Although policy is a key component in primary health care, coalitions hold just as much weight. Thatcher et al., (2017) defines coalitions as, “multiple individuals or organizations, often from different sectors, who agree to work together towards a shared goal” (p. 324). Coalitions are key stakeholders that are influential when addressing health inequities and disparities. HEARD Alliance is an organization that can help address the problems surrounding females, age 12-17, suffering with depression in the United States.
HEARD Alliance’s mission is to, “increase collaboration amongst primary care, mental health, and educational professionals to enhance the community’s ability to promote well-being, to treat depression and related conditions and to prevent suicide in adolescents and young adults” (HEARD Alliance, n.d). This organization was started in California and includes a team of primary care and mental health providers (HEARD Alliance, n.d.). The members of HEARD Alliance work on a system and community level (HEARD Alliance, n.d,). They work closely with local hospitals, clinics, schools, private organizations, and even governments (HEARD Alliance, n.d). The organizational structure of HEARD Alliance consists of an executive team of 10 people (HEARD Alliance, n.d). The executive committee includes doctors, registered nurses, educators, and business professionals (HEARD Alliance, n.d.). The leaders of the organization cover a variety of fields and their professions reflect the target audience as they primarily have medical backgrounds in pediatrics and mental health (HEARD Alliance, n.d.). The leaders of the HEARD Alliance have a strong connection within the industry of mental health and have close professional affiliates that include professionals from Santa Clara County Behavioral Health, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, director of clinical services at Sand Hill School, psychology professors from Stanford School of Medicine, and Project Safety Net (a nonprofit) (HEARD Alliance, n.d). The organization has a planning grant from Stanford Medical Center that is funded by Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Stanford Hospital & Clinics (HEARD Alliance, n.d).
Collaboration can be quite complex but is a driving factor to develop a primary health care initiative. In simple terms, collaboration is defined as, “two or more people who work together toward a shared goal” (Thatcher et al., 2017, p. 321). There is a benefit with collaborating with HEARD Alliance when working on our team focal area; females ages 12-17 with depression in the Untied States. By collaborating with HEARD Alliance, we can learn from programs that have been successful and/or unsuccessful as well as have the opportunity to work closely with providers who specialize in youth mental health. HEARD Alliance has been successful thus far at providing resources regarding youth mental health. One resource that stood out to me is the Wise Teacher Well Being Workbook that HEARD Alliance launched (HEARD Alliance, n.d.). This workbook is a fantastic tool for teachers that provides tools to evaluate youth’s mental health as well as breathing exercises and worksheets to improve well-being (HEARD Alliance, n.d.). This resource could be a beneficial tool when addressing depression in females ages 12-17 in the U.S. One way we could adapt this tool to better fit our team’s focal area is by including resources on how hormones can play a role in depression with females ages 12-17 years old.
The HEARD Alliance is an excellent example of a coalition at work. Their goal to treat depression in youths is why it would be beneficial for our team to collaborate with them regarding the rising rates of depression in females ages 12-17 in the U.S. The HEARD Alliance continues to make a positive impact on the mental health crisis and I look forward to seeing the work they continue to do.
Resources
HEARD Alliance. (n.d.). https://www.heardalliance.org/
HEARD Alliance. (n.d.). Executive Committee. https://www.heardalliance.org/about-committee/
HEARD Alliance. (n.d.). Who We Are. https://www.heardalliance.org/about-heard/
HEARD Alliance. (n.d.). WISE Teacher Well-Being Workbook. https://www.heardalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/WISE-teacher-well-being-workbook-1.pdf
Thatcher, E., Park, E., & Kulbok, P. (2017). Working together: Collaboration, Coalition Building and Community Organizing. In M. Truglio-Londrigan & S. B. Lewenson (Eds.), Public Health Nursing: Practicing Population-Based Care: Practicing Population-Based Care (3rd edition, pp. 319–337). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://classes.pace.edu/content/enforced/393107-NURS-803-20737.202420/Thatcher,%202018,%20Working%20together.pdf?ou=393107