Seattle leaders announce new initiative addressing student mental health and violence prevention

SEATTLE — In November, a student was shot and killed in Seattle’s Ingraham High School. On Wednesday, officials gathered at the school to announce ‘Reach Out Seattle’. City leaders say the new initiative is meant to help students struggling with mental health struggles and curb youth gun violence.

The plan is to teach the adults in the students’ lives what to look for and how to intervene early before they have a mental health crisis. It’s based on Seattle Fire’s Medic One and Two programs in the 1970′s that taught the public First Aid, CPR, and the Heimlich Maneuver. Reach Out Seattle is the same concept but for mental health.

“It’s heart-wrenching to see this happen to our youth,” said Seattle Children’s Dr. Leslie Walker Harding.

Dr. Walker Harding and the city leaders who gathered in Ingraham High’s library all agreed that kids today are living through things they should never have to deal with.

“In middle school, I was in two lockdowns. Two lockdowns in the same year,” said Seattle Student Union Representative, Chetan Soni.

Chetan said even the active shooter drills chip away at his, and his classmates’ peace of mind.

“Since elementary school we’ve had to practice active lockdowns, hiding in a corner, pulling down the blinds, and staying absolutely completely silent because one day our lives could depend on it,” Soni said.

Max Santiago, a 9th grader at Ingraham said, “It’s important to talk about this and understand it.”

A memorial in one of Ingraham’s hallways marks the trauma the students there lived through. It remembers Ebenezer Haile, the student killed in November. Haile was shot and killed by another teen.

Soni said about 45% of teens report they have poor mental health. He also said 22% have had thought about suicide, that’s 10% more than ten years ago.

“How can you learn when you are facing trauma, pain, stress, anxiety? When you have to look over your shoulder and constantly worry about gunfire, violence, bullying,” asked Seattle’s Mayor, Bruce Harrell.

As Seattle Fire did in the 1970′s, this initiative hopes to give adults the tools to step in and help when a student is struggling mentally. It’s called psychological first aid.

“The goal is to ultimately decrease the need for high-intensity in-patient hospitalization by empowering parents, caregivers, and trusted adults to be first responders in the community,” said Dr. Walker Harding.

‘Reach Out Seattle’ is still in the planning process now. The goal is to keep hospitalizations down by having a citywide safety net.

“A coordinated system with all the sectors of the city, there won’t be a wrong door. Every door will be the right door for support and services for our youth,” Dr. Walker Harding said.

Officials said ‘Reach Out Seattle’ will be ready by fall.

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