Greetings, Network faithful. Okay, this one is just for you! Enjoy the funk group Scary Pocket, with the incomparable India Carney playing the Imagine Dragons song Creep. Enjoy this funky version of the song and then get to readin’ Friday Update, cuz we got work to do!

Most Important Reads of the Week

Latinx Health Equity Summit 2022
Unidos US is hosting the 2022 Latinx Health Equity Summit from December 6th to 8th in Phoenix, AZ. The summit will focus on community-based achievements that seek to close health disparities and advance health equity in the Latinx community across five issue areas: social and emotional well-being, food insecurity, healthcare access, research engagement, and COVID-19 response and recovery.

HHS Releases New National Guidelines for Improving Youth Mental Health Crisis Care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, released a new report, National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, which describes the urgent need to improve crisis response services for children, youth, and families and provides guidance on how communities can address the existing gaps in care for youth.

SAMHSA Releases Interim Strategic Plan
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the agency’s Interim Strategic Plan (ISP). The ISP presents a new mission and vision emphasizing a more person-centered approach and briefly describes SAMHSA’s priorities and guiding principles. However, this is only a first step as they are also developing a complete four-year Strategic Plan (2023-2026). A draft of the new plan will be posted on the SAMHSA website later this winter.

System of Care Summit 2022 Better Together: Building Systems that Care Call for Proposals
The National Center for Training and Technical Assistance on Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health announced a no-cost System of Care Summit on May 10 and 11, 2023. The Summit is an opportunity for all children’s mental health partners to reunite, renew, and re-energize their efforts to support children and young people with behavioral health needs and their families. Registration for the Summit is coming soon! The deadline for proposal submissions is January 24, 2023.

Mental Health Community Activists Seek to Address the Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage and Advance Integrated Care
The College for Behavioral Health Leadership released a white paper call to action with recommendations based on the lived experience of those working in and experiencing the behavioral health system.

Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States
CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States. The article recommends continued surveillance, sustained implementation of population-based tobacco control strategies, and efforts to address disparities to prevent and reduce youth tobacco use.

S.T.A.Y. Tuned Podcast: Supporting Transition Aged Youth with Mental Health Conditions
S.T.A.Y. Tuned: Supporting Transition-Age Youth Podcast is a podcast for young adults, made by young adults with mental health conditions. It’s designed with the purpose of sharing helpful information our research team has gained through studies of transition-age youth/young adults navigating school or work. In this episode, Emily and Maya interview Dr. Michelle Munson, PhD, a professor at N.Y.U.’s Silver School of Social Work. Dr. Munson shares her innovative research, collaborating with youth to fully understand what implementation strategies and tools best meet their unique needs and desires.

Learning Disabilities & Differences: What Parents Need To Know
Children learn many skills in life—how to listen and speak, for example, or how to read, write, and do math. Some skills may be harder to learn than others. If your child has had appropriate learning experiences and instruction, but is not able to keep up with peers, it’s important to find out why and how to help.

Don’t Be a Snitchy Witch: Tips to Prevent Snitching
Nobody likes a snitch, but it can be difficult for children to understand the difference between being a tattle-tale and reporting a dangerous situation to an adult. Snitchy Witch by Frank J. Sileo, PhD, explores the difference between tattling, or snitching, and telling or reporting. As young children develop their sense of right and wrong, they may struggle with tattling. This excerpt from Dr. Sileo’s “Note to Grown-Up Witches” provides useful strategies for parents to help their children learn the difference between snitching and telling, develop problem-solving skills, and develop empathy.

Who Will Do the Work? Strengthening the Children’s Behavioral Health Workforce to Meet Families’ Increasing Behavioral Health Needs
Rising rates of anxiety and depression among children have exacerbated longstanding strains on the behavioral health system and its workforce. The Child, Health, and Development Institute’s policy brief, “Who Will Do the Work?” explores Connecticut’s behavioral health workforce crisis and provides recommendations for recruiting, retaining, and diversifying the workforce to fully meet the needs of the state’s children. Many of these recommendations will have relevance for other states. Check it out!

Study Finds Black Student Enrollment at Community Colleges Has Steadily Declined
A recent report on the state of Black students in community colleges highlights a decline in enrollment since the pandemic and the ever-present inequitable policies that create barriers to higher education. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies published the report. Director of Workforce Policy at the Joint Center, Dr. Alex Camardelle, said that community colleges hold the promise of getting a job and access to higher education for many Black Americans. Camardelle is concerned that current policies are creating alarming racial disparities at these institutions.

Treating Pediatric Trauma
“The biggest predictor of having something bad happen to you is having had something bad happen to you in the past,” said Brooks Keeshin, MD. Dr. Keeshin, a child abuse pediatrician and child psychiatrist at the University of Utah, co-developed the new REACH Institute course Addressing Trauma in Pediatric Primary Care.

‘We Can’t Thrive if Others Aren’t.’ A Conversation With Dr. David Osher
The latest Insights from the Field podcast for the Foresight Initiative features a conversation between Melanie Goodman, Executive Director of Youth Catalytics, and Dr. David Osher, Vice President and Institute Fellow at the American Institutes for Research. 

CDC’s Milestone Tracker App
Milestones matter! From birth to age 5, your child should reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. Photos and videos in this app illustrate each milestone and make tracking them for your child easy and fun! Track your child’s milestones from 2 months to 5 years with CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists; get tips from CDC for encouraging your child’s development; and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.

Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It
When the stress in your life just doesn’t let up, and it feels like you have no support to get through the day—let alone do everything you need to do to be the best parent you can be—it can seem like there’s nothing that can make it better. But some resources can help, and this kind of stress—known as “toxic stress”—doesn’t have to define your life. Because even when toxic stress is caused by things you can’t control, like poverty, abuse, or racism, there are still ways, both big and small, to help you cope. In this video, learn more about what toxic stress is, how it can affect you, and what you can do—both by yourself and in connection with your community—to deal with what you’re experiencing.