Western Pennsylvania has experienced an epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse in the past 8-10 years. According to 2020 CDC data, Pennsylvania had the eighth-highest drug overdose mortality rate in the U.S. A consortium of the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission (AICDAC) and nine partners created the Nurse Navigator and Recovery Specialist Outreach Program to […]
American Indian or Alaska Native
Innovative Intervention Addresses Youth Suicide Risk in the Juvenile Justice System
Youth involved with the juvenile justice system die by suicide at a rate two to three times higher than youth in the general population. The risk for suicide is greatest overall for young people on probation, which is the segment of the justice system that allows youth to remain in their community (versus being in […]
Behavioral Health Equity Challenge Winners Showcases
Earlier this year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the “Behavioral Health Equity Challenge: Outreach and Engagement Strategies for Underserved Racial and Ethnic Communities.” Community-based organizations (CBOs) often serve on the front lines to address the needs of their community members. The goal of this challenge was to identify and highlight […]
Moving Beyond Change Efforts: Evidence and Action to Support and Affirm LGBTQI+ Youth
Like all youth, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex youth and other sexual- and gender-diverse children and adolescents (LGBTQI+ youth) deserve to grow up in supportive environments absent stigma and discrimination that allow them to thrive and achieve their human potential.When seeking behavioral health treatment (both mental health and substance use interventions), these […]
Centering Indigenous Knowledges and Worldviews: Applying the Indigenist Ecological Systems Model to Youth Mental Health and Wellness Research and Programs
Globally, Indigenous communities, leaders, mental health providers, and scholars have called for strengths-based approaches to mental health that align with Indigenous and holistic concepts of health and wellness. We applied the Indigenist Ecological Systems Model to strengths-based case examples of Indigenous youth mental health and wellness work occurring in CANZUS (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and […]
BRAVE Program
American Indian and Alaska Native young adults are strong and resilient. Interventions designed to improve their mental health and help-seeking skills are especially needed, particularly those that include culturally-relevant resources and relatable role models. The multi-media BRAVE intervention was designed for American Indian and Alaska Native teens and young adults to amplify and reinforce healthy […]