Kentucky begins mental health and wellness courses at Anthem Medicaid schools – The 74

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This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

LOUISVILLE — Anthem Medicaid announced Wednesday it has launched a free digital mental wellness course available to 1,512 students at 17 Kentucky schools.

The announcement comes during Mental Health Awareness Month and comes as more adolescents, especially girls, are reporting symptoms of depression.

The interactive program, called “Understanding Mental Wellness,” is aimed at students in grades 8-10. According to his EVERFI from Blackbaud, who designed this course, this program includes 6 lessons, each lesson being 15 minutes long.

According to Anthem, the course “exposes students to the experiences of others to develop awareness and empathy, reduce stigma, and provide facts about the prevalence and symptoms of mental health conditions.” It is an object.

Students will then “examine their own mental health, identify challenges they may face, and develop specific strategies for dealing with those challenges, while increasing their awareness of resources and You’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and language you need to identify and support your peers who are at risk. ”

The online preview of the course takes you on a mental health tour through the program. It starts with a lesson on what mental health is and ends with an opportunity to create a personal health plan.

Mental health has deteriorated since the outbreak of COVID-19. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that feelings of sadness and hopelessness, especially among teenage girls, increased from pre-pandemic levels. In 2017, 41% of high school girls and 21% of high school boys felt sad or hopeless. By 2021, these statistics were 57% and 29%, respectively.

“Young people need resources and education from trusted sources to protect their mental health,” Leon Lamoreaux, market president of Anthem Medicaid, said in a statement.

The Mental Wellness Understanding Program “will help us reach students across the commonwealth and equip them with the tools and strategies to make positive changes in their lives for years to come,” Lamoreaux said. .

Tom Davidson, CEO of EVERFI, said the program was created to “help people affected by mental health issues, those who want to build and maintain positive mental health; “It is about benefiting people who have the opportunity to have a positive impact on their mental health.” The mental health of friends and colleagues. ”