Webinar: The Convergence of Healthcare and Education
In this webinar, hosted by Digital Health Canada, learn about how youth mental health, and how healthcare and education can come together to address the foundational needs of our children and youth. The pandemic has had a ripple effect resulting in school closures, less access to sports and recreational programs, and social isolation which results in children being at even greater risk of mental and behavioural health issues, as well as social determinant challenges. Accurate identification and support for kids who are at risk has long term benefits for the kids, their families, their communities, and ultimately, the economy. If we don’t address the basic needs of youth, whether they are seen as patients or students, the will struggle to thrive physically, emotionally, and academically. Identifying kids at risk requires having high quality data and actionable insights into heir thoughts, emotions, and behaviours to provide effective support and evaluate outcomes. Common interviewing techniques, unfortunately, are very time consuming, and generic survey forms have a tendency to fail to capture enough high-fidelity data – especially from youth.
Youth and children spend nearly 25% of their time interacting with the education sector; while mental and behavioural health may traditionally be considered a health issue, schools may be the best starting point for identifying youth at risk. The tremendous shift to leverage technology both in healthcare and schools provides the opportunity for a more integrated approach.
On the plus side, there are advances on the horizon with new national, provincial, and state initiatives bringing awareness to these problems and implementing solutions. For example, The Canadian Government recently launched Code Pink, urging Canada’s First Ministers to take immediate action to address the mental health crisis facing 8 million kids across the country. In Atlantic Canada, Bridge the gapp helps youth to connect with guidance and support for mental health and addictions and offers self-help resources, links to local services, and allows the user to share their own personal stories. In the United States, schools and healthcare organizations such as School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) are collaborating using evidence-based screening tools, which enable the collection of sensitive data to identify the greatest risks impacting youth health, wellness, and academic success, and provide streamlined support in the right system.
This webinar is presented by Dr. Jennifer Salerno, Founder, Possibilities for Change; Niki Legge, Provincial Director, Mental Health and Addiction, Department of Health and Community Services, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; Cindy Clarke, Director of eHealth Programs, Community & Virtual Care, Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information; and Dr. Sandy Whitehouse, CMO and CEO, Tickit Health.
To read more on the Convergence of Healthcare and Education, Check out another blog “Your Patient is someone’s student.” You can also browse through some of Tickit Health’s Youth Health screeners built on the principles of Digital Empathy which are currently being used in schools in King County to screen for risk behaviors and connect youth with targeted support services.