Friday, August 27, 2021

SAMHSA Awards $74.2M in Grants to Strengthen Youth Mental Health August 27, 2021

 
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SAMHSA  Awards $74.2M in Grants to Strengthen Youth Mental Health

 

As students head back to school, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is awarding grants that will strengthen the structures that serve the mental health needs of our nation’s youth. The first raises awareness of mental health issues for youths and trains school personnel. The second coordinates treatment for young people who have emotional disorders.  The first-year awards for the two programs total $74.2 million. 
 
“As the Biden-Harris Administration continues to provide a comprehensive approach to combating the COVID-19 pandemic, these programs demonstrate the critical priority of behavioral health for our young people,” said U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Schools represent resources for our children on so many fronts. We’re making sure they’re equipped to better address those needs.”
 
“It is crucial for America’s young people to receive evidence-based treatments that support their mental health needs and promote resilience,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph. D., the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “These grants aim to build and improve the structures and systems in place to address those needs comprehensively and consistently.” 

 

NIMH Expert Dr. Krystal Lewis Discusses Coping with the Pandemic and Re-Entry Stress. August 27, 2021

 

NIMH Expert Dr. Krystal Lewis Discusses Coping with the Pandemic and Re-Entry Stress

Screen grab of Dr. Krystal Lewis during a Instagram event

On August 24, 2021, NIMH conducted an Instagram event with Krystal Lewis, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist at NIMH, who discussed causes or triggers of stress and coping techniques to help reduce anxiety and improve the transition back to school.

Watch the recording

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $200,000 grant to the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA) to address air quality issues across the island of Tutuila.

 


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For Immediate Release: August 26, 2021 
Media Contact: Soledad Calvino, 415-972-3512, Calvino.maria@epa.gov
 

American Samoa EPA Awarded $200,000 for Environmental Justice Projects under the American Rescue Plan

PAGO PAGO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $200,000 grant to the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (AS-EPA) to address air quality issues across the island of Tutuila. Stay-at-home orders tied to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increase in open burning on Tutuila, with negative consequences for air quality. The funds come from the American Rescue Plan and are being awarded as a grant under EPA’s State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement (SEJCA) program. Awards made through this program are the first competitive grants from the EPA focusing directly on the unequal impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on communities of color, low-income communities, and other vulnerable populations. 

“The U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) face some of the greatest environmental and COVID-related burdens,” said Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. “We are pleased to support American Samoa’s efforts to address these challenges and congratulate them for being the first USAPI to receive a SEJCA award.”

AS-EPA will use this American Rescue Plan funding to address underserved residents’ increased exposure to outdoor pollutants caused by open burning, which has been practiced more frequently due to local stay-at-home orders. The project will strategically install four air quality monitoring stations across the island of Tutuila to measure real time air quality. Data will assist in inter-agency collaborations for making informed decisions and plans to improve air quality on the island. The air quality information will also be used in an educational program about the negative health and environmental impacts of burning yard waste compared to the positive benefits of composting.

"I would like to thank Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan and the entire team at the EPA Region 9 for their continuous support of the USAPI and especially American Samoa's environmental programs. Being the first USAPI jurisdiction to receive a SEJCA award is a testament to the hard-working staff we have here at the AS-EPA Air & Land Division and I commend them for conquering this challenge,” said AS-EPA Director Fa'amao O. Asalele, Jr. “Understanding air pollution and its impacts will allow communities and organizations to work together to strike a balance between social good, economic growth and environmental implications associated with developments that cause air pollution. In doing so, this will promote healthy communities and create conditions that are supportive of developing and improving a sustainable framework of clean air investments and policies in American Samoa. My staff and I look forward to working with US EPA Region 9 and our local partners on the implementation of this very important project.”

Nationwide, projects supported by this funding include training, development of citizen-science tools, pollution monitoring, and educational campaigns to enable environmental justice advocates, scientists, and decision-makers to address pollution and create thriving communities. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law on March 11, 2021. It provides funds to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID–19 pandemic. To learn more about the American Rescue Plan, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319/text 

Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.  

 

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Thursday, August 26, 2021

September 4, 2021 Event. GULLAH/GEECHEE AGRO-CULTURE FISHING AND FARMING FIELD DAY

 

Gullah/Geechee Agro-Culture Fishing and Farming Field Day

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:

Saturday, September 4, 2021 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM (EDT)

Lands End Woodland Beach
Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition
100 Lands End Road
St Helena Island, SC 29920
View Map

 

 

De Gullah/Geechee Agro-Culture team invites you to Fishing and Farming Day at the historic Lands End Woodland Club on St. Helena Island, SC.

Share this event on Facebook and Twitter.

We hope you can make it!

Cheers,

Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition

Community-Based Solutions Alleviate Water Shortages in Central America – In Pictures

 

Access to water is a constant struggle in Central America, a region with more than 60 million people, many of whom live in rural areas where conditions for good quality water and enough for food production are becoming increasingly difficult. Climate change has further deepened water scarcity in Central America, especially in the so-called Dry […]

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