The Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina is teaming up with Blackbaud, a software provider focused on social impact, to bring K-12 students digital education programs addressing preventive behavioral health.
The university is working with Everfi, Blackbaud's social impact division, to train teachers in 70 participating schools in six counties: Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun, according to a July 10 press release from Blackbaud.
The younger students will engage in the Compassion Project, in which teachers will discuss developing compassion through an understanding of self, social awareness and relationship skills. Students in grades eight through 12 will participate in the Understanding Mental Wellness program to learn effective coping strategies in handling mental health challenges and recognize when to seek help, according to the release. The university will also offer programs that address underage drinking prevention and vaping dangers.
The digital education programs are being implemented as a response to the rising prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders in South Carolina.
Here are notable behavioral health statistics regarding the state cited in the news release:
- There was a 55 percent increase in depression and anxiety reported in children from 2016 to 2020, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's "2022 Kids Count Data Book."
- Twelve percent of children struggle with depression or anxiety in 2020, the most recent data available.
- Suicide rates continue to rise in individuals ages 10-24.
- According to the Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, teen drug overdose deaths in the state are rising each year.
- Over 8 percent of kids ages 12-17 drink alcohol each month, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- SAMHSA also reported that almost 14 percent of kids ages 12-17 used drugs in 2021.