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Giving Back

Local foundation makes $75,000 donation to new healthcare program

Posted 11/4/22

BHHS Legacy Foundation has donated $75,000 to notMYkid’s Full Continuum of Care model to reach more people in the LatinX community in Phoenix.

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Giving Back

Local foundation makes $75,000 donation to new healthcare program

Posted

BHHS Legacy Foundation has donated $75,000 to notMYkid’s Full Continuum of Care model to reach more people in the LatinX community in Phoenix.

As explained in a press release, the program will serve 3,000 youth and parents with community outreach, prevention education, healthcare navigation services and recovery support. The new programming will begin in November 2022 and will be delivered in both English and Spanish.

“The goal of our Full Continuum of Care is to provide treatment and recovery support services for youth and their families to reduce adolescent substance use disorder and mental health challenges,” Kristen Polin, CEO of notMYkid, said in the release. “Our holistic approach is built on a framework of evidenced-based strategies that encourages healthy development and well-being. Youths are struggling with drug abuse and mental health challenges. The cost of addiction comes with a high price tag to our communities, both monetarily and through lives lost to addiction or suicide.”

The new program will utilize a three-tiered approach to address substance use and mental health at every stage from early initiation of behaviors, treatment and recovery support

The first tier is prevention education and community outreach events. notMYkid will host engaging presentations to provide education and information on vital behavioral health topics including drug use, vaping & cannabis, teen mental health, anxiety & stress, internet safety, relationships, bullying, body image & self-esteem.

The second tier includes family support programs including early intervention classes and parent coaching workshops, the release explained. The programs are developed with evidenced-based strategies and peer-to-peer components to engage youth and their caregivers.

The third tier is family navigation support. Family navigation services are intended to improve outcomes for children and their families by providing information and empowerment in the decision-making process.

Polin added, “The goal of family navigation is to empower families to make informed choices that are right for them. Our team will assess the family’s needs and strengths and collect appropriate referral information. We help families understand mental and behavioral health challenges and provide ongoing assistance with navigating the mental and behavioral healthcare system.”

“BHHS Legacy Foundation Board and Staff greatly value the holistic approach that notMykid provides to families struggling to address substance abuse and mental health issues in their families,” Jerry Wissink, CEO of BHHS Legacy Foundation, said in the release. “We continue to look forward to a successful partnership in serving the LatinX community with this important programming in the Phoenix.”

A few statistics included in the release:

  • Youth who drink before the age of 15 are five times more likely to develop a substance use disorder.
  • Teen overdoses doubled in 2020 and increased another 20% in 2021. Connecting teens to treatment and recovery support is vital in preventing life-threatening conditions and destruction to young lives.
  • According to the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, Hispanic teens are using drugs at alarmingly higher levels when compared to teens from other ethnic groups. The data shows how substance use has become a normalized behavior among LatinX youth. Hispanic teens reported high rates of drug use compared to Caucasian and African American teens. The survey reported 62% drank alcohol, 54% used illicit drugs and 47% used cannabis/marijuana.
  • Arizona is one of five states that led the country with the highest percentage of youth who have three or more adverse childhood experiences. The striking consequences with ACE’s are higher rates of substance use among youth. Compromised youth mental health leads to negative risk-taking and an increased chance of developing a substance use disorder
  • The proportion of children seeking emergency mental health services who required immediate hospitalization rose 75% in 2020 compared with 2019.