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In rural America, where suicide rates are high and mental health resources can be limited, the Rural Behavioral Health Institute (RBHI) is reaching kids where they are—in their schools.
Through its Screening Linked to Care (SLTC) program, RBHI provides universal mental health screening for students in grades 3–12, followed by immediate support for those who need it. “We’ve designed SLTC so that any caring adult in the school can implement it,” said Kayleigh Brown, COO of RBHI. “In some schools, the superintendent, principal, nurse or even a homeroom teacher leads the program. We provide all the training and support they need.
“We’ve built technology to make the process simple,” explained Janet Lindow, CEO and co-founder of RBHI. “Schools get personalized dashboards, and training takes less than 30 minutes. This year alone, we screened about 20,000 students in Montana with just four clinicians and a few contracted providers. That’s the power of technology and community collaboration.”
The impact is clear: students show statistically significant reductions in suicidality, depression and anxiety. "Success is when kids feel better. But it's also about reducing stigma,” said Brown. “Suicide is scary, and people don’t want to talk about it. But talking about it is what reduces stigma.” Now expanding to Colorado, Wyoming and beyond, RBHI is making sure rural youth across the country have access to lifesaving care.
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