III.E.2.c. Adolescent Health: Application Year (10/1/2022-9/30/2023)

 

State Priority Need:

Reduce Preventable Deaths in the MCH population with a focus on reduction and elimination of inequities in mortality rates

 

National Performance Measure (2020 - 2025):

NPM 7.2- Rate of hospitalization for non-fatal injury per 100,000 children, ages 10 through 19

 

Evidence-Based/Informed Strategy Measure (2020 - 2025): 

ESM 7.2.1- Reduce count of suicide related hospitalizations in adolescents, ages 10 – 19

Youth Risk Behavior Survey & School Health Profiles

Indiana obtained weighted Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data in 2021. This was a particularly monumental feat after little participation by schools and school districts in 2017 and 2019. In 2021, the MCH team created a YRBS steering committee, bringing together many state agencies and partners that regularly use data findings in their work. Together, the team worked to clear 37 schools around the state. For the final push, MCH engaged the State Health Commissioner, Dr. Kris Box, and Chief Nurse Consultant, Lorrie Ramsey, to personally engage with the remaining schools. Their visibility from the COVID-19 pandemic meant they were able to quickly build trust and add the remaining six schools to the list.

Obtaining weighted data is just the beginning for IDOH. The MCH Programs team and Epidemiology team worked together to build a presentation with all of the collected data and published it to the IDOH website. In addition, the findings have been presented at conferences, commissions, to state agencies, and local coalitions. It is critical to share the following results:

• 30.7% of students reported their mental health was most of the time or always not good (including stress, anxiety, and depression) during 30 days before the survey
• 46.9% of students felt sad or hopeless (almost every day for greater than or equal to two weeks in a row so that they stopped doing some usual activities in the 12 months before the survey
• 27.7% seriously considered attempting suicide, 22.2% made a plan about how they would attempt suicide, and 11.8% actually attempted suicide in the 12 months before the survey.

Suicide-related findings have increased exponentially in Indiana from 2015 to 2021. All statistics related to suicide are highest among females, multiracial youth, and those identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, questioning, or other. It is also important to consider this survey was taken in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic when most students had recently returned to schools.

In the upcoming year, IDOH will continue to share these data with interested Hoosiers and build a intentional partnerships and stronger relationship with school districts and school staff. The team is already planning for the 2023 cycle and will aim to obtain regularly weighted YRBS data that can help inform adolescent-serving institutions and caregivers.

For School Health Profiles, Indiana was able to obtain weighted data in both 2020 and 2022. Data collected ended in June 2022 and is currently being analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their contractor, Westat. In the year to come, IDOH will work to create useful data presentations and products to share with the community and continue to work alongside the Department of Education to ensure health services are

Partnership with the Division of Mental Health and Addiction

IDOH has grown a very strong relationship with the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA). This sister state agency is home to the State Suicide Prevention team and a recent recipient of the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant. As DMHA works towards the goal of zero suicides among Hoosiers, IDOH will collaborate with them to address the mental health needs of youths.

On July 16, 2022, 988 went live in Indiana to support anyone who needs support for a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis. For those not experiencing a crisis, youth can call Indiana 211 to connect to Be Well – a helpline launched during the pandemic to support the management of mental health challenges and to provide resources for any situation. In the clinical setting, IDOH and DMHA will work to grow Be Happy Indiana – a behavioral health access program to connect primary care pediatric providers with immediate guidance from psychiatric specials. Lastly, IDOH will continue to work with DMHA as they create a peer recovery coach-like system for youth and young adults. Lastly, IDOH and DMHA will continue to work together on the Indiana Suicide Prevention Network Advisory Council (below) and the inaugural youth advisory board (under SPM 4).

Indiana Suicide Prevention Network Advisory Council

FRP and MCH will continue its engagement in the Indiana Suicide Prevention Network (ISPNAC). This network is comprised of members from the public and private sector, as well as numerous state agencies, who collaborate on suicide prevention efforts. ISPNAC will host an annual suicide prevention conference and other events for Suicide Awareness month each September. Caitlyn Short (FRP) will serve as Secretary of the Indiana Suicide Prevention Advisory Coalition over the next year. In addition, a Title V Grantee, the Drug and Alcohol Consortium of Allen County (Stop Suicide) will be doing a deeper dive with the council into black suicide rates and collectively work to address the current disparities.

Suicide and Overdose Fatality Review Teams (SOFR)

The SOFR Program Manager leads a state-level subcommittee of the Indiana Child Fatality Review Committee that focuses on the review of pediatric suicide deaths. Over the past year, the Pediatric Suicide Subcommittee completed the review of youth suicides occurring in 2017 and 2018. In order to identify current trends and proactively respond to child and adolescent suicide, the subcommittee will begin reviewing deaths due to suicide that occurred in 2021 among youth 18 years and younger. However, to obtain continuous, multi-year trend data associated with pediatric suicides, the SOFR Program Manager will develop and lead a second state-level Pediatric Suicide Case Review Team which will review suicide deaths among youth 18 years and younger in 2019 and 2020. These reviews will be completed by Fall 2023. The data collected by both pediatric suicide review teams and the resulting recommendations will be used to create a comprehensive, five-year report on youth suicide in Indiana.

SOFR program staff will also continue to promote the next-of-kin interview training series, hosted by the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, to local fatality review teams so that teams may better ascertain risk factors for suicide, and help inform prevention efforts across the state. The SOFR Program Manager has sent the registration information to all local SOFR teams, will continue to encourage teams to apply at their monthly meetings, and will educate any new or onboarding teams about the next-of-kin interview training opportunity.

Fatality Review and Prevention (FRP) Program Staff have begun expanding partnerships with other divisions and agencies to engage in suicide prevention efforts. SOFR is collaborating with the Division of Mental Health and Addictions and IDOH Division of Trauma and Injury Prevention to purse an opportunity to decrease suicide rates among Black and Veteran populations, who are both disproportionately affected in Indiana. Proposed work will include a multi-sectorial partnership plan to support programmatic and surveillance activities and agency collaboration regarding suicide prevention, a study of factors contributing to disparities in suicide rates among Black individuals and people who have ever served in the armed forces, the implementation of strategies from the CDC suicide prevention technical package, and ongoing evaluation of the approach. Additionally, IDOH team members, including the SOFR Program Manager, will continue to participate in a multi-sectorial workgroup concentrated on addressing suicide among Black adults and children.

Work will continue with local fatality review teams to complete effective reviews by collecting all needed reports and medical records for an  in-depth, evidence-based review. The information will provide complete and accurate data for entry into the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention-Case Reporting System (CRS). Data regarding adolescent injury and fatality can then be analyzed and disseminated to communities. With this information, evidenced-based and targeted interventions can be made to reduce the number of adolescent deaths. In communities, Community Action Teams (CATs) may implement prevention actions. FRP will continue to work with teams to address mental health challenges and service gaps that may be contributing to adolescent suicide behaviors.

Handle with Care

FRP will continue to expand programming that addresses Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and identifies strategies to improve outcomes for the youngest victims of crime, such as the Handle with Care (HWC) program. HWC includes training communities and first responders to provide emotional and trauma-informed support on-scene where EMS, fire, or law enforcement respond, and a young victim is present. Through HWC, first responders provide a notification to the school that  includes the adolescent’s name and the words, “Handle with Care.” This notification is distributed to school staff who may encounter the student during the next school day. School staff then watches  for atypical behavior from the identified student and can respond appropriately with trauma-sensitive support. The notification system is designed to be discrete, and information provided does not indicate what type of event the adolescent may have experienced. School staff are trained to provide additional support as needed and to not ask questions or try to gather information about the event. If the adolescent requires additional, more formal supports, the school will connect the student and their family to mental health services.

HWC will expand outside of the funded jurisdictions through the current funding opportunity, providing technical assistance and guidance to counties and school districts interested in implementing the program. Alongside HWC, FRP staff will continue to work to implement trauma-informed practices countywide in funded areas. FRP continues to enhance community responses to promote trauma-informed practices that decrease secondary trauma, while also increasing positive childhood experiences that have been shown to mitigate adverse experiences through a multi-sectoral approach that engages hospitals, mental health, schools, law enforcement, courts, social services, faith-based communities, and local businesses.

FRP and MCH will continue to increase awareness on the impact of ACEs. ACEs education should be incorporated into all direct services to children and youth including schools, medical facilities, mental health facilities, and first responders. IDOH will provide education about the effects of trauma, particularly on children who are victims of crime and intentional injury. This will be done through activities which provide information about services for young victims; promotion of referrals to specialized, evidence-based, trauma-informed victim services for children and youth; advocacy; and training communities and first responders to provide emotional support on-scene of an event where EMS, fire, or law enforcement respond, and a young victim is present. Partnership with the Indiana ACEs Coalition and mental health professionals at both the state and local levels will increase the ability of communities to address the needs of at-risk children and families.

 

State Priority Need:

Promote Physical Activity through policy improvements and changes to the built environment.

National Performance Measure (2020 - 2025):

NPM 8.2 - Percent of adolescents, ages 12 through 17 who are physically active at least 60 minutes per day

Evidence Based/Informed Strategy Measure (2020 - 2025): 

ESM8.2- Number of schools participating in an activity (training, professional development, policy development, technical assistance, PA in-school programming, PA before and after school programming) to improve physical activity among adolescents (12-17).

ESM8.2.2- Percent of adolescents ages 12-17 impacted by improvements to the built environment

 

Current Activities and Plans for Coming Year:

The IDOH MCH and CSHCN divisions will continue to partner with the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) to align efforts to increase the physical activity level of adolescents ages 12 – 17. This includes working with local schools and organizations to increase physical activity during the school day, in addition to before and after school, raising awareness of child and adolescent obesity and low levels of physical activity as a public health issue, and promoting prevention strategies. In order to address child/adolescent obesity, DNPA plans provide grants to schools and organizations, and to train a variety of professionals and community members to implement physical activity best practices across a wide-range of settings including before and after school programs, in-classroom lessons, recess, and through parental and teacher involvement.

Playworks:

DNPA holds an annual contract with Playworks to provide district-wide trainings on creating safe and healthy play in the recess environment. Playworks programs also decrease bullying and behavior problems, effective both at recess and in the classroom. Since physical education is often limited in the K-8 setting, Playworks encourages an inclusive opportunity for all children to be active at recess, regardless of physical activity level or ability. DNPA currently has a partnership and plans to continue it throughout the 2022 – 2023 year and expand to school districts that have not yet been reached.

Physical Activity Minutes

The DNPA supports Playworks in conducting two types of training opportunities:

• Recess Implementation (at three different school buildings): 2 days of recess instruction, 8 hours each, per training
• Team Up Program (at three different school buildings): 1 semester of on-site training

Each program listed produces at least 30 minutes of physical activity instruction, daily.

Program Attendance/Reach

Below are the numbers of potential student reach from the professionals who participated in the Playworks recess programs/trainings:

• Recess Implementation: 2,090 students
• Team Up Program: 515 students

Total: 2,605 students

Community Mini-Grants:

The DNPA is currently supporting three community mini-grants that  have an impact on adolescents ages 12-17. The programs that these community mini-grants support, range from classroom specific to communitywide initiatives and provide schools, educators, and students the resources to be physically active both in and out of school. The DNPA plans to provide the opportunity for each entity to continue their program throughout the 2022-2023 year. If a grantee does not wish to continue with funding, new grantees will be solicited.

Below is the planned reach of each grantee’s program.

• Evansville Trails Coalition:
  • Planned Reach: Community-based
  • Program: Provide Story Trail signage for new story trail in a highly vulnerable area in a local park; featured stories are from local authors; partners include YMCA and local library; all volunteer-based; The story trail consists of children's books featured on permanent and durable signs, with the ability to replace stories over time. Signs will also include inclusive and adaptable physical activities for youth and families to engage in along the trail. This will engage youth and families of all abilities, and youth serving organizations to become physically active, increase park usage, offer physical activity programming, and increase literacy. 
     
• Oak Park Church & Early Learning Academy:
  • Planned Reach: 50-100 youth and adolescents (K-12)
  • Program: Enhance playground environment for the church/early learning academy outdoor health and fitness park - designed for youth and adolescents 6-12 years of age. This project will provide youth and adolescents opportunities for outdoor learning and physical education, expand self-awareness, teach mindfulness, and will benefit their mental health by being outside in nature. Next to the playground, an already existing vegetable garden has been planted to teach youth and adolescents of all ages about healthy eating and gardening.

 

• Springs Valley Community Schools Corporation:
  • Planned Reach: 170-210 students participating in advanced PE classes in Jr./Sr. HS
  • Program: Provide training to teachers to implement Mindfulness in Motion program and sensory hallways in elementary schools; the school corporation will also purchase new physical education equipment for their Jr./Sr. high school general PE classes and advanced PE classes which will include yoga mats, jump ropes, and resistance bands. The corporation will also partner with a locally certified strength and conditioning coach to teach students how to properly utilize equipment, ways to prevent injuries, and set S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Professional Development Trainings:
DNPA plans to provide three professional development trainings in fall 2022. The plan is for 35 professionals to attend each training, totaling105 professionals, which will have a wide geographic reach. Trainings will focus on grade 6 – 8 and their PA/PE curriculum, as well as a component on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). These trainings will integrate evidence-based practices to increase physical activity levels and help students better understand and identify their emotions; learning the importance of SEL will help them develop empathy, increase self-control and manage stress. It will also help them build better relationships and interpersonal skills that will serve them in school and beyond, helping them succeed as adults.

Built environment strategies

Changes to the built environment: the Tactical Urbanism Grant Program

IDOH will continue to grant funds to organizations implementing pedestrian safety measures demonstrating the ability to create safer, healthier neighborhoods by promoting active lifestyles and active transportation for children and adults. Grantees were selected by a competitive application process and grant amounts up to $10,000. Grant projects include new pedestrian crosswalks, pop-up bike lanes, traffic calming installations, traffic speed reduction improvements, and pedestrian wayfinding improvements that increase safe access to everyday destinations for children and adults. The following grantees were awarded Tactical Urbanism Demonstration Grants in 2022 spanning from May – September. Additional communities will be funded from May – September 2023.

City of Fort Wayne:  Fort Wayne Consolidated School Corporation

The grantee will implement low-cost demonstration improvements in highly visible locations along the Pontiac Street Corridor between Hanna St and S. Anthony Blvd. The project will be used to temporarily reconfigure the street to slow traffic and create placemaking opportunities that interact with the surrounding community. The implementation of the project will also be used to showcase additional pedestrian and bicycle projects along the corridor. Additionally, this project will allow the City’s newly created Neighborhood Planning and Activation workgroup to engage with the local community in a more personable and hands on capacity, helping to create safe access to destinations for children and adults along the corridor.

Reach: 12,711 adolescents ages 12 – 17

 

City of Gary: Gary Community School Corporation

The grantee will implement the second phase of previously designed, low-cost pedestrian improvements in highly visible locations including the 900 block of Broadway (downtown's southern entrance) and the Adam Benjamin Metro Center, an intermodal transportation facility on the north end of downtown Gary. The project features installation of artistic crosswalks, wheelchair ramps and path-of-travel improvements at locations lacking any marked paths or ramps across a state highway, helping to create safe access to public transportation and destinations for children and adults.

Reach: 1,824 adolescents ages 12 – 17

 

City of Goshen: Goshen Community Schools

The grantee will install a temporary road diet and pop-up bikeway along approximately one-half mile of Lincoln Avenue in Goshen. The project will be part of Goshen's Bike to Work week activities and will include a kickoff event with a bike ride that includes the project area. Project evaluation activities will include vehicular speed and volume measurements before and during the project; measures of bicycle and pedestrian comfort; and bicycle and pedestrian counts. The city plans to engage local students in the project through field trips and discussions, helping to create safe access to destinations for children and adults along the corridor.

Reach: 2,998 adolescents ages 12 – 17

 

Indianapolis Community Heights Neighborhood Association: Indianapolis Public School Corporation

The grantee will improve safe walking and bicycling connections for students traveling to Indianapolis Public School 88 and the Irvington branch of the Indianapolis Public Library, Ellenberger Park and other amenities around the Community Heights neighborhood and Irvington in Indianapolis. The installation will calm traffic and create safer walking and bicycling environments for children and adults in the neighborhood.

Reach: 8,948 adolescents ages 12 – 17

 

Changes in the built environment to promote Physical Activity

Title V funding will be used to promote increased levels of physical activity at the community level through changes to the built environment. IDOH will provide funding to communities to hire consultants to prepare community-wide bicycle and pedestrian master plans to help create safe routes to everyday destinations for walking and bicycling. Technical assistance will also be provided to stakeholders and Purdue Extension Community Wellness Coordinators at the local, regional and state level to identify opportunities to make changes to the built environment supporting physical activity. Technical assistance activities include providing guidance to stakeholders for the planning and installation of multi-use trails, safe pedestrian crossings, bikeways, safe routes to schools and parks, and complete streets. Adolescents ages 12 – 17 can walk and bicycle to school or the library safely while also getting in their physical activity.

 

City of La Porte: La Porte Community Schools

The grantee will hire a consultant to help the city to prepare a Trails, Greenways, and Blueways Master Plan that will contribute to achieving the community's vision by identifying specific streetscape enhancements that prioritize safety and ease of non-motorized transportation. The Plan will also identify opportunities to enhance the Blueways network connections between each public waterbody and the trails network. The plan will identify opportunities for walking and bicycling connectivity to everyday destinations for children and adults to entertainment, retail, public institutions, recreational areas, and the downtown. The main goal of the Plan is to allow safe movement and access to healthy transportation options throughout the city.

Reach: 2,752 adolescents ages 12 – 17

 

Eskenazi Health Indianapolis: Indianapolis Public School Corporation

The grantee will prepare a “small area or neighborhood plan" in Indianapolis that promotes walking and bicycling for children and adults to everyday destinations such as schools, parks, and shopping to include a focus on Creating Safe Routes in three neighborhoods that contain Eskenazi Health Centers. The proposed project and planning effort will highlight opportunities to connect safe routes and trails more directly to health center sites. This planning effort will enhance both safe access to healthcare and facilitate programming opportunities such as Eskenazi Health Wellness Walks that encourage physical exercise. The planning effort is part of the Health Equity Zone initiative, in which Eskenazi Health will conduct in depth community engagement, facilitating focus groups with staff, patients, and neighborhood resident leaders. This outreach will be complemented by Eskenazi Health’s Community Health Workers and Community Weavers, a newly created role that connects community partners to each health center location.

Reach:  8,948 adolescents ages 12 – 17

 

Coordinate Active Living Workshops to plan built environment improvements

Title V funding will also build support within the communities across Indiana to host a series of regional Active Living Workshops that will enable residents to create actions plans that lead to changes in the built environment supporting higher levels of physical activity in their communities. The workshops will help children, ages 12 – 17, be able to travel safely within their communities with their families, whether it be for leisure, to a sporting activity or to the grocery store. This process would also allow for safer walking and bicycling to school access, as well.

State Priority Need:

Access to High-quality, family-centered, trusted care is available to all Hoosiers.

 

National Performance Measure (2020 - 2025):

NPM 10: Percent of adolescents, ages 12 through 17, with a preventive medical visit in the past year.

 

Evidence Based/Informed Strategy Measure (2020 - 2025): 

ESM 10.1: Knowledge, Behavior, and Confidence Change in Physicians managing Adolescent Health Concerns

 

Adolescent Champion Model 

IDOH MCH partnered with the University of Michigan’s Adolescent Health Initiative (AHI) in early 2021 to implement the Adolescent Champion Model (ACM). The model has been implemented and replicated in many states and aims to create a teen-friendly health care environment. It helps to ensure providers feel comfortable and confident when seeing teen patients while also encouraging clinics to implement changes to the physical office space and staff behavior to be more welcoming and engaging with youth. MCH is supporting the clinics to make the change by covering contracting costs to The University of Michigan and by providing a stipend to each clinic to pay for professional development or supplies to create the changes. As one can imagine, these major changes require time, so each cohort of clinics and providers will be involved with the ACM for 18 months.

 

The first cohort in Indiana started July 1, 2021, and the second cohort started March 1, 2022. Both are currently on track to finish the program by December 2022 and August 2023, respectively. During this time, clinics will follow the implementation calendar set by AHI including trainings, check-ins, and data collection. Healthcare providers and staff will be trained in a variety of adolescent topics such as consent laws for the state, confidentiality best practices, adolescent brain development, non-verbal communication bias, and cultural responsiveness.

 

The first cohort currently has three clinics participating in various locations around the state.  

•       Adult and Child Health Clinic - Indianapolis 
•       Ascension St. Vincent - Salem 
•       Clinton County Family Planning - Frankfort 

 

The second cohort currently has six clinics participating in various locations around the state.  

• Columbus Pediatrics – Columbus
• Reid Health OB/GYN - Richmond
• Reid Primary and Specialty Care Virginia Avenue – Connersville
• HealthNet’s Tech Teen School Based Health Clinic & Title X Clinic – Indianapolis
• Futures Family Planning Clinic – Bloomington
• REFRESH Foundations Family Medicine - Austin

 

These clinics will be serving youth populations with some of the highest rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections and other at-risk youth populations such as those in foster care, experiencing homelessness, involved in the criminal justice system, or have a history of neglect/abuse. If successful, MCH will also be looking to starting a third cohort by requesting letters of intent from interested clinics in the next year.

  

It is likely that the inaugural IDOH youth advisory board will inform and/or create marketing campaigns that promote the adolescent well-visit. Youth voices will help inform MCH on how to best reach youth and eliminate barriers for them getting to obtain the care they need when they need it. 

 

State Priority Need:

Strengthen Mental, Social, and Emotional Well-being through partnerships and programs that build capacity and reduce stigma.

State Performance Measure (2020 - 2025):

SPM 4: Number of youth served with a Positive Youth Development curriculum, ages 12 – 17

Sexual Risk Avoidance Education

The MCH team continues to provide guidance and oversight to the Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Program (SRAE) and its six sub-grantees. IDOH release a more equitable request for applications in 2021. Two new grantees (and four returning grantees) are now implementing sexual risk avoidance education. Both Girls Inc of Shelbyville and the YMCA of Randolph County are new partnership serving rural and underserved areas of the state.

Grantees will continue implementing positive youth development programming around the state. Focused on healthy relationships, communication skills, negotiating skills, and more, our partners are able to reach nearly 15,000 youth per year with this programming. IDOH will continue its partnership with Health Care Education and Training, who provides training and technical assistance, and will start to evaluate the work of grantees and provide fidelity monitoring services in the upcoming year. HCET is also assisting with new data entry into a portal for a national evaluation of the program. HCET has worked to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes since 1994 and serves multiple states in the Midwest Region. We hope to continue reaching more youth as grantees are able to return to in-person learning more consistently in the next year.

 

Teen Pregnancy Prevention 

 

IDOH will continue into its third and final year of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention grant. To help reduce risky behaviors in youth IDOH MCH has partnered with six implementing organizations to deliver the Botvin LifeSkills Training program, provide access to Parent Cafés and Teen Cafés, and continue implementation of the Adolescent Chamption Model (above).

 

Botvin LifeSkills is a peer reviewed, evidence-based program that focuses on teaching youth healthy decision making in all aspects of life and creating healthy relationships. This program is currently being implemented in school, after school, or in a probationary setting. The following organizations are IDOH’s implementation partners for this grant: 

•       Adult & Child Health:  

•      Marion County and Johnson County  
•      In-School  

•       Indiana Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs:  

•      Elkhart County, Huntington County, Rush County, Harrison County, Elkhart County, Kosciusko County, Lake County, Marion County, Porter County, White County, and Vanderburgh County.     
•      After School 

•       Healthy Communities of Clinton County  

•      Clinton County  
•      Probationary Youth, in-school, and after school

•       Hoosier Uplands  

•      Lawrence County 

•       LifeSmart Youth  

•      Marion County  
•      In-School 

•       McMillen Health 

•      Elkhart County, Blackford County, Fulton County, Kosciusko County, Jay County, and St. Joseph County  
•      In-School  

 

In the first nine months of grant year 2, MCH’s implementing partners have reached 1927 youths in twenty-six counties. The programs have been implemented in JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) programs, high schools, Boys and Girls clubs, and probationary settings. For the final year of the program, implementing partners will look to expand to new school districts or counties to reach more youth. MCH will also work with partners to focus on local sustainability efforts.

 

To facilitate better relationships with teens and their peers, families, and other trusted adults, IDOH MCH will expand its use of Parent and Teen Cafés through the same partners as the Botvin LifeSkills program. This model from Be Strong Families engages family members to discuss and share experiences about raising teens and young adults based on the protective factor framework and allows teens to empower, inform, and energize their journey to adulthood through conversation and expectations. Partners have provided 148 cafes that served 1107 youth, 196 caregivers, and 89 community members to date in the second year of the grant. Cafés have been a success in many communities and some implementing partners have found local support to ensure program sustainability. In the final year of implementation, partners will work to increase reach with the cafés and focus on needed topics such as mental health, healthy relationships, and adolescent stressors. 

 

Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

IDOH and DMHA have partnered to create its first Youth Advisory Board. Applications for the board were opened from March 1 – March 31, 2022, and shared via listservs, schools and higher education institutions, on social media, through partners, and more. In just 30 days, there were 229 applications from youth and young adults around the state. A panel of staff from IDOH and DMHA and IDOH’s youth consultant scored every application. Half of the applicants were invited to move forward in the process. With an idea from our youth consultant, we asked for submitted video applications in the second round, and staff scored videos again in May 2022. A smaller team worked to select the final candidates, 45 youth from around the state, ensuring diversity among candidates. The final group:

• Represents 22 counties (13 youth from the northern region, 18 from the central region, and 14 from the southern region)
• Range in age from 13 – 23
• Is 65% female, 18% male, 11% non-binary, 2% transgender, and 4% preferred not to answer (as self-identified)
• Is 56% white, 18% Black/African American, 13% two or more races, 9% Asian, and 4% Latino/Hispanic (as self-identified)

 

The YAB will launch on July 18, 2022 and youth will serve for one calendar year. Meetings will be held virtually on a monthly basis over the year and IDOH and DMHA are looking forward to creating an identity for the group, ensuring youth voices are heard and embedded into our work, and tackle as many health issues and concerns as possible. The team is extremely excited to begin this work and value our youth with this paid opportunity.

The Children’s Commission & Juvenile Justice

The MCH Programs Director, Kate Schedel, currently serves as the Co-Lead of the Children’s Health and Safety Task Force of Indiana’s Commission on Improving the Status of Children. The Commission is situated under Indiana Supreme Courts. It works statewide to study and improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable youth, review and make recommendations concerning legislation, and promote information sharing and best practices. In the upcoming year, this task force will address sexual victimization among youth and young adults, consider insurance coverage and costs for permanently residing green card holders, and work to ensure youth in the foster care system have safe and trusted adults working with them.

Another arm of the Children’s Commision works on addressing juvenile justice reform among youth. As a result of past engagement with this task force, Kate will join the Transitional Services Work Group hosted by the Department of Corrections (DOC) in the year to come. This group was formed under the Youth Justice Oversight Committee as a response to HEA 1359-2022. The group will be responsible for developing policies, protocols, and a statewide implementation plan to guide the provision of transitional services for youth who are a ward of the DOC.