San Antonio: Councilwoman Sandoval Applauds Metro Health’s Investment In Adolescent Mental Health Intervention

Press release from the City of San Antonio:

November 12, 2020

SAN ANTONIO — City Council approved a contract with University of Texas Teen Health for Project YES, an online preventative program for depression and anxiety in adolescents. Councilwoman Sandoval released the following statements:

“Our young people have felt so much of the pandemic. Their educational lives have been dramatically changed. Some, if not all, of their most revered rites of passage have been cancelled or modified. While not at high risk for the worst health impacts of COVID, they are at high risk for depression and anxiety because of COVID. That’s why it’s critical we invest in evidence-based mental health programs like Project YES.”

“Project YES, developed at Stonybrook University, has an outstanding record of cutting depression symptoms by half at nine months after the student participates in the program.”

“I’m glad to see Metro Health partner with UT Teen Health and make this investment in the mental health of our young people.”

Project YES is an evidence-based, single-session online intervention for depression and anxiety in adolescents. It has been shown to cut depression symptoms by half at 9 months of implementation. Additionally, the intervention provides benefits for violence prevention, since learning to understand and manage emotions can prevent violence, and Health Equity, because LGBT adolescents have been early high adopters of this intervention.

More details, including the presentation made by City staff, can be found here.

This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.