C1: Advocating for Mental Health and Social Determinants of Health

4 (2 votes)

Only available as part of a package

1.0 Advanced

This session will present how data can be used to assess health issues, drive decision making, and demonstrate the impact of advocacy approaches in communities.

Learning objective(s):

•Analyze at least two barriers to utilizing mental health services in a rural county.
•Describe at least three specific strategies and partnerships to improve BIPOC and LGBTQ+ student mental health in their academic environment.
•Analyze at least two factors that impact youth access in healthcare.

Moderator: Linda R Barley

Featured presentations:

•Assessing Underutilization of Mental Health Services in Rural Virginia - Jeffery Dallas and Jeannie Everhart, PhD, MPH, MS, CHES®
•Your Voice is Your Power: Supporting BIPOC & LGBTQ+ Mental Health - Lauren Cikara and Amy Gatto, MPH
•The Complexities of Youth Access to Healthcare in Mississippi - Kobi V. Ajayi, MPH, MBA

Jeffery B. Dallas, Jr., DHSc, MBA

Valley Health System

Jeffery is an Epic Certified Applications Analyst for Valley Health System in Winchester, Virginia. He is also an adjunct faculty member at ECPI University. He earned his Doctor of Health Sciences degree from Radford University and his MBA with a concentration in Health Services Administration from Eastern Mennonite University. He also has a BS in Biology and Business Administration from Bridgewater College. Jeffery is Epic certified in Prelude, Grand Central, Cadence, and Welcome.

F. Jeannine Everhart, PhD, MPH, MBA

Radford University Carilion

Dr. Everhart is an Assistant Professor and Director of both the Doctor and Masters of Health Sciences programs at Radford University Carilion in Roanoke, VA. She has extensive work experience in the fields of health education/promotion, business administration and management, and technology. She has published in peer reviewed journals that concentrated on health sciences, as well as journals dedicated to applied computing technology. Research and teaching interests include rural health, mental health, cancer survivorship, and telemedicine.

Lauren Cikara

Active Minds

Lauren Cikara, MSEd: Lauren Cikara (she/her) is the Senior Manager of K-12 Initiatives at Active Minds. In this role she works to provide opportunities for youth, primarily LGBTQ+ and BIPOC youth, to advocate for school policies and programming that support opening up the conversation about mental health. Formerly, Lauren worked for the Colorado School of Public Health, supporting the administration of the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) and Smart Source. She supported districts and schools navigate data informed decision making to support school health and wellness efforts. Lauren’s background is in student leadership, health education, policy and advocacy, and equity and inclusion, thus spending her entire career advocating for youth and youth programming.

Amy Gatto

University of South Florida

Amy Gatto, MPH: Amy Gatto (she/her) is interested in the relationship between health and education. Blending together her experiences as a former high school teacher, higher education health educator, and young adult health researcher, she has found a niche in working to improve adolescent and young adult mental health. Amy is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida in the College of Public Health, holds a Master in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Elon University. To find balance, Amy seeks out new adventures, teaches and practices yoga, and is usually working through a new DIY home project.

Kobi V. Ajayi, MPH, MBA

Texas A&M University

Kobi is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Her research focuses on the behavioral and sociocultural factors that influence the health outcome of women, children, and families.