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Grant targets youth mental health services

News-Topic - 11/8/2020

Nov. 6--ASHEVILLE -- A company providing mental health, disability and behavioral services in Western North Carolina will expand services for families and youth with mental, behavioral or emotional disorders in a region that includes Caldwell County

Vaya Health was awarded a four-year grant totaling nearly $4 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the expansion in Caldwell, McDowell, Alexander, Ashe, Polk, Alleghany and Wilkes counties.

Over one-quarter of youth have stated they have felt hopeless almost every day for two weeks straight, and 10-15% have planned suicide.

A main piece of the expansion is the addition of family and youth partners, which are parents or caregivers of youth receiving services who use their lived experience to assist other families, Vaya said in a press release. The family and youth partners attend meetings to advocate for youth at risk, assist in training of community members in early identification of trauma and emotional disorders, link youth and families with services and supports and help provider agencies in identifying needs.

Family and youth partners are important for convincing some families to engage in mental health services, said George Edmonds, regional program director at Youth Villages, a nonprofit providing services and treatment across the United States for children's mental and behavioral health.

"Family and youth partners are essential for service delivery in rural areas to support engagement and clinical goals while working collaboratively with behavioral health professionals. They are often able to engage families in utilizing resources due to their own lived experience. Treatment is most effective when a family is able to add input into their goals and steps to achieve those goals," he said.

Vaya, in partnership with Youth Villages, will employ these partners to help address trauma and social determinants of health using evidence-based practices, including trauma-informed care, screenings and assessments and trainings.

The Vaya System of Care Expansion Grant will enable at least 880 families to be screened, evaluated and linked to services.

Vaya is in the process of hiring a lead family coordinator to assist Kelly Wolf, Vaya System of Care project director, in overseeing the grant program, which is expected to start in November.

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