Three Webinars discussing today’s crucial behavioral issues for families and their children

Webinar #3: March 31, 2010 from 3:00–4:30 p.m. E.T.

Innovations for Children’s Behavioral Health through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and SAMHSA Grantee Partnerships

Presenters:

Lisa A. Lauxman, Ph.D., Youth Development Director and National Children, Youth and Families at Risk Coordinator,  4-H National Headquarters, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Cathy L. Martinez, Ph.D., Family, Consumer, & Health Sciences Agent, University of Arizona, Pinal County Cooperative Extension
Darcy Dixon, M.S., County Director, University of Arizona, Santa Cruz Cooperative Extension

Dianne Swanson, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension

The presenters for this Webinar will discuss the innovative  partnerships that exist between local USDA agencies and children’s behavioral health agencies.  The discussion will focus on the outcomes achieved through the promotion of healthy children and families in rural and frontier communities. The presenters will provide information about the opportunities for partnerships between USDA local agencies and children and youth agencies. 

Webinar #2: March 18, 2010, 1:00 - 2:30pm E.D.T.
Healthy Children and Families: Reducing Behavioral Health Disparities in Rural and Frontier Areas

Presenters:

David Lambert, Ph.D., Maine Rural Health Research Center
University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME

Joyce Gonzales, Connecting Circles of Care
Feather River Tribal Health, Oroville, CA

Rural and small town communities are home to over 60 million Americans. Persistent poverty, geographic isolation, socio-economic status, educational status, health risk behaviors, and limited job opportunities contribute to health disparities in rural communities and impact the behavioral health outcomes of children and their families.

It is likely that long-standing barriers to mental health services contribute to disparities, these include stigma, cultural differences, and insufficient mental health infrastructure. Many in states and communities are working to diminish these disparities and keep rural America's rural children healthy and strong. This call will focus on strategies in States to improve conditions that lead to enhanced quality of, and access to behavioral/mental healthcare services and supports for children and families in rural and frontier America.

See Left Sidebar For Materials and Recording

Webinar #1: January 27, 2010, 3:00–4:30 pm EST

Tribal Communities: Creating the Foundations for Healthy Communities, Hopeful Children, and Better Tomorrows

Presenters: Dr. Rose L. Weahkee, Indian Health Service Headquarters, Allison Barlow, Center for American Indian Health, and Amy Cozad, Suicide Prevention Task Force for the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma

Participants learn about the realities of American Indian and Alaska Native communities, which have the highest rates of suicide among youth ages 15–24 of any US population, twice as high as the national average for that age group. Presentations focused on how culturally driven tribal initiatives are helping create healthy communities, hopeful children, and a better tomorrow. The presenters discussed strategies for promoting behavioral and overall health for children, youth, families, and communities that integrate American Indian and Alaska Native traditions and cultures with mainstream interventions. These strategies are showing positive outcomes in tribal and community settings – reducing and preventing youth suicides and creating positive and healthy visions for children, families, and tribal communities.

See Left Sidebar For Materials and Recording