Mindee Swanson, DNP, PMHS, APRN, works at OneWorld’s School-Based Health Centers.
Youth behavioral health needs soar Rising to the occasion
Back-to-school season can be a time for big dreams and fresh starts for the year ahead. It can also be a time when student struggles emerge. Each fall, providers at OneWorld’s School- Based Health Centers catch behavioral health concerns during routine school and sports physicals for children and adolescents. Fortunately, when such problems come to light, OneWorld’s providers are there to help. Mindee Swanson, DNP, PMHS, APRN, said a recent school physical helped a teenaged student who had been absent for over half of the previous school year, and whose mom was really worried.
“Even though [the student] was here for the sports physical and making sure their heart’s OK, we took time to ask, ‘What was going on last year?’” Swanson said. After talking with the student and parent, Swanson suspected undiagnosed attention deficit disorder. That conversation allowed Swanson to create a path for additional mental and behavioral screening – and a treatment plan to help the teen return to school. Mental health is the No. 1 health issue facing adolescents ages 12 to 17, according to parents who responded to the 2021 Child & Adolescent Health Needs Assessment of Omaha metro
12 EXCHANGE | ISSUE 2 2024
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