Gov. Parnell Vetoes Increasing Denali Kid Care Coverage
Gov. Parnell last week vetoed nearly $3 million to expand Denali KidCare, which covers health care costs for low income children and pregnant women. It would have brought an estimated 1,300 more children and 218 more pregnant women into the program, according to the state. The Denali KidCare veto was the only significant cut Parnell made to the $8 billion budget that funds state agencies and services. The Legislature approved the budgets before adjourning for the year in April.
New Report Provides Startling Look at Substance Abuse on an Average Day in the Life of American Youth
On an average day, 508,000 adolescents aged 12-17 in the United States drink alcohol; 641,000 use illicit drugs; and more than 1 million smoke cigarettes, according to a national survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report, which highlights the substance abuse behavior and addiction treatment activities that occur among adolescents on an average day, draws on national surveys conducted and analyzed by SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies.
The study, A Day in the Life of American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts Update, presents a stark picture of the daily toll substance abuse takes on America's youth and is part of SAMHSA’s Data, Outcomes, and Quality Strategic Initiative, designed to create an integrated data strategy that provides key public health information on a wide range of behavioral health issues. Among the report's major findings is that on any given day during 2008, 563,000 adolescents used marijuana, nearly 37,000 used inhalants, 24,000 used hallucinogens, 16,000 used cocaine and 2,800 used heroin.
The report also sheds light on how many adolescents used illegal substances for the first time. On an average day in 2008:
- Approximately 7,500 adolescents drank alcohol for the first time;
- Approximately 4,360 adolescents used an illicit drug for the first time;
- Around 3,900 adolescents smoked cigarettes for the first time;
- Nearly 3,700 adolescents used marijuana for the first time; and
- Approximately 2,500 adolescents abused pain relievers for the first time.
In addition, the report also highlights how many people under age 18 were receiving treatment for a substance abuse problem during an average day in 2008. These numbers included:
- Over 76,000 in outpatient treatment;
- More than 9,000 in non-hospital residential treatment; and
- Over 700 in hospital inpatient treatment.
The study showed that in 2008, there were about a quarter of a million drug-related emergency hospital visits among adolescents of which 170,000 visits involved the use of illicit drugs, alcohol or intentional misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals. On an average day in 2008:
· 151 visits involved alcohol;
· 129 involved marijuana; and
· 86 involved prescription or nonprescription pain relievers.
This report was drawn from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Treatment Episode Data Set and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, and the Drug Abuse Warning Network, and contains many other important facts about adolescent substance abuse, treatment and treatment admissions patterns.
The full report is available at: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k10/185/185TypicalDay.htm. Copies may be obtained free of charge by calling SAMHSA's Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). For related publications and information, visit http://www.samhsa.gov
Homeless Teens: In Their Own Words
Family shelters are difficult places to live no matter your age, but present particular challenges for teenagers. Teens in shelters are often coping with a lack of privacy, social stigma, and feelings of shame. Shelter life puts limitations on simple activities, like inviting a friend over after school. The Massachusetts Homeless Resource Center recently sat down with three teens to learn more about their lives. Sandra* is a 14-year old female, Robert* is a 16-year old male, and Nadia* is a 15-year old female. All three live with their mothers in family shelters.
Q: What is it like for you to live in a shelter?
Sandra: I have been very stressed out. I cannot have friends over to visit due to shelter rules.
Robert: It’s hard because I have to live in a house with seven different families with young children. Also, I had to move to another state and go to another school. It is very stressful to live in a community setting.
Nadia: It has not been easy. I could not go out with my friend because of the shelter’s curfew and other rules.
Q: How long have you been living in a shelter?
Sandra: For over two years now! I am tired of it. I need a place to call home. I need my own room. I am tired of sharing room with my mom.
Robert: I have been living at the shelter for 10 months. It has been a long journey far away from my permanent home. I moved a few times with my mom for safety reasons. Now, we are in a shelter sharing common spaces with other families.
Nadia: I have been living at the shelter for almost 2 years. It has been tiring because my mother has 4 children. It has been an uneasy experience for me. I left my best friend behind in another state when we had to flee our home for safety reasons.
Q: What is your experience like as a teen living in a family shelter?
Sandra: My experience living in shelter as teenager has been sad and depressing because we have to live with other people and share common spaces. We have to share everything, with people we don’t even know.
Robert: It has been sad and depressing because we have to live with other people and share common spaces and everything in the house.
Nadia: It has been very sad for my mom and me. It’s embarrassing; I cannot tell my friends where I live.
Q: Are all of your needs met?
Sandra: No. I don’t have my own room and most activities are geared toward the younger kids.
Robert: Yes, they [shelter staff] really try to help me with school. They have been trying to help me work on my grades. I have also been going to a type of counseling for kids who had alcoholic parents.
Nadia: I was able to attend school, but there was not anything for me to do at the shelter. They do not have any programs for kids my age.
Q: Do you talk about where you live at school?
Sandra: In the beginning, when school started, I didn’t share anything with other students. I did not know how they were going to react towards me. Now, I am so used to being in shelters that I can talk to others about where I live and why I am there.
Robert: I only talk to close friends who I feel can understand what I am going through as a teenager. They usually ask what it feels like to live in a shelter. I will tell them it is a crowded place to live and you have to live with other people you don’t even know.
Nadia: I only talk to the people I can trust. I only tell people who I feel can understand that we were in a shelter not because my mother was lazy, but because we had to leave for safety reason.
Q: What do you wish the shelter would do differently?
Sandra: I wish that I could have my own room and not have to live in the same room with my mom. I wish we did not have to share spaces with other families. I wish we could have our own apartment. That’s what I want to be different for us.
Robert: I feel the staff has been doing their best to help my mom and me. I just wish that I did not have to share a room with my mother. Maybe at some point the shelter could think about having separate rooms for teenagers. It is annoying to share room with your parent.
Nadia: I feel that the shelter could have a range of services and programs available for kids like me who moved to a new neighborhood and are encountering people from different cultures and with different values. In other words, I wish I had more help to adjust to a new environment.
*Not their real names. All names have been changed.
Seeking Youth and Young Adults to Write about Mental Health Issues!
Are you a young person between 14 and 30 who has experience with mental health challenges, foster care, residential treatment, and/or juvenile justice? Want to get paid to write about it?
The Research and Training Center for Pathways to Positive Futures is seeking writers for its Speak Out feature on mental health issues concerning youth and young adults. Each month, a topic will be chosen based on input from Pathways staff and writers. Writers will then craft a 250-400 word editorial, based on the question of the month, that will be published on our website. Writers will be paid $50 for each piece published (It is estimated that a writer will get an assignment once every three months).
If you are interested in applying, please email your name, contact information, current resume, and writing sample (250-500 words, about 1-2 pages) to Kris Gowen at gowen@pdx.edu. You can email Kris or call her at 503-725-9619 if you have any questions.
Applications are due Wednesday, June 30th!
If writing about mental health issues or speaking out to change the system interests you, why not go the next step and join YouthMOVE-Alaska! YouthMOVE meets every Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 pm at the Anchorage office of AYFN (401 E. Northern Lights #100). YouthMOVE Alaska is the voice of youth ages 16-24 addressing mental health issues and challenging the system to promote change. Step Up and Speak Out!
Check Us Out in Mt. View Boys & Girls Club
Every Tuesday from 9-4 and Thursday from 1-5, AYFN has peer navigators on site at the Mt. View Boys & Girls Club to meet with families and youth. Kristen Nilsson, our insurance coordinator can help you understand the ins and outs of insurance coverages, fill out applications and answer your questions about Medicaid, TEFRA, Waivers, Denali Kid Care and more. She can meet with you at the Boys & Girls Club on Tuesdays from 9-12, or you can call her at 748-7230 to set an appointment at a time that works for your family.
Will Foma'i and Jessie Lawrence, our Youth Navigators, are on hand to meet with youth and families, help you and your family if needed, or just to hang out and shoot the breeze. Stop by and learn about our groups for youth and adults, classes we offer and how AYFN and our navigators can hook you up to community resources and services. Let us help you! Will and Jessie can be reached at 748-7497 or 632-6272.
How to get around this summer
So, you are out of school, you've got plans but no ride. What do you do? If you live in Anchorage, Fairbanks or Juneau, the bus is the way to go AND it is cheap (sometimes even FREE)! In Anchorage, the People Mover system lets youth under age 18 ride free every Thursday, until August 17th. To find out about routes, times, yada, yada, yada, go to: http://www.muni.org/departments/transit/peoplemover/Pages/default.aspx Fairbanks youth can ride the MAC and Van Tran for just 75 cents (less than a buck, people)! The Fairbanks link is: http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/transportation/ Juneau types can ride Capital Transit for one George Washington, or $1, if you prefer. The 411 link is: http://www.juneau.lib.ak.us/capitaltransit/index.php Get a move on!
AYFN Statewide Groups and Classes
In Anchorage : Join us for our interactive youth classes. Two classes are offered for youth ages 16-25, "Get Your S*#@ Together, Keep Your S*#@ Together!"(WRAP for Youth), and "Mood and Affective Skill Building (Anger Management)". Do you feel your life is out of control or that everything is swirling around you? We can help you pull it together, without blowing your top. Contact: will@ayfn.org for class info and registration!
YouthMOVE Alaska is here at AYFN! Help Will, Jessie and all of Alaska become part of the nationwide collaboration of youth who want to improve services for youth! It's not just a group, it is a movement! Take part in YouthMOVE in the valley (third Monday of the month, 4-5pm), or in Anchorage at the AYFN office on Northern Lights (Wednesdays, 5-6:30 pm). See our calendar of Upcoming Events for details or contact Will at 748-7497 or email will@ayfn.org. Give Jessie a shout at 632-6272 or email her at jessie@ayfn.org.
Parent-to-parent support and youth groups are every Friday of the month from 6pm to 8pm. A light meal is served. AYFN is located at 401 E. Northern Lights, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK. For more info, contact us at: will@ayfn.org, jessie@ayfn.org or regina@ayfn.org.
In Mat-Su : NEW DATES & TIMES Parent Support Groups are held every Monday from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Family Resource Center in the CoDI Building (in front of Bouncin' Bears on the Palmer-Wasilla Hwy). For more information on the Parent Support Group, call Vickie at 715-0707 or Carol at 748-7219 or email them at: vickie@ayfn.org or carol@ayfn.org. Me2U Youth group meets every Friday night from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Family Resource Center in the CoDI Building. Vickie or Carol have the scoop on what is happening, so you can contact them either by phone or email. YouthMOVE Alaska has landed in the Valley! Be part of the nationwide movement! Call Vickie at 715-0707 (email her at: vickie@ayfn.org) or Carol at 748-7219 (email her at: carol@ayfn.org).
In Juneau : An adult support group meets each Thursday from 6pm-8pm at the Catholic Community Services downtown. Call Chlora at 907-321-2213 for more information. Parenting with Love & Logic classes are now being offered in Juneau! Please call Chlora for class dates and times!
In Fairbanks : Groups are meeting in Fairbanks, email Debbie for more information: debbie@ayfn.org. Parenting with Love & Logice classes are now being offered in Fairbanks! Email Debbie for class dates and times.
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