians speak english, and the state has no federally recognized tribes. WV youth share several social determinants of health and risk factors for SED and other detrimental outcomes without early intervention and counteractive protective factors. For example, about one in four children live in poverty in WV, which kids count ranked 42ND overall in the country for child well-being, and the state has twice as many children being raised by relatives as the national average and more than 6,000 children in foster care at any time. West virginia has the highest per capita cost of deaths of despair from suicide and fatal overdoses in the country. This WV SOC grant could build protective factors with community-based behavioral health services and supports to improve health trajectories for WV children.