$1 Million Grant To Go Toward Boosting Mental Health Services For Native American Youth
“It’s so normal that all the kids have the same problem,” said Shannon Albers, a member of the Yurok Tribe. “People talk to their friends at school like, ‘I’ve got a feeling like I don’t really want to be on this earth.’ ‘You do? You think that way too, because there are about 10 other kids who just told me the same thing.’ It’s not even considered mental health here because it’s just the norm.”
The California Health Report:
California Allocates $1 Million To Improve Mental Health Of Native American Youth
While mental health resources for Native American youth are sparse throughout California, the state has taken a modest step to support Albers and his peers by earmarking more than $1 million for Native American youth as part of the first-ever statewide Youth Reinvestment Fund. The fund, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into the 2018-19 budget, aims to keep vulnerable youth populations out of the criminal justice system by instead supporting more community and health interventions. ... According to the American Psychiatric Association, Native Americans across the country experience serious psychological distress 1.5 times more often than the general population, and post-traumatic stress disorder more than twice as often. Native American youth also use drugs and alcohol at younger ages and higher rates than other groups. (Kandil, 8/13)
In other mental health news —
The Associated Press:
California May Redo Law To Treat, Free Suspects
California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to tighten a law he signed weeks ago that critics say could have freed rapists and murderers who completed two years of mental health treatment. The proposal obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday specifically bans those charged with murder, rape and other sex crimes from participating and allows judges to bar a much broader range of dangerous suspects. (Thompson, 8/14)