2024 Riggs-Yale Conference: Building Community Partnerships to Address Strains in the Social Safety Net

According to the National Institutes of Health, almost 20% of children and young people ages 3-17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, with suicidal behaviors among high school students having risen over 40% in the last 15 years. These trends were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and have had a differential impact on systemically marginalized populations. About half of young children in the USA live in or near poverty, also a social driver of family mental health.

While individual treatment is an important approach to addressing the crisis, community-wide efforts aimed at systemic intervention and prevention are essential. In this conference, participants will learn about creative approaches to building community-based partnerships to support families and youth facing adversity. The social and structural determinants of health will be examined and approaches to health equity improvement will be considered, including how community narratives can build collaboration.

The 2024 Riggs-Yale conference will be presented jointly by the Austen Riggs Center's Erikson Institute for Education, Research, and Advocacy and the Yale Child Study Center. Additional information including CE/CME and registration details can be found on the Austen Riggs Center website.