Oliver Coleman (far left)
• Family Support Supervisor, Allegheny Family
Network
• Allegheny County, PA
• First Awareness Day participation: 2015
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Aneja Raiteri (second from left)
• Former Youth Support Specialist, K-Town Youth
Empowerment Network
• Dayton, TN
• First Awareness Day participation: 2012
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“It just makes complete sense to integrate behavioral health in
those places where families go for care and treatment for their
children.”
— Marylou Sudders
Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Video: MYCHILD, Boston, MA
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INTEGRATING
—Jaquelin Rodriguez, Abraham Lincoln High School
Video: Denver Health Center, Denver, CO
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FAMILIES
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AND YOUNG ADULTS
“There is nothing more rewarding than being a parent. And
sometimes, there is nothing more painful.” Those words from
Oliver Coleman, a family advocate who has two sons with mental
health needs, speak volumes about the family experience when
care is fragmented and siloed.
Video profiles (clickable video stills at right) illustrated effective
practices for integrating behavioral health care for children and
youth across settings including primary care, child welfare, and
education.
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NATIONAL CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY
“Children are healed. Families get better. And children stay in
care shorter. Those are the biggest rewards that we have found
by the child welfare system and the Department of Behavioral
Health working together in partnership.”
— Marie Morilus-Black, Child and Family Services Agency
Video: Child and Family Services Agency, Washington, DC
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Once he began accessing services through SAMHSA’s system
of care in Allegheny County, PA, Oliver and his family had a
whole team that was dedicated to supporting their needs.
In addition to offering a family perspective, Awareness Day
2015 incorporated the powerful voices of young adults. The
agency invited three young adults who had been involved
with a system of care—all of whom have appeared as part of
a previous Awareness Day national event—to share stories of
integrated behavioral health service efforts from across the
country.
“I don’t have to travel, I don’t have to miss school. It’s all here for
me, and it’s easy to access.”
“We can help teachers, and bus drivers, and kitchen staff
understand how trauma affects early childhood brain growth
and development, and then give them the skills to intervene.
Then we have whole communities that are focused on building
resilience for the children and families they serve, and for
themselves.”
— Avis Smith, Trauma Smart
Video: Trauma Smart, Crittenton Children’s Center, Kansas City, MO
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“I can thank my counselor, because she’s the one who’s pushed
me this far and she’s the one I’ve seen every single week. She’s
been one of my biggest supporters.”
—Justice Ortiz, McCaskey East High School
Video: SAMHSA’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students program, Lancaster, PA
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Photo above left:
Lorrin Gehring (second