A multidisciplinary team from Boise State received a $500,000 grant from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to address the mental health of Idaho’s youth.
The grant will take the team to schools and communities across Idaho to build partnerships, measure risk and protective factors, and then share findings with the respective communities. These findings will inform tailored action plans for the specific school community’s needs.
School of Public and Population Health Associate Professor Megan Smith is the principal investigator on the grant. Other team members include Professor Matt Isbell with the Department of Communication, experts from Boise State’s College of Education, and Master of Public Health students. Also assisting are members of the St. Luke’s Health System’s Communities for Youth team. This team is part of the Children’s Health Task Force, a St. Luke’s Community Health workgroup.
This year, the group will evaluate youth mental health in the wake of the pandemic.
“The data Idaho currently collects is not always actionable for school leaders. We support collecting the right data and creating action plans that fit the community best,” Smith said.
Learn more and find upcoming community meetings at the Communities for Youth website: communitiesforyouth.org.