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The pandemic hit kids hard. A peer-to-peer health project in Miami is trying to help | Opinion

Miami Herald - 12/31/2021

Our kids are in the midst of a mental health crisis.

Today’s students are experiencing stressors we could have never imagined in the past — vaping, social media pressure, heightened unrealistic body image portrayals, online bullying, opioid addiction epidemics, school shootings — the list goes on.

In addition to these pre-existing challenges, the pandemic turned our kids’ lives upside down. Nearly all school-aged children went from having in-person classes and social interactions with peers to being on lockdown and experiencing intense social isolation. We are only just starting to understand the damaging impact of the pandemic.

Sounding the alarm

In October, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy stated in December that the pandemic and its impact on child, adolescent and young adult mental health were “devastating.”

In the decade preceding the pandemic, Murthy’s report says approximately 20% of American children ages 3 to 17 had a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder, and there had been a 40% increase in the share of high school students that reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

While it is important that the AAP and Murthy are sounding the alarm on the mental health crisis, it is critical that we respond to the emergency. There are many conversations about the problem but very few about the solution.

What we are doing

For the past 13 years, this mental health crisis has already been addressed in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools through a program called Health Information Project (HIP).

As the founder and executive director of Miami-based HIP, I am proud to have partnered with Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who helped make health education a priority locally.

HIP revolutionizes health education: Unlike traditional high school health classes led by adults, we utilize high school students as health educators. Instead of adults using outdated textbooks, cheesy videos and scare tactics, HIP is innovative, science-based and relatable.

In 2009, HIP became the first, and remains the only, peer-to-peer comprehensive health education program for high school students in the country. Since its inception, we have trained over 12,500 11th- and 12th-grade HIP “peer health educators,” who have taught more than 260,000 ninth-graders. Our programming is in 55 public high schools in Miami-Dade in addition to private schools Gulliver, Ransom, Riviera and Cushman.

We also recently expanded to other schools in Florida, across Broward, Monroe and Pinellas counties.

HIP covers critical topics like suicide, eating disorders, obesity and depression — and its peer-to-peer model creates a safe space for discussion, so kids feel less alone. (Research shows adolescents are more likely to shift their thinking and behaviors through health messaging from peers facing similar concerns.)

And at schools with HIP programming, students continue to report that they prefer to be taught these topics by kids their age.

Addressing mental health

The surgeon general’s report outlined a series of recommendations to improve youth mental health, including supporting mental health in school settings.

Miami is already a step ahead.

Many educators have expressed concern about “learning loss” due to the pandemic. However, it is crucial to understand that we cannot address academic performance if we do not address the physical and emotional stressors and distractions in students’ lives.

Research shows that physically and emotionally well students perform better academically. So, health education and healthcare access for kids should be something we can all rally around.

We’re doing that in Florida, and other school districts should follow our lead.

Superintendent Carvalho knew, 13 years ago when I approached him about piloting HIP, that student health was critical to the overall health of any community.

Taking action

As a product of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and a graduate of Miami Palmetto Senior High School, I could not be prouder of my school district and my hometown.

We need other school districts to address these issues with preventive measures, not just when a crisis erupts. In the meantime, education leaders around the country can lean on organizations, like HIP, to make systemic changes.

We can’t just sound the alarm. We must take action — and quickly. Our kids’ lives are depending on it.

Risa Berrin is the founder and executive director of Health Information Project (HIP), a Miami-based nonprofit revolutionizing health education by transforming high school students into health teachers, with a mission to ensure that all kids are physically and emotionally safe and healthy.

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