CX100 partners with Blue Cross NC on CARE4Youth
Designed to improve youth mental health, the program will support teams across 18 counties.
Addressing youth mental health needs through collaborative community partnerships is the latest project from UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Across 100 initiative. Called CARE4Youth, Community-Driven Approaches for Resilient and Empowered Youth received a $600,000 gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. CARE4Youth will support 10 teams from 18 counties, participants in past Carolina Across 100 programs, as they develop systems of care designed for — and with the participation of — young people in North Carolina.
“Carolina is deeply committed to serving North Carolina’s communities and supporting them as they navigate their most pressing challenges,” Chancellor Lee H. Roberts said. “Young people in our state are experiencing a mental health crisis. Carolina’s unique strengths in health care position us to be a critical partner to communities in meeting this moment.”
Half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14, and more than one of every 10 children will experience a severe mental health disorder. In North Carolina, approximately 300,000 young people will develop a psychological health problem before adolescence. This challenge is underscored by the number of youths experiencing acute psychiatric crises. In the last 12 months, 10% of North Carolina high school aged students attempted suicide.
“Across North Carolina, young people are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis —and they cannot meet it alone,” said Danielle Roubinov, director of the UNC Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, a key CARE4Youth partner.
“Communities know their young people best, and they are leading the way in creating systems of support that reflect local needs and strengths. Through CARE4Youth, we are honored to partner with these dedicated teams to implement effective treatment and support programs and build sustainable solutions so every young person reaches their full potential,” Roubinov said.
Carolina Across 100 invited select teams from two of its past programs — Our State, Our Work and Our State, Our Wellbeing — to participate in CARE4Youth since the role of mental health in young peoples’ prosperity and well-being emerged as a theme in both programs.
“The communities invited to participate in this opportunity have demonstrated the capacity to build partnerships that engage youth and strengthen systems of support for mental health,” said Anita Brown-Graham, lead coordinator of Carolina Across 100 and ncIMPACT director. “CARE4Youth will allow these teams to build on their tremendous momentum as they implement evidence-based strategies in communities while centering the voices of youth and young adults.”
Over the next three years, participating communities will strengthen cross-sector, collaborative teams established through the prior programs to implement strategies to address local youth mental health priorities more deeply.
Teams will also engage young people to actively co-create local systems of support that meet their mental health needs. Carolina Across 100 will help connect teams to subject matter experts in mental health and youth engagement and advise them on project implementation. Communities will participate in nine peer-learning forums in Chapel Hill and receive additional training and technical assistance through webinars and other program touchpoints. A kickoff webinar will be held in June, and teams will attend their first forum later this fall.
