Bill Summary for Bill Number Introductory Remarks and Presentation by Mental Health America of Colorado

Date: 08/27/2015

Final
Introductory Remarks and Presentation by Mental Health America of Colorado

SCHOOL SAFETY AND YOUTH IN CRISIS

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08:08 AM -- Introductory Remarks and Presentation by Mental Health America of Colorado

Senator Scheffel, chair, called the meeting to order and introduced Desiree Davis, Special Advisor to the committee. Ms. Davis introduced herself and told the committee what she hopes that the committee achieves during the interim to help youth in crisis. President Cadman provided introductory remarks to the committee and spoke about bullying in schools.

08:13 AM

Senator Scheffel invited Michael Lott-Manier, Assistant Director of Public Policy, Mental Health America of Colorado, to the table to begin his presentation. Mr. Lott-Manier spoke about the language of Senate Bill 15-214, and told the committee about the prevalence of suicide and suicide attempts among youth in Colorado. He said that it is important to consider mental health in the safety of students and the need to study programs that can help track students in crisis. He provided demographics and population-level statistics about youth mental health and explained that 50 percent of adolescents in the United States meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition. He provided the specific criteria used to define mental disorders and said that deviant behavior is not necessarily a sign of a mental health disorder. He spoke about youth versus adult brain development, and the difference between mental health conditions in youth and mental health conditions in adults. He said that poor mental health can lead to poor academic performance, and talked about the risk factors associated with mental health conditions, including genetics, head injuries, and environmental issues such as family and home environment. He talked about the need for culturally and geographically competent and sensitive solutions to these issues the acknowledge the difference between urban, rural, and frontier populations.

08:24 AM

Mr. Lott-Manier spoke about the results of the Healthy Kids Survey that was distributed to students in public schools in Colorado, focusing on the results of questions related to suicide attempts and drug use. He said that suicide is the second leading cause of death for Coloradans between ages 10 to 24, and that most suicide attempts and death occur during a crisis which means that situational control and means restrictions are important to consider when discussing suicide prevention. He spoke about the types of interventions that youth receive, which include universal prevention (most prevalent); selective prevention; indicated preventative; and treatment, which should be the lowest use so that resources can be focused in the most efficient way.

08:32 AM

Mr. Lott-Manier provided the definition of "school safety" from the Washington State School Safety Center and the definition of "youth in crisis." He talked about the difference between crisis intervention, which is insufficient for protecting all students, and crisis prevention, which is more of a public health-conscious way of looking at the issue. He provided national statistics about the prevalence of violence in U.S. public schools, such as that 20 percent of students report being bullied on school property and 15 percent report being cyber-bullied, and that 5 percent report having carried a weapon onto school property sometime in the last month. He explained that most non-fatal violent victimization happens on school property. He talked about the risk factors for youth violence in terms of personal, family, community, and social risk factors, and stated that 90 percent of suicides are associated with depression or other mental health issues. He discussed the protective factors for youth safety in terms of personal, family, community, and social factors and told the committee about the benefit of universal programs in schools that educate all students about violence prevention and have been shown to lead to a decline in violent behavior.

08:43 AM

He discussed examples of legislation from other states, including Texas (SB 13-460), Oregon (HB 13-2756), Nebraska (LB 13-556), Utah (HB 13-154 and HB 13-298), Connecticut (SB 13-1160 and SB 13-972) and Washington (HB 13-1336). He focused on SB 12-972 in Connecticut, which concerns the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of youths. He made other suggestions about information that may be helpful to the committee, including: Colorado Education: Framework for School Behavioral Health Services; Massachusetts Task Force Report on School Safety and Security; California School-Based Health Alliance: Connecting Students to Mental Health Services; Youth Mental Health First Aid; and Colorado Crisis Services. He made policy recommendations to the committee that included the need for universal prevention, the importance of addressing inequities facing certain youth populations, and the need to leverage recent policy gains.

08:52 AM

Mr. Lott-Manier answered questions from the committee about teacher training requirements pertaining to youth mental health in other states and disparities between the percentage of youth versus adult populations with mental health disorders. He answered questions about legislation focusing on keeping youth in school as opposed to suspension and expulsion and the importance of keeping youth connected with their peers and removing them from a particular situation instead of completely from a school environment. He discussed privacy laws and policies impacting information sharing between mental health professionals and school professionals.

09:08 AM

Mr. Lott-Manier continued answering questions from the committee about the differences between larger and smaller schools, and about the ability of and need for schools to bring in parents and families when there is a mental health issue with a student. He talked about the shortage of and training of youth mental health providers and about the importance of expanding telehealth to rural areas. He discussed the need to continue arts, music, and physical education programming in schools to increase social connectedness and having a sense of purpose for students. He concluded by discussing the need for public-private partnerships to provide some programming in schools, and about the number and effectiveness of school-based health centers.