Shasta County, a rural mountain community near the Oregon border, has experienced a rising youth mental health and substance abuse crisis, exacerbated by the lingering impacts of COVID. Many children and young adults are impacted by opioids, depression, anxiety and other disorders that can lead to poor health outcomes. The Shasta Health Assessment and Redesign Collaborative (SHARC), first launched in 2009, has taken note and, in 2023, joined CACHI’s second Accountable Communities for Health (ACH) cohort with the goal of turning the tide.

“It’s a crisis situation for children and youth,” said Melissa Janulewicz, a facilitator with SHARC, the ACH backbone organization. “The CDC has reported that one in five teens has a serious, debilitating mental illness. And the second leading cause of death of teenagers and young adults is suicide. It’s all been exacerbated by COVID and the resources haven’t kept up. That’s why we’re putting our focus on this issue.”

To accomplish their goals, SHARC is coordinating system transformation efforts across various sectors in the county. The collaboration involves a wide range of community partners—including school districts, health clinics, health plans, local government and the Office of Education—all moving towards a more integrated care approach centered around schools, funded by Medi-Cal, commercial health plans and other State investments.

Their efforts will help support California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI), which promotes a “whole child” approach to the factors that contribute to poor mental health. To integrate this initiative into SHARC’s operations, the ACH’s partners will work to expand access to, and funding for, mental and behavioral health services in the community, and align those services within school settings. Prevention and early intervention will be prioritized, and referrals will be streamlined to reduce barriers to access.

“There really should be no wrong door,” Janulewicz continued. “Both youth and parents should be able to easily find the information they need and then access the services that are available—through any door—whether at school, a health clinic or elsewhere.”

This shift will also be paired with efforts to involve community voices to better inform the planning and implementation of those goals. Youth participation will provide information to the collaborative and will get young people involved with efforts to address mental health issues within schools. Additionally, SHARC will use key informant interviews, surveys, focus groups and other outreach tools to keep the community engaged.

“Our vision for SHARC is ‘healthy minds, healthy lives’ for Shasta kids,” she adds. “It’s a smart investment in Shasta county’s future. In application, it means improving the system of care, understanding where and what the gaps are, and making our referral system work for everyone.”

Learn more at thehanc.org/collaboratives.