Program is from The State of Nevada and The Children’s Cabinet
There’s a new program in town that addresses the needs of youth ages 15 to 25 who have experienced an episode of psychosis and need access to services. Enliven is a full-service program through the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services and The Children’s Cabinet that helps young adults by providing integrated services including case management and individual and family support assistance with vocation and education.
On February 2, 2016, Kathleen Sandoval and Department of Health and Human Services Director Richard Whitley hosted a grand opening at the Enliven location, located in Sparks.
“The main need we are addressing is to provide intensive wraparound and mental health services to youth,” said Kathleen Sandoval, director of operations for The Children’s Cabinet and Enliven, and First Lady of Nevada. “I am very excited about this program because it is a national model that we are able to implement for the first time in the state that will provide much needed services to this population.”
More than 18,000 individuals ages 15 to 25 in Nevada have suffered with serious emotional disturbances (SED) or serious mental illness (SMI). “There is a significant population that already carry a diagnosis,” said Dr. Tracey Green, Chief Medical Officer for the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. “The goal is to address the population early with an integrated approach and intensive treatment, and help prevent other negative outcomes such as truancy, substance abuse and in worst cases, suicide. Each state receives a mental health block grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and this year, there is a requirement to address first episode psychosis. This is an important issue for youth and young adults across the nation.”
According to SAMHSA, mental illnesses are more widespread than most people realize. In 2005, there was an estimated 24.6 million adults 18 years of age or older who experienced serious psychological distress (SPD), which is highly correlated with serious mental illness (SMI). Almost every family in America is affected by someone with a mental illness. Among 18 to 25 year olds, the prevalence of SPD is high (18.6% for 18 to 25 year olds vs. 11.3% for 18+ year olds), yet this age group shows the lowest rate of help-seeking behaviors.
“Our goal is to not only provide this program in Washoe County but open in Clark County later this year, then in rural communities,” said Sandoval. “We want to provide a holistic approach of services for our clients and their families. The client will receive mental health services as well as the family receiving therapeutic support. We will have a specialist that will help the client be successful in school and/or employment, and a case manager that will wrap services around the client and their family.”
For more information about Enliven, visit enlivenup.org or call 866.359.6713.
About Enliven:
Enliven provides early intervention of psychosis while educating Nevada communities about mental health disorders. This program offers services that are client and family focused, tailored to each individual’s situation with services that are youth-friendly, age-appropriate and sensitive to culture, gender and the social stigma of psychosis. This program works under this mission of Inspiring hope, healing, and recovery by identifying and providing comprehensive person-centered early interventions to individuals and families facing symptoms of psychosis to assist them in achieving wellness and recovery.