Traditional Behavioral Health Therapist Brittney Swain, LIMHP, CPC, LADC, sees a patient.
2021. According to the Nebraska Department of Education’s Adolescent Health Report 2023, 25% of girls had considered suicide, compared with 14% of boys; conversely, boys were nearly four times as likely to die by suicide. Behavioral Health Therapist Kevin Heeb, PLMHP, sees patients at Millard South and West High Schools and at OneWorld Teen and Young Adult Health Center West. He said having appointments at school is good for students and convenient for parents. Millard schools are the first locations where students accessing behavioral health services don’t have to see a medical provider first. The Teen and Young Adult Health Centers work a little differently. At those, Heeb may collaborate with a patient’s other health care providers, like a OneWorld psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who prescribes medication. Still, some young people need an extra level of psychiatric care, some of which is provided through a contracted psychiatrist. Murrell said
this service makes a huge impact for children who would not otherwise be able to get the psychiatric care they deserve. She said that while resources are sometimes stretched thin to meet increasing demand, OneWorld’s providers know the community needs their care. “The one thing about OneWorld that I think we do really well is we’re willing to help anyone,” Heeb said. “It doesn’t matter where they come from, doesn’t matter what language they speak. We have open arms and we’re willing to bring them in, help them, give them support, make them feel like we care. Because we do.” For Swanson, school physicals season offers an important chance for teens to share problems that may have been hidden under the surface – and begin the process of getting the individualized help they need. “Just having that five minutes to talk through, what to an adult could look like a simple problem, can make a world of difference,” Swanson said.
At OneWorld, care is for all people – of every age.
ISSUE 2 2024 | EXCHANGE 15
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