About the LW49 Resilience Project
Park County, Montana: A Healthy and Resilient Community
In 2017 Park County community members and stakeholders formed 1) Trauma Informed Practice and 2) Suicide Prevention collective impact groups with a shared goal to support and promote the social/emotional wellness of our community. As an extension of this goal, the groups develop and enhance preventative programs within Park County.
By 2018, accomplishments include a community wide ARC (Attachment, Regulation and Competency) and Youth Mental Health First Aid training, district wide alignment of PK-12 grade procedures and protocol when responding to crisis, establishing a community and school support group as well as becoming an Elevate Montana affiliate.
Together with the support of Elevate Montana and the Park County Community Foundation, 14 various community members became ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Certified Presenters trained in trauma informed approaches to build resilience in children and families.
In early January 2019, LiveWell49 hosted the two groups in a strategic planning session to reevaluate the needs and work of each group and to set short and long term goals. The groups voted to combine their efforts and mobilize under the umbrella of the LiveWell49 Coalition as the Resilience Project.
Our Work
Identify and Assist
Aims to systematically train community members to identify and assist those who may be at risk for suicide or who are experiencing a mental health crisis, and strategically collect pre/post training data and incorporate screenings and assessments into the trainings as appropriate.
Messaging
Aims to reduce stigma surrounding mental health care and increase awareness of mental health services in Park County. To date, they have researched safe messaging, identified local marketing outlets and events, developed a marketing calendar and priorities, developed materials for events, and coordinated with local media outlets.
Universal Screening for Mental Health
Aims to create a strategy for screening for depression and/or suicidality (i.e., define who will receive and administer screenings; as well as when, where, and which screening tool[s] will be used), and (b) plan a system for rapid response to results of screenings. To date, a review of literature on the risks/benefits of screening—as well as the validity, reliability, and applicability of select tools—has been completed.
YOUTH RESILIence
A partnership with the JED foundation and other community organizations across Park County to ensure Park County youth have access to mental health services and that all agencies have a clear understanding of the services that exist and how to refer a child into those services.