The Pima County Health Department has launched a new initiative to address the mental health impacts of COVID-19 on K-12 students and faculty. The initiative is being called "Not Alone" in recognition of its central message to young people struggling with their mental health: they are not alone.
The initiative is being funded by an Arizona Department of Health Services grant, to which the Board of Supervisors
approved a no-cost extension during their regular meeting on March 7.
Not Alone can provide free individual counseling sessions through
COPE Community Services, Inc. Recipients may also attend skill-building groups. Additionally, Not Alone is partnering with Lady Gaga's
Born This Way Foundation, which provides peer-to-peer support through its Be There certificate program.
This initiative includes a partnership with several Pima County school districts as well as a comprehensive advertising campaign targeted to youth via social media and digital platforms, movie theaters, and other general market placements such as billboards and radio ads.
The program is being overseen by Matthew Schmidgall and Michael Webb of the Health Department's Youth and School Communities program.
"Recent data being released about youth mental health is alarming," said Schmidgall. "Suicide remains the third leading cause of death for adolescents, and one-in-three high school students recently reported that their mental health was not good. The Not Alone campaign was designed with these concerns in mind and aims to connect young people to the resources they need."
More information about Not Alone, including the link to sign up for services, can be found at
pimahelpline.org/notalone.