Community Studies Inc

PARTNERS IN WELL-BEING/PROYECTO BIENESTAR: BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES - PARTNERS IN WELL-BEING BRINGS TOGETHER A COLLABORATION BETWEEN GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE VOZ Y ACCION DE PUERTO RICO (VOICE AND ACTION) AND FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY STUDIES (FICS) WITH COUNTY PARTNERS (HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY'S DEPARTMENTS OF PARKS AND RECREATION AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES), AND CULTURALLY COMPETENT LICENSED THERAPISTS. SPEARHEADED BY THE FLORIDA INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY STUDIES (AKA FICS), WITH19 YEARS OF SUCCESS IN COMMUNITY-BUILDING, PARTNERS IS UTILIZING THE EBP OF TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TO TRAIN AND ENGAGE DEEPLY WITH THREE GROUPS: PROVIDERS, PARENTS/COMMUNITY AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR A TOTAL OF 1800 PERSONS REACHED OVER 5 YEARS. PARTNERS IS OUR RESPONSE TO URGENT AND GROWING UNMET NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING UNACCEPTABLY HIGH RATES OF BAKER ACT UTILIZATION FOR CHILDREN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. WE WILL QUANTIFY OUR SUCCESS THROUGH A COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH PROCESS TO PRODUCE A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IMPACT STATEMENT WITHIN 60 DAYS OF AWARD. AS SUCH, WE BEGIN WITH THE JUST-RELEASED 2020 DATA POINTING TO NEW DATA SHOWING THAT ALMOST 1 IN 5 YOUTH HAVE MORE THAN 4 ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ACES), A GROWING RATE OF MIDDLE-SCHOOL SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND EXTREME ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DISPARITIES IN THE COVID ERA FOR FARMWORKERS AND ASYLUM SEEKERS, TWO OF THE MAIN POPULATIONS OF FOCUS.