UT Discretionary Funding Fiscal Year 2023

Uintah Basin Technical College’s (UBTech) Uintah Basin Training for Rural and Underserved Entities in Mental Health (UBTRUE) project will greatly enhance the mental and behavioral health supports and services available to students and members of UBTech’s community throughout the rural Uintah Basin. UBTech expects to serve 2,600 unduplicated individuals over five years through this project. Through this initiative, UBTech will effect meaningful change on their campus/surrounding communities to ensure that all their students learn, live, and develop in supportive environments that understand how to promote positive youth development; understand and identify signs and symptoms of trauma, stress, and behavioral health issues and crises; and have systems in place to refer, treat, and respond effectively when challenges arise. The grant funds will enable UBTech to implement a holistic approach to mental and behavioral health and suicide prevention by supporting the implementation of trainings for our faculty, staff, and various leaders and other entities in our communities in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA); Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR); Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT); and the Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets framework.

Utah's greatest need is to expand capacity to respond to 988 calls, texts, and chats. Through the use of State General Funds as appropriated by the State Legislature, Utah's funding supported 113,685 contacts in 2021, 18,845 being calls answered as routed through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Capacity challenges are primarily related to the massive workforce shortages within the state, with the public mental health sector reporting over 650 vacancies of qualified professionals. Utah's emphasized priorities are to enhance in-state answer rates to 90% and beyond, while preparing for increased volumes related to 988 and the assumption of text and chat contacts. Utah shall offer distribution of funds to statewide crisis center to maintain and expand the workforce to respond to an increase in lifeline call volume due to 988 implementation; Expand the ability of local, regional and/or statewide/territorial Lifeline crisis centers to respond to sudden and large spikes in call volumes following a public service announcement, disaster, or other type of traumatic event; work to ensure that the state targets to answer at least 90 percent of total calls received, potentially reducing the amount that goes to the national backup centers to 10 percent or less by June 15, 2022; work to ensure crisis workforce receives training on working with populations at higher risk of suicide in their communities, including awareness of referral options for high risk population-specific services. Key performance indicators will be monitored and used to inform practice, quality improvement initiatives, and hiring efforts.

The purpose of Utah Project AWARE 2022-2026 is to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services in Utah. The Utah Department of Human Services- Office of Substance Use and Mental Health (OSUMH) will build collaborative partnerships with the Local Education Agencies (LEAs), including Tooele County School District, North Sanpete School District, and San Juan School District. Partnerships will also be built with community-based providers of behavioral health care services, community organizations, families, and school-aged youth. OSUMH will support the three school districts in building a three-tiered system of support and increase the number of students who receive evidence-based social emotional learning curriculum, suicide prevention training, and evidence-based mental health services. OSUMH and the LEAs will also provide training to adults supporting youth to increase mental health literacy and access to quality mental health care. As a result of this project, depressive symptoms, suicide ideation, and needs for mental health treatment will be reduced in youth, in the three targeted LEAs, while access to services and knowledge of suicide prevention skills and resources will increase.