Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • #ArewaMeToo and the Centre Giving Sexual Abuse Survivors a Voice in Niger State

    Raising awareness about sexual abuse helps create space for the support and healing of victims. Using the #ArewaMeToo campaign as a platform, women in Nigeria are drawing attention to the shortcomings of Nigeria’s sexual offenses law. Sexual abuse is pervasive, but social pressure or the fear of dishonoring families often leads to silence. Organizations like the Rayuwa Sexual Assault Referral Centre (RSARC) are also raising awareness and providing support to victims of sexual abuse in Niger State. RSARC provides counseling, medical examinations, and ongoing support to survivors of abuse.

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  • As Alabama grapples with solitary confinement, other states offer blueprints for change

    The use of solitary confinement, or administrative segregation, in prisons is facing pushback across the country. In Alabama, a federal judge tasked the Department of Corrections to investigate how other states are reforming their use of solitary confinement – especially for those with mental health concerns. Recognizing that isolation often leads to increased bad behavior, states such as North Dakota and Colorado have placed stronger limitations on the use and deployment of administrative segregation.

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  • Those battling substance use disorders face challenge with getting medication

    In Vermont, increased access to medication-assisted treatment for those experiencing opioid addictions has helped decrease the stigma around receiving treatment and has also shown to be a successful strategy for treatment retention. This hub and spoke model has the potential to work in other states, however, the doctor who created the system says that it "is now self-sustaining because of the way the state funded it initially."

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  • As Schools Struggle To Meet Kids' Emotional Needs, One Colorado School May Have A Fix

    A K-12 public charter school in Colorado was facing a shortage in resources when it came to mental health counseling for students, so professional counselors have started training students to help. These students act as volunteer peer counselors and provide support to their fellow students by giving them a place to talk about their struggles and stressors.

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  • Mobile Health Clinic Unveiled To Serve Uninsured While Lowering Emergency Room Use

    In Utah, expanding health care access is taking shape in the form of RVs equipped with exam rooms, medical assistants and a nurse. Specifically designed to serve uninsured community members, the newest mobile health clinic offers "a specialized focus on women’s health, as well as mental health and substance abuse services, including medication assisted treatment which is used to help wean people of opioids."

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  • Oregon Leading the Nation in Clearing Backlog of Untested Rape Kits with Survivor-Focused Legislature

    As of 2018, Oregon’s backlog of Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) kits had been cleared thanks to the passage of a state bill, commonly referred to as Melissa’s Law. Besides clearing the accumulated kits, the legislation requires police to pick-up the kits from hospitals within seven days of notification and submit SAFE kits for testing within two weeks. Such a response has led to six perpetrators being identified as well as a systemic, patient-driven process for sexual assault survivors.

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  • A new approach: Lane County's efforts to find effective solutions to sex trafficking

    Lane County, Oregon is one of many of the state’s counties working to create a survivor-focused network of responses to sex trafficking. The Lane County Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Multidisciplinary Team is seeking to strengthen existing organizations, like the Department of Human Services, Planned Parenthood, and mental health providers, by connecting them – creating a more efficient, effective response to a uniquely challenging issue.

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  • To catch sex traffickers and protect kids, Colorado is using a new screening tool statewide

    In Colorado, a state law requiring the use of a screening tool is being used to combat sex trafficking at the individual level. The screening tool identifies and offers support and protection to victims of sex trafficking – many of whom are runaways from the foster care system – and has led to multiple prosecutions of sex traffickers.

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  • Parkrun Could Save America From Itself

    In the United Kingdom, an initiative known as parkrun, is working to bring people together for a weekly free 5K run in order to inspire physical fitness as well as community interaction. Although the US is not seeing as much success with its iteration of the initiative, there are several key lessons – such as corporate sponsorship and government involvement – that the advocates of the initiative can learn from.

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  • How Miami-Dade's Mental Health Program Steers People To Treatment, Not Jail

    For nearly two decades, Miami-Dade's Criminal Mental Health Project has worked to decriminalize mental illness, diverting people from jail into treatment and social services with an approach that has helped cut the jail population almost by half and save taxpayers millions. Combining the services of health care providers, law enforcement, and housing agencies, the project pairs participants with peer specialists and puts them on a treatment plan that can get their criminal charges dropped or reduced. Another benefit of the project: lower recidivism rates for people with serious mental illnesses.

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