Digital Commons Network^™

Stigma And Mental Health In Miami, Fl, Nicholas Pujol

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: To increase awareness of the issues that people with serious mental illness face in order to reduce stigma and increase treatment participation rates. Significant Findings: Serious mental illness is a serious issue that is increasing every year. In Florida as of 2021 there are an estimated 725,239 people that have a serious mental illness (Florida Department of Health, n.d). Over the last 10 years that has been an upward trend. With the increase in population there too needs to be an increase in services in order to meet the needs of this population. Stigma against this population can …

The Sunnyside Movement Towards Mental Health Prevention And Resiliency, Eva Williams

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: To increase Mental Health awareness and resources among adults with untreated mental disorders in the Sunnyside community (Understanding Houston, 2023).

Significant Findings: 18,6004 residents reside in Sunnyside. Nearly half (48%) were between 20 and 64 years of age, 18% were 65 or older, and many out of this group have untreated mental disorders or have been hospitalized for mental health symptoms (Sunnyside Survey Shows Neighborhood's Social Fabric Is Strong, 2019). These findings include the LGBTQ community, which accounts for about 40% of people who reported experiencing mental illness in the last year (Kolanek, 2020). The target problem in …

The Impact Of Gun Violence On African American Adolescents In Baltimore City, Maryland, Valerie Taylor

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The aim of this social change portfolio is to prevent gun violence in African American males in Baltimore City, Maryland, through increasing awareness in schools and communities.

Significant Findings: African American males are perpetrators and victims of gun violence at a substantially high rate in Baltimore City, MD. They are disproportionately affected in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities” (Shulman et al., 2021). According to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (2018), data from 2016 to 2020 revealed 44 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 people in Baltimore City, Maryland, compared to 12 people per 100,000 in the whole state of Maryland and 12 …

Suicide Awareness And Prevention With Montana (Three Forks) Youth, Joshua Jarvis

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Lower the number of suicide attempts or completions with Montana (Three Forks) youth.

Significant Findings: The rate of suicide has increased dramatically over the last 30 years, and the rate for suicide for those between the ages of 5-14 have increased at least 60% since 1981 (Rosston, 2022). The population for this social change portfolio is Montana youth and the problem is suicide attempts and completions. Not all groups of youth are equally at risk for suicide, with Native Americans and the LGBTQ+ population facing a much higher risk of suicide attempts and completions (Rosston, 2022). The consequences …

Severe Housing Problems In Santa Clara County, Ca, Jessican Rothwell

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My goal for social change within the community is to prevent severe housing problems by educating individuals and families of low and middle-income levels on available home environment assessments and housing rehabilitation programs.

Significant Findings: Severe housing problems plague numerous mid and low-income households in Santa Clara County, leaving them vulnerable to significant physical and mental health problems. This social change portfolio discusses the scope and consequences of severe housing problems as well as potential risk and protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels through a socio-ecological lens. In addition, this portfolio addresses two theories …

Smashing The Stigma: Promoting Mental Health And Resilience Among Veterans, Anna Wagle

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This portfolio aims to bring awareness and identify strategies and interventions to reduce veteran suicide rates by starting with the problem's source.

Significant Findings: This portfolio focuses on the high rate of U.S. veteran suicide, with 16.8 suicides per day and 51% more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans ("National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report," 2022; Vincent-Roller, 2022). Key findings highlight the complexity of suicide risk across various levels. The portfolio recommends enhancing mental health services, destigmatizing mental health, strengthening social support, and providing tailored interventions like peer support and trauma-informed care for transitioning veterans (Hester, 2017; …

Prevention, Mental Health Risk, Lgbtq+ Youth And Young Adults, Jackson County, Indiana, Darrian S. Jamison

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Acknowledge and highlight the increased mental health risks for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults while working to implement prevention efforts to mitigate, and eventually eliminate the increased risks for this population.

Significant Findings: The LGBTQ+ youth and young adult population faces many challenges throughout their daily lives. One such challenge plaguing the community is their increased risk for mental health concerns compared to their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts (The Trevor Project, n.d.; Marlay et al., 2022). In the rural Jackson County, Indiana community, very few prevention and treatment efforts are implemented to serve this community. It is worth noting …

Prevention Of Adult Obesity Through Targeting Adolescents With Counseling Educational Groups Combining Nutrition, Mindfulness, Self-Esteem, And Healthy Living, Kerri Shoumaker

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio aims to prevent adult obesity through the immersion of counseling educational groups targeting adolescents within the communities of Kitsap County.

Significant Findings: Kitsap County, Washington, has an adult population of 214,142 people (United States Department of Commerce, 2022). Approximately 30% are obese, which is 2% higher than Washington state (CDC, n.d.-b). Obesity increases the risk factor for severe diseases, including depression, and is a major risk factor for premature death (Bergantin, 2020). Mitigating risk factors through bolstering protective factors is essential for obesity prevention at multiple levels of the Social-Ecological Model. Social Cognitive …

Preventing Psychiatric Hospitalizations In Sangamon County, Illinois, Rachel E. Rambach

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of my Social Change Portfolio is to prevent increased psychiatric hospitalizations by reducing the stigma associated with mental health through education, awareness, and resources.

Significant Findings: Sangamon County ranks in the worst 25% of Illinois counties in terms of hospitalizations due to mental health in people 18 years and older (Springfield Memorial Hospital, 2021). There were 7,483 preventable hospitalizations among Black people recorded in 2020, compared with 3,696 white people (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2018). The social-ecological model shows the tremendous impact that individual relationships, community and society have on the issue of psychiatric hospitalizations, …

Sex Trafficking In Reno, Nevada, Makayla Terelak

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The aim of this social change is to prevent the frequency of sex trafficking in the Reno/Sparks area through strengthened awareness and advocacy.

Significant Findings: Sex trafficking is defined by forced labor of sexual acts, and is typically done through force, fraud, and coercion (Harmon, 2022). The victims of this crime are often vulnerable populations like children and young women. It is estimated that 25 million people in the world were victims of human trafficking (Harmon, 2022). In Reno, Nevada it is a huge hub for sex trafficking. This can change with more border controls and awareness throughout …

Preventing Burnout Among Mental Health Professionals In Charlotte, Nc, Robert Marcy

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this social change project is to find ways of preventing burnout among mental health professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Significant Findings: Burnout among mental health professionals is a critical issue for which prevention strategies can be highly effective. Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the country’s fastest-growing cities, with demand for services, including those provided by mental health professionals, increasing with the growing population. Charlotte’s population growth, coupled with the lingering impacts of COVID-19, places Charlotte’s mental health professionals at increased burnout risk. Burnout among mental health professionals negatively impacts the individual and the clients …

Human Trafficking In Orlando, Florida, Danielle Cador

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My goal for my social change portfolio is to bring heightened awareness to my community through proper training, education, and community involvement to increase the prevention of human trafficking in Orlando, Florida.

Significant Findings: Human Trafficking has become a $150 billion industry globally (Toney-Butler et al., 2023). It has become a type of pandemic that either no one seems to be talking about or gets overlooked. Florida is listed as one (1) of the top three (3) states following California and New York where human trafficking is prevalent (Human Trafficking Hotline, 2021). Women and young girls typically come …

Harmful Consequences Of Vaping Among Adolescents, Eva Uhlianitsa

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Raise awareness of e–cigarettes use and harmful consequences, as well as make media campaigns promoting a variety of positive identities not associated with vaping.

Significant Findings: Adolescence in the US abusing e-cigarette products that lead to significant health problems. Those are respiratory, digestive issues, and brain development complications (Grimm, 2022). The LGBTQ + youth population is at higher risk of developing vaping addiction due to stigma, rejection, physical abuse, and bullying (Kelleher, 2009). Implementing Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Stages of Change theories can increase the chances of preventing substance use (National Cancer Institute, 2005).

Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps:

1. …

Depression And Anxiety Among Lgbtqia+ Teens In Salt Lake City, Utah, Brittany Bullen

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: If we can create better programming to support LGBTQIA+ teens in Utah, we can decrease the suicide rate and the rates of depression and anxiety in this population.

Significant Findings:

Due to the unusually high rate of suicide among LGBTQIA+ teens in Utah (The Trevor Project, 2022), there is clearly a need for improvement in the quality and availability of programming that supports that population. Because teens go through so much emotional upheaval during their transition to adulthood (MacMillan & Copher, 2005), they are particularly vulnerable to the discrimination many of them face when exploring their sexuality. Keeping …

Combat Veteran Mental Health Care Advocacy, Gerald Graham

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal: The goal of Combat Veteran Mental Health Care Advocacy is to promote, support and draw attention to critical combat veteran mental health issues, such as PTSD, depression and substance abuse, where the real and actual consequence may lead to suicide.

Significant Findings: Presently, there are about 18 million living veterans (Inoue et al., 2023; Vespa, 2020), of which approximately 7.7 million served between 1990 and the present; roughly 42 percent of the total (Vespa, 2020). Wounded Warrior Project (2022) reported that these combat veterans face significant mental health issues such as sleep deprivation, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. …

Addiction Prevention In Itasca County, Minnesota, Amanda Keech

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The purpose and goal of this portfolio is to raise awareness regarding alcohol consumption by highlighting influential factors and prevention techniques in order to decrease excessive drinking rates for adults residing in Itasca County.

Significant Findings: Excessive drinking is present in 23% of the population in Itasca County (County Health Ranking & Roadmaps, 2018). Excessive alcohol consumption is a growing public health issue resulting from multiple systemic, cultural, governmental, and individual risk factors that are present within the rural community. Individual risk factors include food insecurity, poverty, housing instability, a family history, trauma, medical issues, and the presence …

Prevention Of Early Adolescent Substance Misuse And Addiction In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Alisha J. Thomas

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This portfolio intends to educate children ages 9 to 11 about addiction and its effects in an effort to prevent future alcohol and drug experimentation.

Significant Findings: This paper explores the issue of early adolescent substance use in Bernalillo County, New Mexico also known as Albuquerque. According to the New Mexico Voices for Children (n.d.), in 2017, 9.6% of 12-17-year-olds within the county participated in binge drinking. Internal and external individual risk factors significantly influence a young person’s ambivalence, decision-making, and behaviors to use harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs. The Mexican-American population is a subgroup that …

Youth Mental Health Awareness, Hillsborough County, Fl, Kelce Minor

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This social change portfolio aims to increase awareness of youth mental health and provide resources for easy access to mental health services, ultimately improving the psychological health outcomes of young people in Hillsborough County.

Significant Findings: Numerous adolescents in Hillsborough County report experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. The youths also lack mental health awareness and assistance access. The portfolio suggests increasing mental health resources, school-based programs, and mental health awareness campaigns to address these issues.

Adult Physical Inactivity In Baltimore, Md, Christopher Aitken

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio is to identify low cost, high access, and high participation community programs that will promote increased leisure time physical activity amongst Baltimore City adults ages 18 and older.

Significant Findings: Adults in Baltimore City, Maryland are less physically active on average than the rest of the United States (County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, 2022). A sedentary lifestyle places adults at greater risk of depression (Luo et al., 2022), low overall mood (DeMello et al., 2018), obesity (Ali & Kunugi, 2020), and higher hospitalization rates for comorbid mental health problems (Gupta et al., 2023). …

Reconnecting The Disconnected Youth Of Pasco County, Florida, Patrick Storer

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Enable more students to cross the achievement gap between high school and

college.

Significant Findings: The development of this portfolio emphasized issue of teens from 16 to 19 years of age that are not enrolled in school. Pasco County touts a 91% graduation rate for high school seniors during the 2020-2021 school year. Although this percentage represents a vast majority of teens graduating, it undermines not the percentage, but the actual numbers of teens who do not. When crunching the numbers there are over 2,000 teens not enrolled in high school and not employed. The state, nor the …

Preventing Opioid Addiction In Wilkes County, North Carolina, Charly Marie Harris

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Opioid addiction is a problem in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Preventing opioid addiction would slow opioid related deaths and decrease problems such as the number of children in foster care, crime rates, homelessness, and improve mental and physical health. Opioid addiction has been on the rise since around 2007 after pharmaceutical companies began offering lavish incentives to doctors for prescribing opiates. Opioid addiction is devastating families across the nation hence the need for prevention (State of North Carolina, 2017). Prevention efforts must reach children and adults. Addiction does not discriminate and can happen to people of various ages and cultural …

Serving Poverty & Homeless Populations Through Structured Encampments With Personal Interaction(S) And Healthcare Providers Volunteering., Abreana C. Howerton

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Significant Findings:

Poverty and homelessness have numerous effects on communities. These populations are usually transient, making it difficult to track their movements. Providing structured encampments affords homeless people the opportunity to feel safe, included, and helps healthcare professionals provide continuity of care. Homeless individuals are part of many communities and should be appropriately treated. Prevention theories can also be implemented into this population, providing resources and stabilized relationships while offering support through re-entry into the community. The Critical Time Intervention (CTI) provided evidence-based findings that can decrease homelessness by up to 67% in nine months (Arnold Foundation, 2018). Inadequate housing …

Police Excessive Use Of Force: Preventing Trauma-Induced Stress And Anxiety In The Black Community, St. Louis, Mo., Ashleigh A. Cole

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio is to increase awareness of mental health disparities in the Black community due to experiencing or witnessing police brutality.

Significant Findings: This brief explores issues of police excessive use of force during interactions with Blacks that result in trauma-induced stress and anxiety, whether witnessing or experiencing such brutality, for this marginalized population. In St. Louis, Missouri, Blacks who experience police use of force in person or “seeing a video of police use of force in the media” experience moderately high police contact anxiety (Murez, 2021, para. 7). The scope of the problem illuminates …

Preventing Veteran Suicide In Berkeley County, Sc, Jonathan F. Nelson

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: I want to reduce veteran suicide in Berkeley County South Carolina by developing a program based on Social Cognitive Theory and Community Organizing Theory which fosters relationships among veterans and helps them integrate within the civilian community. Significant Findings: Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and is particularly prominent in the military veteran community which experiences a suicide rate 1.5 times greater than the civilian population (US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), 2022). As of the 2022 US census, Berkeley County, SC is home to over 20,600 and can expect to have approximately …

Affordable Housing For Austin’S Homeless Population, Brittany M. Bilbo

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: In this portfolio, the issue of homelessness in Austin will be discussed as well as the impacts affordable housing and easier access to resources could have as preventative measures.

Significant Findings: The target population of this portfolio includes individuals at risk of entering into homelessness in Austin, Texas. In communities across the United States, higher rates of homelessness are correlated with higher rates of criminal activity, mental health issues, and substance abuse across all subgroups of those communities (Center for Evidence-Based Solutions to Homelessness, 2019). Thus, the issue of homelessness is a public health issue because it impacts …

Effects Of Poverty On Children's Mental Health In Orlando, Fl, Everlee R. Ensminger

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Significant Findings: Poverty significantly impacts children's mental, physical, and cognitive development, especially during the first five years of life. Children of color living in poverty face higher risk factors, impeded self-regulation abilities, prejudice, and discrimination associated with seeking and obtaining mental health treatment. The stigma and obstacles in accessing treatment, particularly for underrepresented groups, are significant issues in Orlando, FL. Prevention starts with utilizing theories such as the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which deepen the understanding of how personal, environmental, and human behavior influence each other in an ongoing process. Collaboration and advocacy efforts between …

Increasing Ace Screenings In Wayne County, Amber Anderson

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The aim of this social change portfolio is to decrease Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Wayne County by highlighting the need for increased physician training, screenings, and resources. Significant Findings: The population of Wayne County, MI experiences a higher instance of poor mental health days per month than the national average (County Health Rankings, 2023). In fact, those citizens report having 14 or more poor mental health days per month which is significant considering that is more than half of each month. ACE screening can detect stressors earlier in life, allowing attention, resources, and education to be funneled …

Awareness And Prevention Of Syphilis Infections In Women In Pima County, Arizona, Sharon M. Watson

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this social change portfolio is to reduce the rate of syphilis infections in women by increasing the availability of comprehensive sexual health education, improving the accessibility of affordable and free healthcare and STI/D testing, and developing community intervention programs that address the additional risk factors that contribute to the rise in syphilis rates.

Significant Findings: Arizona has had a 449% increase in syphilis rates in women since 2015, with Pima County ranking as the county with the second-highest increase in rates (AZDHS, 2023). These startling increases in rates are clearly evident across the nation. The …

Domestic Violence In Clarkston, Washington, Elizabeth Baker

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My goal would be to provide increase support and resources for victims of interpersonal violence to reduce overall rates of domestic violence in Asotin County.

Significant Findings: I currently reside in Clarkston, Washington, or within Asotin County. Clarkston holds numerous strengths and challenges. Some strengths of Clarkston include a lower unemployment percentage, less severe housing problems, and reduced commute time to work compared to Washington state (County Health Rankings, 2023). Challenges within Clarkston include an increased percentage of habits that are attributed to poor health outcomes, such as smoking, physical inactivity, and alcohol-impaired deaths, compared to Washington state …

Prevention Of Eviction And Severe Housing Crisis, Kayla Hunter

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Texas has the fifth highest rate of people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Many individuals are facing homelessness, faced eviction first causing them to be homeless. I want to prevent homelessness and eviction with my social change portfolio. Individuals facing homelessness may be unable to afford healthcare/ mental health care, and untreated diagnoses can cause lasting effects. Being unable to afford primary care can also make it a more significant challenge for someone to get back on their feet. Different risk factors, such as a history of homelessness, substance use, or a criminal background, can cause an individual to …