April Newsletter

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April Newsletter

Children are usually at less risk from COVID-19 than adults.

But any parent will tell you, that does little to calm fears. And many parents will also tell you the physical risks of the virus aren’t their only concern.

“I want Pierce County to know our kids are in a mental health crisis,” said Chris Ladish, PhD, chief clinical officer of pediatric behavioral health at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and MultiCare Behavioral Health Network. “Our kids were in a mental health crisis before this pandemic hit and this pandemic sent that crisis rushing exponentially.”

In 2018, 27% of Pierce County 10^th graders said they had thought about suicide and 66% reported they felt anxious or nervous in the past two weeks. Now those numbers are likely much worse.

“We’re seeing the rates of mental illness (in kids) jump,” Ladish said. “We used to quote 1-in-5 kids struggles with a mental health condition. Now we’re seeing closer to 1-in-4.”

Ladish says some simple steps from parents can go a long way. Continue Reading

“How kids interpret the pandemic is different from how adults are interpreting this.” Dr. Chris Ladish talks about the mental health crisis in Pierce County youth, and how parents can help

Gender-Affirming Care Saves Lives
Aytch Denaro

Over the last several weeks, the number of calls to the Mary Bridge Children’s Gender Health Clinic has increased significantly. They’re calls from patients who are terrified about the future of health care for the LGBTQIA+ community, sparked by legislation around the country aiming to limit — or deny altogether — affirming health care for transgender and gender-diverse youth. I am a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and identify as gender non-conforming. I am also proud to work at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital as a social worker for our Gender Health Clinic. I want to help kids in our community feel seen, heard and valued

Read more at: https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article260003010.html#storylink=cpy

Supporting Gender-Diverse Youth Through Trauma Informed Practices

Thursday, April 14th, 2022
4:00 – 5:30pm

Webinar Objectives:

Analyze data from the most recent research on LGBTQIA+ youth in our country to gain an understanding of unique experiences and challenges within the community
Gain an understanding of what trauma informed and responsive allyship looks like and specific interventions to increase allyship at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels
Learn specific communication skills and support to work with LGBTQIA+ youth that are trauma informed and responsive

The Mary Bridge Gender Health Research Program is conducting a new research study. The Gender Empower Study is an anonymous and confidential survey that will help us understand gender diverse youths’ sense of empowerment in gender-affirming healthcare. We are offering a $10 Amazon gift card to respondents in appreciation of their time and effort and expect that it will take fewer than 15 minutes to participate.

Eligible youth:

Are between ages 14 and 24 and
Claim any gender diverse/expansive identity and
Have had at least one conversation with a healthcare provider about gender-affirming care.

KMHPC Upcoming Events & Webinars

Kids Mental Health Action Team Meeting

The KMHPC Action Teams are comprised of people and agencies working together to plan and implement KMHPC community-wide agenda. Meetings are held virtually the last Thursday of each month at 1:00PM.

Next Meeting: Thursday, April 28th at 1:00PM via Zoom
Join Us!

KMHPC Community MDT Survey

Kids' Mental Health Pierce County is continually working to improve the behavioral health system delivery and foster community collaboration to address system barriers for youth and families in Pierce County. Part of KMHPC's work to improve and grow is to gain feedback from those involved in the community and behavioral health system. If you have received this email, you may have participated in a KMHPC Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting, one of the services KMHPC offers to support the community. The goal of this survey is to gain knowledge regarding MDT outcomes and areas for growth in order to better-serve our community. Please take the time to complete the survey found to provide your important and much-valued feedback.

Kids' Mental Health Pierce County is a community collaborative dedicated to improving child and adolescent mental health treatment and prevention in Pierce County. The KMHPC MDT is a community-based, family-focused multidisciplinary team of community stakeholders, providers, and advocates who aim to assist providers and families with complex behavioral health presentations, care coordination, and case planning.

This survey is for system partners, families, health care professionals, and any other community members who have been involved with the KMHPC MDT process.

Survey Link

Community Resources and Events

An opportunity to learn more strategies for coping and handling stressful situations in the home and how to defuse situations without hands-on.

This workshop is intended for parents and other caregivers raising children with mental health and/or behavioral challenges. Register Today

The Pierce County School & CBO Network Meeting takes place on the 4^th Friday of every month from 11-12. The April meeting will be Friday, April 22 from 11-12.

The intention of this network meeting is to build partnership with our organizations and school districts, collaborate on solution focused efforts, and to share our efforts and/or events within the community.

Google Folder Link (to view past meeting notes, agenda, and resources)

Have you been curious about our Teen Backpacking Trip and wanted to learn more? Now is your chance! Join us for one of our upcoming info sessions on Zoom for a slide show presentation as well as time for Q&A.

For professionals working with Teens & Families (counselors, school personnel, pediatricians etc.): Wednesday, April 13, 6-7 PM

For teens & families who are interested in participating: Wednesday, April 27th, 6-7 PM

CoLab for Community and Behavioral Health Policy is conducting a user design project in collaboration with Seattle Children's Hospital First Approach Skills Training (FAST) team to get feedback from users (youth, caregivers, and providers) on their program and what could be improved for FAST-A.
We are currently looking for youth/young adult leaders, ages 16-25 to help guide our work plan as well as conduct interviews to get feedback from other youth. Please distribute this opportunity through your networks and to any youth leader whom you know would be interested in this project; compensation will be provided!
For any questions or concerns, please contact uwcolab@uw.edu

Behavioral Health Funding Resources

Beacon Health Options is issuing this Request for Responses (RFR) for the Pierce County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Block Grants. With this RFR, Beacon seeks to support innovative programs that promote integrated care delivery for the target populations.

All agencies, even those currently funded, will need to submit an application in order to be considered for block grant funds beginning July 1, 2022.

This RFR includes both Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG) and Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG) funding.

Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG) - The program's objective is to support the provision of comprehensive community mental health services for adults diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and children diagnosed with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED).
Substance Abuse Block Grant (SABG) - The program’s objective is to plan, implement, and evaluate activities for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of substance abuse for individuals not covered by Medicaid.

The full Request for Responses with submission details are available online at: https://wa.beaconhealthoptions.com/. Please direct questions to Christal Eshelman at BeaconWAASO@beaconhealthoptions.com (reference Pierce Block Grant RFR in the subject line).

Pierce County Human Services anticipates receiving Behavioral Health and Therapeutic Courts Tax (BHTC) funds to be used for a Pierce County Behavioral Health Workforce Study.

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit qualified bidder(s) for consultation services to assess existing behavioral health provider capacity and determine workforce development and behavioral health system needs and can be found here: Solicitations and Competitive Bids | Pierce County, WA - Official Website (piercecountywa.gov)

All details and contact info can be found in the RFP.

Workforce Development

Request for Qualifications for Early Childhood Education Assistance Program Mental Health Consultant

The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) is Washington’s pre-kindergarten program that prepares 3- and 4-year-old children furthest from opportunity for success in school and in life. Since 1985, ECEAP has focused on the well-being of the whole child by providing comprehensive nutrition, health, education, and family support services. ECEAP reaches the children most in need of these foundations for learning.

Bid Documents and required documentation must be e-mailed to PCHS-CAP-Bids@piercecountywa.gov. Do not bring your bid to the Department of Pierce County Human Services. Do not e-mail or hand carry a bid to any program staff. Hard copy (paper) bids will not be accepted.

Thank you for your consideration of this opportunity. If you have questions about this procedure, please contact us at PCHS-CAP-Bids@piercecountywa.gov.

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