StrongMinds Combats Youth Mental Health Crisis Via Horizon Assistance

On Aug 12, 2024

StrongMinds America (SMA) has presented mental health education workshops and screenings for depression and anxiety to more than 500 young people in under-resourced communities in northern New Jersey in 2024. Thanks to support provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon) through its philanthropic arm, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, students attended presentations that centered on addressing the stigma surrounding mental health and learned to identify signs and symptoms of common mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety. Additionally, students were given assistance on how to find and access resources for care within their own communities.

The need for new and innovative approaches to community mental health has never been greater, and SMA is at the forefront of innovations that remove barriers to care in under-resourced communities. Accessing services can prove difficult as 61% of New Jerseyans age 12–17 who had depression did not receive any care in 2022. Black and Latino youth fared even worse, as noted in a 2022 study by New Jersey Policy Perspective, that between 2008-2020 “access to mental health staff increased for New Jersey’s white and Asian students, access for Black and Latinx students decreased.” In addition to access, youth of color face other determinates of mental health including poverty, lack of insurance coverage, stigma, and a dearth of culturally competent providers.

“This grant from Horizon had enabled StrongMinds America to challenge stigma and misconceptions about mental health that keep people from reengaging with services they need. Our goal has always been to remove barriers to care in communities we serve, and this funding is crucial in achieving this goal.” said Sean Mayberry, CEO of StrongMinds, the parent organization of the SMA program.

The SMA program works through community-based partners—allied nonprofits, high schools, colleges, and universities—to build a culture of awareness and understanding of the importance of mental health and wellbeing. SMA accomplishes this through a no-cost continuum of care which includes: 1) education, 2) group counseling, 3) clinical trainings for community service workers and volunteers, 4) screenings & assessment and 5) single session interventions.

“Horizon is pleased to support the important work being done by StrongMinds America to support mental health education and outreach to youth in under-resourced communities,” said Jonathan R. Pearson, executive director, corporate social responsibility, Horizon. “We are proud to join with grantees such as StrongMinds America who share our commitment to improving the health and communities we serve.”

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