A different kind of boot camp underway

Have you seen one of these cubes in town?

VALLEY — Since early May of 2017, an unlikely group has been participating in a boot camp.

Not to exercise, but to talk about children. Specifically, mental, emotional and behavioral problems (MEBs) in children and how to prevent them. The group consists of high school and college students, San Luis Valley business owners, moms and dads, researchers and medical professionals. 

Through a partnership with the University of Colorado’s Department of Family Medicine and the Eugene S. Farley Jr. Health Policy Center, professionals from SLV AHEC have spearheaded this project to help the children of Colorado arrive at adulthood with the skills, interests and health habits needed to live healthy, happy and productive lives in caring relationships with others. The Boot Camp piece (formally referred to as Boot Camp Translation or BCT) comes by way of an intense examination of scientific, evidence-based guidelines and experiential recommendations into thoughts and language accessible to every-day people. By inviting different community partners to the table, the hope is to build a community of solution.

The group listed a broad range of problems and then began to identify the underlying causes by looking at data which included age groups who committed suicide, drug and alcohol addiction in kids as well as parents, abuse, ethnicity, geographic density, and several other factors.  Addressing mental, emotional and behavioral problems has been identified consistently as a top priority for Colorado communities, often their greatest health concern.  Gaps between what is known and what can be done to prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral problems can be closed now by collaborative community action. 

What came out of the SLV AHEC-facilitated 12-month process of conference calls, in-person meetings and flurries of emails was a six-sided box – a table topper -- that is meant to educate, begin conversations and encourage discussion around difficult topics by sharing statistics and asking “safe” questions. Three different kinds of table toppers written in two languages were developed. They were unveiled at two events – in a presentation to approximately 70 people at the Colorado Health Foundation offices in May of this year and at a presentation at The Colorado Health Foundation’s Health Symposium in August. 

The boxes have been dotting tables at Alamosa schools, restaurants, churches and offices.  Included in the distribution of table toppers were surveys to collect data on the effectiveness of this first step in initiating a program to prevent MEBs. Data collected so far has been overwhelmingly positive with 90 percent of respondents liking the cube, and 93 percent of those respondents engaging in discussion. Of the respondents, 51.6 percent were female, 41.9 percent male (in some surveys, this section was left blank so these numbers do not add up to 100 percent.) The broadest age range of respondents was from 26-45 years old, although there was impressive representation from all ages.

Continuing the distribution of table toppers and gathering of evaluation data to see what the community thinks about them will further propel this effort to keep conversations going around MEBs as well as entice other community entities to join in on the conversation.

Since the groups’ one-year anniversary in May of this year, they have continued to meet and sharpen their focus by developing a mission statement: “To promote mental, emotional, and behavioral health in middle school youth by establishing a community program that cultivates young leaders and strengthens family and community relationships in the San Luis Valley.”

The group has also identified components of the program which include: Community mentoring, civic engagement and education opportunities for parents, grandparents and other adults caring for middle school-aged youth. These components, as well as focusing on three areas key to MEBs: social connectedness, a close relationship between parents and children, and emotional regulation, have spurred the group to put its vision into action. It is hoped that mentoring relationships will be naturally born out of activities linking together existing community programs as well as community activities where no particular agenda is set, but closeness and unity of one goal will go a long way in building positive experiences and connection.

The group would like to share information on the following community-based events:

*Friday, October 26 — Fall festival at Sacred Heart Church

*Saturday, October 27, 6 p.m. — Masquerade Ball benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of the San Luis Valley at the Rodeway Inn

*Tuesday, November 6, 6:30 p.m. — youth-led forum on depression and anxiety in young people at Ortega Middle School Auditorium

*Friday, December 7, 5-8 p.m. — Family Fun night at Alamosa Family Rec Center

*St. Nick at the bricks (AHS brick patio in memory of Jerry Reed) –stay tuned for the date and time by following the Alamosa Alumni Association Facebook page!

The San Luis Valley was one of three pioneering communities targeted to study and implement methods for addressing MEBs. The other two communities were:  2040 Partners for Health -- a non-profit organization focused on community engagement and made up of people and communities that border the Anschutz Medical Campus, and High Plains Research Network (HPRN) -- a nationally recognized practice- and community-based research network that spans the 16 counties of rural eastern Colorado. Farley Policy Center staff, based in the CU Family Medicine Department, engages practices and community members to identify and conduct research and programs relevant to eastern Colorado with topics covering a wide range of health condition and practice systems change.

The SLV group is seeking funding in order to continue this important work. Want to get involved? Want a table topper? Contact Charlotte Ledonne at [email protected] or call the AHEC office:  719/589-4977 extension 21. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @SLV_Upstream.  To find out more about the process check out:  http://farleyhealthpolicycenter.org/initiatives/upstream-together/