The tragedy of children taking their own lives happens all too many times in our state. In fact, the suicide rate for Wisconsin kids, age 10 to 17, is nearly a third higher than the national average. If you have read the heartbreaking advertisement that asks “Imagine being 14 and the last thing you want to be is 15”, you can imagine the pain and anguish that these young people face every day.

There are many reasons children can’t and/or don’t access services for brain health. Like any other part of our body, our brain needs special attention when it is out of alignment.  We wouldn’t ask a child with cancer to “suck it up,” or “just get over it.” Why would we treat a child with brain health issues any differently? Cancer doesn’t cure itself, and neither do illnesses of the mind. 

Three years ago, United Way of Sheboygan County (UWSC) held a community conversation, along with other local partners, to listen and learn about brain health and wellness in the Sheboygan County area. We listened, and we learned. Barriers to care for the population that needs brain health services was identified as a major problem, and the problem has grown since then.

The next action UWSC took was to research and adopt a program to meet the needs of school-aged children seeking brain wellness services. With that, Providing Access to Healing (PATH) was launched in Sheboygan County.

This program offers brain health services to students who are experiencing barriers to care, such as limited financial resources, parent work schedules, lack of reliable transportation, language barriers and lack of parental support.  Most students in the program are from families that are either uninsured or under-insured.

Diseases of the brain occur in every country, every culture, and every socio-economic group.  About 20% of young people suffer from it in any given year.  Science has made great strides in the last decade, in identifying how the brain works and develops.  Those struggling with this illness face further challenges in gaining entry to care systems and finding providers.  This project aims to solve that part of the problem, by bringing services to students in their schools.

Typical issues faced by students in the program are depression, anxiety, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder and relationship issues.  PATH helps identify students who really need help, distinguishing them from those who are merely “going through a phase”.  It teaches coping skills that can help with immediate problems, and can be applied to future challenges.

PATH is provided in schools because the school provides a safe and accepting environment to make parents and students comfortable, parents don’t need to take time off work for the therapy, and students miss less school time. A school setting can also help “normalize” the mental health program as students access the benefit within their school day schedule.  Many high school students in the program are self-referred.

Therapy for students who need help is provided by licensed, experienced therapists who have specific expertise in working with children and adolescents.  The results collected in Sheboygan County in the last year and a half are showing great promise. Data is collected and measured on four outcomes of service:

• Student identifies treatment goals for brain health issues
• Student reports making progress on treatment goals
• Student shows change in behavior in school
• Student demonstrates improved functioning in daily activities

Within the last year, UWSC began to look upstream at early experiences and made an unprecedented decision by supporting and implementing the PATH program at the youngest ages possible. Sheboygan County Head Start was chosen to receive on-site therapy services for Head Start students and their families.  Struggles like poverty, abuse, and stress complicate brain wellness issues but children are incredibly resilient and respond to the world around them. Therefore, the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome.

An analysis by the Robert Follette School of Public Affairs (at the University of Wisconsin) established the measurable benefits of the PATH program at just the school-age level – approximately $49,000 per student in avoided medical costs, increased productivity and lifetime earnings, and other benefits.  Image the results when the program is offered a decade sooner.

United Way will continue to support the program by covering financial gaps for services, measuring program outcomes for success, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.  You can support PATH by designating your United Way contribution to the project, through your workplace campaign or individual contribution.

Everyone can benefit from building better life skills, planning a purposeful life, and taking action for happiness. PATH supports youth and families in acquiring the ability to live well, a United Way goal for all members of our community.