Institute of Rural Health again named mental-health ‘outreach partner’

Idaho State University’s Institute of Rural Health has been selected for the second time as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Outreach Partner for Idaho.

The NIMH partnership, which began in 2000, is under the direction of Dr. Beth Hudnall Stamm and Ann D. Kirkwood. ISU-IRH joins Outreach Partners in each state and the District of Columbia as part of a national initiative to bridge the gap between mental-health research and clinical practice by increasing public awareness of mental illness and mental-health issues.

As a partner of the Outreach Program, ISU-IRH is part of an integrated network of state and national organizations. Each Outreach Partner conducts a statewide mental-health outreach and education program to deliver science-based messages to the public, a broad range of health professionals, and historically underserved populations. NIMH provides Partners with breaking news on the latest scientific findings, national networking opportunities, access to NIMH publications for distribution and a small annual stipend.

ISU-IRH conducts awareness activities, such as the Better Todays, Better Tomorrows children’s mental-health education program for adults who care for and about children and youth. NIMH research findings are distributed to various mental-health professionals and advocacy organizations. ISU-IRH is part of the ISU Kasiska College of Health Professions.

The mission of the IRH is to improve the health of rural communities in Idaho and the Intermountain Region, as well as throughout the nation and the world, through research, education, and service. Among its other projects, ISU-IRH conducts a Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention Project in cooperation with NIMH and the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Outreach Partners are chosen through a competition in which applications are reviewed by a panel of outside experts and NIMH staff. In addition to the 51 state partners, there are more than 80 National Partners, including nationwide professional, consumer, advocacy, and service-related organizations that represent groups primarily concerned with mental health, alcoholism, and drug-abuse disorders. The program is an initiative of the NIMH with support from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and in collaboration with SAMHSA.The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the federal government’s principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For information, find us on the web at www.isu.edu/irh or contact us at irh@isu.edu, (208) 282-4436.