TrueImpact Community Special Event to Help North County Youth Find A Way Forward with Behavioral Health

TrueImpact Special Event to Address the Youth Behavioral Health Crisis and Introduce New Programs to the Community on Wednesday, October 19 at 7:30 a.m.
 

Dr. Benjamin Maxwell, Rady's Children’s Hospital To Keynote the Event
 

TrueCare, a regional community health center, is bringing the North County community together to address the behavioral health crisis in today’s youth.

The focus of  the TrueImpact special community event, held on the heels of October 10 World Mental Health Day, will be a discussion about the crisis and presentations of the services and programs TrueCare and its community partners are initiating to address this critical area of need for our young adults, especially in underserved communities with limited access to behavioral health services. 

Dr. Benjamin Maxwell, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, will keynote the event and provide an overview of the state of youth behavioral health.

Young adults in California experience mental health challenges at alarming rates, with more than 75% reporting anxiety in the last year, more than 50% reporting depression, 31% experiencing suicidal thinking and 16% self-harm, according to the results of a survey commissioned by the California Endowment.  https://www.calendow.org/.  Nationwide, more than 1 in 3 high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic and nearly half of students felt persistently sad or hopeless, according to the CDC.

The situation is critical and broad enough to attract national attention, with the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issuing an advisory on America’s “Youth Mental Health Crisis” in December 2021. In August, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $4.7 billion “master plan” for children’s mental health.

The program will include:

• An overview and state of youth mental health in the country and San Diego County by Dr. Maxwell of Rady's Children's Health.

• Behavioral health needs of patients seen by pediatricians at TrueCare

• Trends in pediatric providers engaging in behavioral health due to capacity issues in the healthcare system

• Announcing new youth-focused services and programs born out of pure need and collaborations with partners to implement in schools.

• Unveiling of the new TrueCare program, Puzzling Minds, and ongoing expansion of the Youth Advocacy Program, which provides support for overcoming substance and alcohol use disorders.

• Reaching youth in an environment where they feel comfortable and safe, and engaging parents/teachers in the process.

• A call to action to the community to address this complex and challenging issue together to help children who are suffering and improve their lives.

EVENT SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

• Dr. Benjamin Maxwell - Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego director of child and adolescent psychiatry

• Michelle D. Gonzalez - TrueCare CEO & President

• Russ Riehl - TrueCare Board Chair

• Dr. Michael Krapes - TrueCare PsyD, Youth Behavioral Health at TrueCare Mission Mesa Pediatrics

• Isaias Sanchez - Outreach Director for Puzzling Minds 

• Jacqueline Martinez -Community School Coordinator, Oceanside Unified School District 

• Alejandra Perez -Community Engagement Specialist, TrueCare’s Youth Substance Abuse Disorder program

Elected officials, TrueCare’s community partners and community members are also joining this important and informational special event focused on the youth behavioral health crisis that our families and individuals currently face.

The event is free to all and will feature information about behavioral health resources.

RSVP and find more information at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-truecare-is-addressing-the-behavioral-health-crisis-in-todays-youth-tickets-422587670097

About TrueCare

For 50 years, TrueCare has not wavered in its commitment to patients, their families, and its communities. As a non-profit community health center, TrueCare is dedicated to delivering a superior and compassionate healthcare experience to nearly 60,000 patients every year, reducing barriers and increasing accessibility to quality care. TrueCare cares for the diverse communities of North San Diego and South Riverside Counties with services ranging from primary care, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, chiropractic treatments and dentistry. In addition, TrueCare offers transportation services, community health outreach, insurance enrollment assistance and case management programs. For more information, visit https://truecare.org.