Greetings, Network faithful. Thanks to Network faithful “A.I. Meta” for suggesting that we feature the great Bonnie Raitt singing Right Down the Line. Feel the love, get your groove on, and then get to readin’ Friday Update, cuz we got work to do!

Most Important Reads of the Week

Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity Releases 988 Brief
This July, the United States will launch the first-ever national emergency line devoted to psychiatric response and preparedness: 988. A historic time in healthcare, it is an opportunity for local and federal leaders to employ necessary tools that ensure previous experiences and failures are rectified, and its implementation is equitable.

Nurtured by Nature
Looking for a reason to get outside today? Research shows that a walk in nature, even in urban nature, has a host of benefits for both our physical and psychological well-being.

Do Kids Outgrow ADHD?
No, but that doesn’t mean the symptoms stay the same. And parents can help kids learn skills that will enable them manage symptoms effectively as they get older. Accommodations at school and support at home can help kids learn to manage their ADHD. Parents can help by keeping a clear, consistent routine at home and helping kids work on important executive functioning skills like managing their time, completing tasks, thinking things through before they act, and using strategies to stay organized.

iSPARC LGBTQ+ Members Share Their Experience on Mental Health and Employment
Five LGBTQ+ staff members at iSPARC volunteered to answer a set of questions about their experiences with mental health and employment as LGBTQ+ individuals. These folks represent different ages, genders, sexual identities, races, and lived experiences. The blog is composed of key quotes pulled from staff responses. Common themes were fear, stigma, hope, authenticity, community, acceptance, progress, and a recognition of the work that still needs to be done in our workplaces and world.

Seeking Wraparound Success Stories for the NWI Spotlight!
Do you know a youth or family with a Wraparound success story? Or a family or youth peer support provider or care coordinator that has made the difference for a Wraparound team? The NWI spotlight recognizes people who have contributed to positive outcomes from Wraparound. If you know of someone whose Wraparound story or journey merits recognition, we encourage you to nominate them. If selected for the Spotlight, NWI staff will interview them, and their story will be featured on the NWI website.

How Do We Promote Mental Health for All Children? In Schools
With the increased need for children’s mental health services, it is more important than ever to consider ways to promote positive mental health in children. Many families may be surprised to learn that universal strategies that support children’s mental health can take place at school.

Climate Change and Health Equity: Key Questions and Answers
This new resource examines who is at increased risk of negative health impacts from climate change, why a focus on the intersection of climate and health is of growing importance, current federal efforts to address climate change and health equity, and how climate and climate change impact health.

Integrated Care Strategies to Address the Unique Needs of LGBTQ+ Populations
LGBTQ+ youth are especially vulnerable to experiencing negative health outcomes, including suicidal ideation and substance use challenges. Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual adolescents are more than twice as likely to report experiences of persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness than their heterosexual counterparts. Read more on LGBTQ+ statistics to uncover the grueling mental health and substance use challenge inequities this population continues to face. Check out these resources to learn more about how integrated care can be a key strategy in supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and improving health outcomes.

Racism, Violence, COVID-19, and Public Health: NIH Funds Research on Converging Health Threats in Black Communities
When COVID-19 began to spread across the United States in the spring of 2020, some populations and communities were hit harder than others. Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaska Native people were more likely to be hospitalized and die from the virus than White people were. Many of the communities hardest hit by COVID-19 were already facing other public health challenges — including high levels of stress and trauma, inability to access or pay for health care, and unemployment. Learn about The National Institutes of Health supported research uncovering important links between COVID-19 and other health challenges disproportionately affecting Black communities.

HHS Announces Its First-Ever Behavioral Health Recovery Innovation Challenge
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing its first-ever behavioral health Recovery Innovation Challenge. This challenge aims to identify innovations developed by peer-run or community-based organizations and entities that may partner with them—such as local or state governments, health systems, hospitals, or health plans—that advance recovery.

Schools and Black Students’ Mental Health: The Kids Aren’t Alright
It’s no surprise that we’re living through difficult times. After two years, we’re still in a global pandemic, which has predominantly impacted people of color. In addition, book bans, attacks on critical race theory, and partisan political fights target everything from Black youths’ sexuality, to history, to health. For school-aged people, most of their time is spent in a school building — about eight hours per day, ten months out of the year. To help address mental health during academic hours, schools are trying to focus on social-emotional learning: self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills. This includes teaching kids how to be in touch with their emotions and protect against adverse mental health outcomes.

Families Can’t Wait: Providing Essential Support for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Wellbeing
The National Federation of Families is hosting its annual conference  – “Families Can’t Wait: Providing Essential Support for Today’s Challenges and Tomorrow’s Wellbeing” – in Oklahoma City, OK, on November 3rd – 5th, 2022. Learn more here.

How Do Lockdown Drills Affect Kids?
Talking with kids about the fear of gun violence isn’t easy, but it’s too important to ignore. Parents can start an age-appropriate conversation by simply asking children what they already know and how it makes them feel, says Dr. Robin Gurwitch.

Science Shows How to Protect Kids’ Mental Health, but It’s Being Ignored
Now is the time for schools and communities to act on established findings from psychological science to help address America’s escalating youth mental health crisis, writes APA Chief Science Officer, Dr. Mitch Prinstein.

Screening for Trauma in Pediatric Primary Care
Asked the top three things a pediatric primary care provider (PCP) needs to know about child trauma, Brooks Keeshin, MD, said, “Trauma happens. That’s numbers 1, 2, and 3.” Up to 80% of children experience trauma by age 18. A large body of evidence indicates that childhood trauma affects physical and mental health, both short-term and long-term. Dr. Keeshin, a child abuse pediatrician and child psychiatrist, is developing a new REACH Institute course to teach PCPs to assess and treat child trauma.

Recovery Coaching Interventions for Families Involved with the Child Welfare System: Moving Toward Evidence-Based Practices
This report — part of the first phase of the Expanding Evidence on Replicable Recovery and Reunification Interventions for Families (R3) project — describes features of select interventions that use recovery coaches in the child welfare system, characterizes their current stage of readiness for replication, and further evaluation, and informs a long-term effort by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to build high-quality evidence on recovery coaching interventions for families involved with the child welfare system.

Loneliness Is a Public Health Emergency. Here’s What Helps, According to Experts
When the pandemic began, many experts feared that even people who managed to avoid the virus would suffer from unprecedented levels of loneliness. What would happen when millions of people were told to stay at home and distance themselves from friends and loved ones?

Gun Safety Campaign Toolkit
As a public health epidemic, gun violence is preventable using clinical and public health approaches. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a Gun Safety and Injury Prevention page with professional tools, resources, and information for families and communities.