Child Mental Health Subcommittee meeting for Adolescent and Child Health Work Group, 1/24,2023. Attendees were: Jennifer Lee-Steckman, Gillian Shreve, Sandy Miller, Laura Robinson, Julie Sanders, Tiffany Fratz, Karl Schwalm.
Since there were three participants new to this planning, Karl began with a recap of what’s been done the last two years with the Child Mental Health Campaign (newspaper articles, radio, Commissioner declarations. and participation by schools, businesses, agencies). He also highlighted the Surgeon General’s emergency advisory re rising rates of problems with youth. He then also briefly summarized thoughts from Jennifer Lee Steckman and himself, including: a more robust campaign (hopefully with some funds from the HD, taking our thoughts to the Health Planning Council, involving the faith community more, participating in the Health Fair, expanding efforts more, including going to the Chamber of Commerce, supplying campaign kits to participating organizations.
Ideas that came from our discussions include:
1. Mass Publicity Campaign, with T-shirts, green bows, people wearing green, posters with green masks
2. Involving nursing students at GRMC. Also consider social work and public health students, maybe the CRNA students at the college and high school students involved in health care.
3. Providing classes on how to make bows: at churches, library groups
4. T-shirt campaign
5. Faith-based communities: Sandy has a list of contacts, which she will get to Karl. Things that churches could do would be to put something in bulletin inserts or on their powerpoints at church services
6. Exploring more with Diana Nielund (sp?) and Kelley Rock, who are both doing research involving heath and the faith communities in Garrett and either Mineral or Grant Counties.
7. Seeing if we might do something with the Garrett County Arts Council
8. Involve the College and possibly Head Start
9. Approaching Community Planning Groups (Friendsville, Accident, Oakland and MLPk
To Do List:
1. Tool Kits: Jennifer and Laura will work on
2. Get a better handle on what the school curriculum includes involving child mental health. Jennifer will speak with John Hummel and/or Becky Aiken
3. Obtaining funds to help with the campaign: Julie Sanders will look into
4. Arrange something with the library: Karl will contact Thomas Vose
5. Approaching businesses: Karl will contact the Chamber of Commerce to see about working with them, possibly giving a presentation
6. Faith-based Community: Sandy will get Karl a list of contacts for churches. Karl wants particularly to approach the larger congregations and is still requesting the help of individuals from those congregations who might have a special interest in this issue.