Every child deserves a positive start in life, and a team at (COPH), along with graduates from the school, want to point young people in right direction.
To help them early on, USF has teamed up with the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County, the and the Adolescent Health Advisory Board to better address mental health challenges facing adolescents and young adults. Since 2023, this effort has helped to connect teens and young adults to personalized navigation services and resources.
Key to the program鈥檚 success are 鈥�,鈥欌�� people who embed themselves in the community and address issues one person at a time.
鈥淔or many at-risk youth, accessing mental health and social services can be overwhelming,鈥欌�� said Dr. Zachary Pruitt, COPH associate professor who specializes in health services research. 鈥淧eer navigators serve as a critical bridge to community services, connecting at-risk youth to the mental health and social services they need. By meeting adolescents where they are, they remove barriers prevalent in our health system."
Putting boots on the ground for personalized counseling can make a difference in a child鈥檚 future, especially given the complicated, often frustrating structure of the health care system, Pruitt said.
鈥淧eer navigators simplify this process, offering guidance, support and direct connections to essential resources that can change the trajectory of a young person鈥檚 life,鈥欌�� he said.
In 1991, the 91社区 Legislature created 32 state-wide Healthy Start Coalitions to improve the lives of pregnant women and their babies. Operating at the local level, each coalition provides community oversight and planning to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Services include:
- Home visiting programs to help mothers and their baby adjust to their new environment
- Health and nutrition information to support women before and after pregnancy
- Newborn care and instruction to keep babies healthy and safe
- Stress management and counseling services
- Breastfeeding education and support
- Programs to improve health and decrease harmful practices, such as smoking or substance misuse
- Helping find affordable insurance
- Parenting resources to track a child鈥檚 development and set them up for early learning success
Many at-risk young people face social, economic and health-related challenges. They have limited access to health care and health-related education, increasing their vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, anxiety, depression, trauma and even suicide.
Sophia DeGroat (left) and Tanner Cobb (Photo courtesy of Dr. Zac Pruitt)
At the Ybor Youth Clinic just east of downtown Tampa, peer navigators such as Sophia DeGroat meet with at-risk people between the ages of 13 and 24, making sure they don鈥檛 fall through the cracks.
鈥淭his project makes an immense impact on youth with mental health challenges because it helps them take that first step towards getting help, especially if there are financial barriers present,鈥欌�� said DeGroat, a BSPHstudent at the COPH. 鈥淲e have great community partners that offer mental health counseling at low to no cost and take most insurances, which removes the financial barrier for many youth and allows them to move forward with receiving the help they need.鈥欌��
Lifting a burden for these young people is immensely satisfying, said Tanner Cobb, another peer navigator.
鈥淭he most rewarding part of this job is hearing when a patient successfully connects with the services we link them to,鈥欌�� Cobb said. 鈥淥ur job is to improve the overall well-being of adolescents and young adults, and when they use the services we provide, we can feel confident knowing that we left a positive impact on them.鈥欌��
Such was the case with a 22-year old Tampa resident named Nicolas, who couldn鈥檛 afford the medical insurance required for specialized therapy. That quickly changed.
鈥淭anner was instrumental in helping me find a therapist when I was in need of mental health support,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 approached him without insurance, and he provided several options that could fit my budget. But when those options didn't align with my financial situation, Tanner went the extra mile to find an alternative solution. I've been attending therapy for several months now, which has significantly improved my mental clarity and well-being.鈥欌��
Improving the lives of young people in Hillsborough County alone is an ongoing challenge, according to a 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey among Hillsborough County high school students. It indicates a rise in mental health problems:
Nearly half (49%) of students have felt sad or hopeless for two weeks in a row or
more, up from 37% in 2019.
Nearly 25% of students have seriously considered suicide, higher than the 2021 state
average of nearly 18%.
In the past year, more than 20% made a plan about how they would attempt suicide,
higher than the 2021 state average of nearly 14%.
The coalition has benefited from a five-year Youth Mental Health grant through the CVS Health Foundation that contracts with the COPH for evaluation. The intention is to turn such troubling statistics around, according to Danielle Lewald, adolescent health program manager at Healthy Start and a 2019 MPH graduate of the COPH.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been an internship site for undergraduate and graduate-level public health students that have supported our work,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淭heir passion and expertise have greatly contributed to our ability to reach more young people with tailored resources and education and evaluate the impact of our work.鈥欌��
In March, DeGroat, Cobb and Lewald summarized their efforts at the National Academies of Practice annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Their presentation stressed the power of personalized, community-based interventions and the importance of timely care for young people in need. Their accomplishments may be local, Pruitt said, but the impact is national.
"It gave other health care professionals ways to help adolescents navigate to social care and mental health services,鈥欌�� he said of the team鈥檚 achievements in the community. 鈥淭heir work is making a real difference."