The Community Schools of Frankfort is the recipient of a three-year Resilient Youth Initiative implementation grant from North Central Health Services (NCHS) totaling $452,312. Through the Resilient Youth Initiative, NCHS seeks to assist schools in developing youth resiliency through evidenced-based social-emotional competency, drug resistance, and mental wellbeing curriculums.
The NCHS Resilient Youth Initiative was informed by community health conversations conducted throughout the NCHS service area in 2018, at which school administrators shared their concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of their students. These needs were confirmed by the NCHS & River Bend Hospital 2018 Community Health Needs Assessment.
In the spring of 2019, The Community Schools of Frankfort received a Resilient Youth Initiative planning grant and technical assistance to identify student needs and match those needs to the evidence-based programs that fit their school culture, goals, and schedules.
This implementation grant will fund the training, coordination, and materials needed to implement the programs with fidelity. NCHS will also fund one-on-one grantee coaching from field experts, custom implementation trainings, and initiative-wide evaluation by an independent research partner to explore the overall impact on schools and students.
“We recognize this initiative is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to developing youth resiliency,” said Stephanie Long, CEO & President, NCHS. “But when implemented well, evidenced-based social-emotional learning and substance use prevention programs can substantially improve students’ self-management and social skills and lower substance use. We appreciate the schools’ willingness to partner with us to explore the potential of these programs to improve the health and wellbeing of the youth in our communities.”
NCHS’s investment in the Resilient Youth Initiative totals over $6 million in direct funding and support for schools in its 8-county service area to explore, pilot, and evaluate the impact of evidenced-based social-emotional competency, drug resistance, and mental well-being curriculums. The grants will support schools in seven counties launching evidenced-based youth resiliency programs, reaching an anticipated 33,000 K-12 students by the 2021-2022 school year.
ABOUT NCHS
NCHS is committed to providing health care and promoting healthy communities for the benefit of the citizens of Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White counties. Since 1999, NCHS has awarded over $65 million in grant funding to more than 200 organizations.
Beyond its Community Benefit Capital Grants program, NCHS initiates strategic partnerships like the Resilient Youth Initiative with coalitions, funders, nonprofits, and other entities to directly address the most critical community health needs identified by the NCHS and River Bend Hospital Community Health Needs Assessment. These NCHS-initiated Community Benefit Partnerships fund the launch, expansion, or strengthening of programs and services that improve health outcomes and develop healthy communities.