Grant Proposal to Conduct a Needs Assessment for Community-Based Partnership Opportunities in Three Oregon High Schools to Adapt the Mobile Mental Health Community Resources

Abstract

This dissertation presents a grant application for the Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants Program to secure funding for the development of a needs assessment for the comprehensive mapping and analysis of state, school, and community-owned resource partnership opportunities needed to adapt the Mobile Mental Health Community Resources (MMHCR), a school-based mental health service. The proposed needs assessment will be conducted in three high needs high schools located in three geographically and demographically diverse locations in Oregon. School-based mental health services are an important point of contact for adolescents facing symptoms of untreated trauma including emotional and behavioral difficulties, sexually risky behavior, substance use, and academic problems. The needs assessment will provide policymakers and practitioners recommendations for determining how best to implement school-based mental health services for educational equity and school improvement purposes. In addition, adapting MMHCR services to match the culture and context of schools can function on the “cutting edge” by providing creative partnership solutions beyond basic mental health concerns and understanding. Embedded in this proposal are the following research questions: What community resources and barriers to mental health services exist in three Oregon high needs high schools? And, what are the key factors for the MMHCR to leverage school and community resources to develop comprehensive, multifaceted, and integrated mental health service approaches to address identified barriers in three Oregon high needs high schools?