State Sen. John Velis (center right) poses with representatives from MiraVista and the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts after awarding them a citation for their summer mental health campaign for adolescents.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
HOLYOKE — State Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) took a visit to MiraVista Behavioral Health Center on Aug. 27 to celebrate and recognize the efforts of the organization and the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts following their summer outreach efforts that targeted youth mental health.
The multi-month summer campaign titled, “Adolescent Mental Health Doesn’t Take A Vacation” launched in June and focused on brining attention to teenage mental health concerns during the summer months. Through print and various social media platforms, the outreach aimed to better inform both students and parents about the importance of mental health care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 5 teens in the U.S. have experienced a mental health disorder.
“I am grateful for the work of the Public Health Institute and MiraVista to inform families on the resources available to teens during the summer when they may not have traditional access to behavioral health support services offered by their school,” said Velis.
Velis recognized the campaign and efforts from both organizations with a citation from the state house. He spoke about his experience as senate chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.
“One of the things that I’ve come to learn and appreciate since I’ve been the chair of this committee is that the data is very, very clear. Like 90% of kids in Massachusetts are in public schools. So, when it comes to allocation of resources and what would be a force multiplier, where we can have the most impact would be schools because that’s where we have, in essence, a captive audience. What happens when school ends? That’s a very legit thing,” Velis said.
Add the way mental health was and has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, Velis said he tries to always strike up conversation with various students he meets throughout his position. He credited today’s students for having the willingness to be more open and honest about when they are having mental health struggles compared to his generation.
MiraVista Chief of Creative Strategy and Development Kimberly Lee spoke about the importance of the summer campaign and making those efforts to extend outreach to the youth.
“School break over summer is welcomed by many students, but separation from school supports and friends can be isolating for some teens, including those with existing mental health diagnoses,” said Lee. “I extend a profound thank you to you, Sen. Velis, and your team, for this honor and for your continued support in fostering environments where our youth can thrive mentally and emotionally. Together we continue to make significant strides towards a healthier, more resilient future for our young people.”
Lee said the citation underscores the collaborative endeavors in emphasizing the crucial importance of adolescent mental health during the often overlooked summer months.
“While the temperatures and the calendar may tell us that it’s still summer, yellow school buses and back to school commercials signal the start of school. Another significant time in the lives of our youth, and one which requires equal intention on how our teens are feeling mentally,” Lee said.
Executive Director of the Springfield-based Public Health Institute of Western Mass. Jessica Collins said she hopes the campaign has been able to inform families and the community about ways of promoting good mental health, as well as the resources out there for young people. She credited Lee for her “clever idea” to extend this support to young people during summer months.
“We at the Public Health Institute of Western Mass. appreciate the prevention angle because so much emphasis and so much funding goes towards treatment, which is absolutely critical, but why not marry that with prevention messaging and education and information,” said Collins.
Following the awarding of the citation, both organizations were happy to announce a back-to-school campaign titled, “Ready, Set, Thrive: A Mentally Healthy Return to School” that will continue the work done during the summer into the new school year.
“Kids are buying their backpacks and they’re getting ready to transition and just as the transition out of school can be difficult for some young people, the transition into school can be an equal challenge,” Lee said.
