Now is the time to take on the challenge of our state's youth mental health crisis. Learn how we're tackling it.
Between 2021 and 2023, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) executives joined in conversations with business, health care, education, and public policy leaders in all 100 North Carolina counties.
They shared their priorities and concerns, and no concern was more urgent than helping children and young people – many of whom feel anxious, sad, and lost – find a sense of purpose, belonging, and connection in their communities.
In North Carolina, there is no health challenge more urgent than the youth mental health crisis.
The numbers alone are alarming:
1 in 5
high school students seriously considered suicide in the last several years.1
More than 4 in 10
high schoolers report feeling hopeless or sad every day.1
North Carolina ranks 44th
in the nation for access to care for people with mental health conditions.2
At Blue Cross NC, we're committed to understanding and addressing the root causes affecting mental well-being in our young people. We're working to ensure a healthy future for young people in North Carolina.
Children and teens facing mental health issues need to know that there's someone there to help them get through. So do their parents and guardians.
We're creating an expanded network of same-day mental health services to make access to care easier and faster. We're ensuring members have access to the care they need by increasing the number of in-network mental health care providers and making virtual or on-demand care more accessible.
We are also providing help navigating the mental health care system to make it less stressful to find mental health support and helping doctors connect patients with mental health professionals more quickly and easily.
CaroNova, a Raleigh-based nonprofit focused on improving health care access and affordability, is developing an action plan supporting the mental health needs of North Carolina children and youth. Blue Cross NC is an essential partner in this work as a strategic thought leader and statewide funder.
We're working to bring more preventive mental health care resources to communities across the state. We're also expanding school-based counseling to support early intervention and make mental health resources more accessible in schools.
We recently joined mental health experts and philanthropic funders to create a statewide behavioral health action plan that will address pressing mental health challenges at a large-scale level.
We're bringing Youth Mental Health First Aid Training to all 100 North Carolina counties. Blue Cross NC will leverage its employees and partnerships with youth-based organizations to train people across the state, including 10% of Blue Cross NC's workforce, in Youth Mental Health First Aid by the end of 2025.
We're also enlisting employee volunteers for our Blue Corps to offer support for youth mental health in addition to their other community work. Blue Corps is our skill-based volunteering initiative that matches the expertise of our employees with local nonprofits to tackle issues.
This training helps individuals think about mental health first aid in the same way you might think about CPR. It equips adults with a simple five-step action plan to foster a safe, supportive environment.
Our purpose at Blue Cross NC is to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities. We won't stop until health care is better for all.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in its health programs and activities. Learn more about our non-discrimination policy and no-cost services available to you.
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