Nebraska School Mental Health

The Kim Foundation is honored to be partnering with ESU3 in leading the Nebraska school mental health initiative. BHECN has provided amazing leadership in this area the past three years and we have a strong foundation to build from. Part of our efforts will be to host the Nebraska School Mental Health Forum in June where we will bring together key stakeholders to develop a solid plan that will be implemented to best serve the youth and families in our state. This plan will lay the groundwork as we address the following key areas:

• Development of Sustainable Policies & Programs
• Integration of Evidence Based Practices
• Development of Professional Workforce
• Evaluation of School Mental Health Outcomes
• Collaborating in Service Delivery Models

So many of our Nebraska youth and families are in need of mental health services, and each experience a unique situation in what best suits their needs. If we can identify solutions that will remove barriers to services, increase access, and create a pathway to better whole health with a focus on mental health, I think we owe it to the next generation to do just that. I’m excited to see the results of these efforts and am greatly looking forward to June!

We are also excited to announce that we’ve been selected to present on our current school collaboration that has made 13minutes, our suicide prevention awareness campaign, such a success at the National School Mental Health Conference in Las Vegas in October. We will be highlighting why our collaboration has worked and how we’ve implemented the campaign to educate our community and save lives while instilling hope and knowledge in our youth.

If you have any insight or issues you want to make sure are brought to the table at the Nebraska State Mental Health Forum in June, please email those to me at jhebenstreit@thekimfoundation.org.

Julia Hebenstreit, Executive Director of The Kim Foundation, https://www.thekimfoundation.org/

Julia Hebenstreit is the Executive Director of The Kim Foundation. She received her J.D. from Creighton University in 2005, and her BS in Journalism from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2002. She has been with The Kim Foundation since 2011, and prior to that worked for local non-profits doing development, strategic planning, communications and advancement. She has a passion for helping people and improving lives, and serves on the Executive Committee for Nebraska Association of Behavioral Health Organizations, as the 2015 Hill Day State Captain for the state of Nebraska, and as an active member of the Nebraska Suicide Prevention Coalition, the Early Childhood Mental Health Coalition, BHECN Advisory Committee, RESPECT Advisory Board, Connections Advisory Board and the Project Propel Planning Group.