Ponca City East Middle School, West Middle School and Ponca City High School received Community Giving Fund grants from INTEGRIS Health to bring Hope Squads to their campuses.
Ponca City East Middle School, West Middle School and Ponca City High School received Community Giving Fund grants from INTEGRIS Health to bring Hope Squads to their campuses.
Over the last five years, serious mental health conditions and suicide rates among adolescents have increased substantially across the nation. Allie Friesen, the former system director of Behavioral Health at INTEGRIS Health and now the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse commissioner, says Oklahoma is not immune to this crisis. “Since the summer of 2018, the number of child and adolescent visits to INTEGRIS Health emergency departments with the primary reason for their visit being suicidal ideation - has doubled.”
In an effort to reduce this trend and save as many children as possible, INTEGRIS Health has created Community Health Improvement Plans focusing on suicide prevention. Encouraging Oklahoma schools to implement Hope Squads is a major part of this effort. The grants cover all training and curriculum costs of the program.
Adam Leaming is the superintendent of the Ponca City Public Schools, he welcomes the additional resources made available through the INTEGRIS Health system.
“Ponca City Schools is committed to fostering a school environment that is nurturing to our student’s mental well-being. When INTEGRIS Health moved to Ponca City, it was amazing to witness their commitment to community wellness and how they reached out as an organization to come alongside our school district to partner and bring resources to help us on this mental health journey. I’m deeply appreciative to INTEGRIS Health Ponca City Hospital and Chief Health Executive, Chris Mendoza, for their help. Without our community partnerships, our district could not perform at the higher levels. With INTEGRIS Health’s help our secondary students will have more opportunities to have a positive and productive school year,” Leaming said.
Hope Squads work to reduce youth suicide through education, training and peer intervention. Hope Squad members are nominated by their classmates as trustworthy peers and trained by advisors. They are not taught to act as counselors, but rather to be peer advocates, recognize signs of suicide contemplation and respectfully report any concerns to an adult.
Hope Squads organize school activities that promote inclusion and connectedness. Hope Squad members are trained through scaffolded, evidence-based modules. Recent findings suggest Hope Squad schools have less suicide-related stigma and significantly more referrals to mental health resources than non-Hope Squad schools.
INTEGRIS Health is proud to offer Community Giving Fund grants to local schools who agree to bring Hope Squads to their campuses. The grants cover all training and curriculum costs of the program.
“We recognize the importance of mental health, especially in children and adolescents. INTEGRIS Health, by providing funding for Hope Squad curriculum and training, looks to empower students to be peer advocates and reduce suicide through education, training and peer intervention. We encourage Oklahoma schools to implement this valuable resource in their community,” says Mike Chavez, INTEGRIS Health Community Benefit Manager.
All applications from Oklahoma schools that have district or board level approval will be considered. Visit integrishealth.org to learn more about the INTEGRIS Health Community Giving Fund.
Anyone contemplating suicide or experiencing a mental health emergency can call 988, the state’s new mental health hotline number. The helpline is the first step to a multi-level crisis response.
