DBHDS News Releases

***MEDIA ADVISORY*** 

Improving Mental Health and Developmental Services for Virginia’s Youth
Conference to be Held May 14^th - Treatments that Work for Youth: What Families and Professionals Need to Know

What: The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS)  and the Strong Roots for a Healthy Future partners are offering a statewide conference for families of children and adolescents with special health care needs, mental health professionals, primary health care professionals, educators, service coordinators, and other professionals that work with youth in Virginia that have special health care needs. The conference, “Treatments That Work for Youth: What Families and Professionals Need to Know about Evidence-Based Practices,” is designed to increase families’ and professionals’ knowledge about the use of evidence-based practices to improve services and outcomes for youth with special health care needs.

When: Friday, May 14, 2010, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.. The keynote speaker, Dean Fixsen, Ph.D., will begin at 9:30 a.m. Dr. Fixsen is a nationally-known expert on developing and implementing evidence-based programs and work­ing with others to improve the lives of children, families, and adults. He is a senior scientist at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and co-director of the National Implementation Research Network, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Where: Richmond Marriott West Hotel, 4240 Dominion Blvd. Glen Allen, Virginia 23060

Who: Partners for this event are DBHDS, Capital Area Health Education Center, Med Home Plus, Federation of Families, and Virginia Tech.

Background information:

• DBHDS estimates each year, more than 75,000 young Virginians experience the symptoms of a serious mental illness or emotional disturbance.

• According to the American Psychiatric Association, 12 million U.S. children suffer from mental illness but only one in five receives treatment.

• Virginia’s Department of Juvenile Justice estimates that 50 percent of all youth involved in the system have mental health and/or substance abuse disorders.

• Residential and hospital treatment is very costly to Virginia. But sometimes, due to a lack of community services including evidence-based practices, there is no other choice.

• New “evidence-based” treatments are supported by research that shows that they work. These treatments intervene with both the youth and their family addressing mental health and substance abuse problems and reducing the involvement of youth in criminal justice system. 

More information on the conference can be found at http://www.cpe.vt.edu/srhf . For media interested in covering this event, please call Meghan McGuire at (804) 786-9048.