A crisis in youth mental health has been documented in our community and across the nation. The Rochester City School District, its health partners, and the City of Rochester have solutions. Read on to learn how our advocacy is making a difference for the 45,000 children in Rochester and be inspired to bring solutions to other communities. |
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| In October 2021, national pediatric health organizations declared a national state of emergency in child and adolescent mental health. That declaration was a response to a 10-year increase in youth anxiety and depression that increased exponentially during the pandemic. In Monroe County, our latest poll found that 2 out of 5 parents say at least one of their children has struggled with their emotional or mental health since going back to school, with the rate being more than 50% for parents of children with disabilities and Latino parents. The latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that: - 40% of Monroe County adolescents reported having serious difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions because of mental or emotional challenges
- 42% of girls reported feeling so sad or hopeless for two or more weeks in a row that they stopped doing usual activities
- 13% of girls reported that, in the past year, they made a plan to attempt suicide
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| The national emergency declaration specifically recommended more provision of school-based prevention, screening and services for behavioral and mental health. This is effective way of ensuring support services are accessible to youth and their families. In our latest parent poll, 3 out of 4 parents said barriers to accessing mental health supports included: - Finding and navigating services
- Affording services
- Long wait times
- Inaccessible locations
- Office hours not aligning with family schedules
School-based services that are provided with parental consent help remove these barriers. |
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| Rochester is leading the way on bringing youth behavioral and mental health supports into schools and community settings. - The Rochester City School District will set up new student health centers at schools over the next two to four years. The current seven centers will be expanded to a total of 16 schools.
- RCSD is also working to bring telemedicine to every school in the district within four years.
- This summer the City of Rochester launched social-emotional support provided by licensed child and family therapists at three of its R-centers.
These community partnerships will remove barriers to healthcare and promote physical and mental wellness for youth. They are made possible by partnerships with Golisano Children's Hospital, Rochester Regional Health, Pediatric Health Partnership, Mt. Hope Family Center, Villa of Hope, Center for Youth, ESL Charitable Foundation, New York State Office of Mental Health, Monroe County, and the City of Rochester. |
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| How Advocacy Made a Difference |
These new supports are the result of collaborative work by many community partners. They were advocated for by The Children's Agenda, parents and community members who have been calling for these kinds of supports since 2021. Our advocacy included: We’re especially grateful for the work of our Board member Toyin Anderson, Senior Advisor Dr. Jeff Kaczorowski, Education Policy Director Eamonn Scanlon, Parent Leadership Manager Carmen Torres, our wonderful VIP parent leaders, and our Interfaith Collaborative. |
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Parent Spotlight Tianna Johnson has been a vocal advocate for school- and community-based mental health supports. She has shared the story of her family's struggles to access appropriate and timely services in the press and at a special event we hosted last March. Her oldest child, who is on the autism spectrum, was not diagnosed until he was in 9th grade. That meant years of lost opportunities, educational frustration, and behavioral crises that could have been prevented. He is now graduated and employed, but we will never know what would have been possible if he had spent more time receiving services and less time on waitlists. Tianna is a bold and persistent advocate who makes a difference! |
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Thank You to our Recent Donors! |
Candles 4 Kindness • David and Nancy Liebert • Gail Wilder • Jen Cathy • Joseph and Elisa Calabrese • Dr. Lori Jeanne Peloquin and Ted Retzlaff • Drs. Marc and Rebecca Lavender • Mary Margaret Palmer • Dr. Norman and Laura Loomis • Paul Tremblay and Dr. Jennifer West • Ray Samson Robin Hood Foundation Children are young for a short time. You can make a difference by contributing today. |
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