JHF’s Teen Mental Health Collaborative Convenes Community Groups and Lawmakers to Discuss Youth Mental Health Funding Needs
Type: News
Focus Area: Teen Mental Health
Legislators and legislative staff respond to Teen Mental Health Collaborative member presentations.
JHF’s Teen Mental Health Collaborative welcomed legislators and legislative staff for a listening session focused on funding the important work of community-based organizations (CBOs) supporting teen mental health on October 15th at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western PA Lawrenceville Clubhouse. Legislators present included State Senator Lindsey Williams; State Representatives Jessica Benham, Emily Kinkead, Dan Miller, and Lindsay Powell; and staff representatives from the offices of Reps. Dan Frankel, Rob Mercuri, Valerie Gaydos, and State Senator Devlin Robinson. State Senator Jay Costa was unable to attend but sent a video message on the importance of investing in communities and teen mental health.
Collaborative members shared the limitations of current funding streams for prevention and early intervention in teen mental health, the importance of training youth and adults to respond to mental health needs, opportunities to build community and school-based partnerships, the impact of trusted-relationships to facilitate wrap-around support to uplift youth and families, and the health systems benefits of expanding the continuum of care for teen mental health into communities.
The listening session was followed by roundtable discussions with legislators, legislative staffers, and CBOs to strategize around pathways for sustainably funding community-based organizations focused on mental health. The three table topics included: Identifying sustainable funding for prevention and early intervention work, opportunities for training in financing to support the mental health workforce, and how data can be used to show impact and allow for advocacy around funding. The Collaborative will continue to build on these discussions and partnerships, as well as the recent site visits by legislators and the September visit of Lt. Governor Austin Davis to identify solutions to support the vital work of addressing teen mental health in the community to help prevent crises and promote mental health.
The meeting also included a presentation by Dr. James Huguley, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, and Area Chair, Race and Youth Development, Center on Race and Social Problems, University of Pittsburgh, on restorative practices, the Just Discipline Project, and ways organizations can implement and evaluate these practices in their spaces.
