Prosser Memorial Health Launches Mustangs Matter Youth Mental Health Initiative

Prosser Memorial Health, in partnership with the Prosser School District, Thrive Coalition, Boys & Girls Club of Prosser and Comprehensive Mental Health, will launch an online mental health initiative for youth in our community May 7, 2020.

Mustangs Matter is an interactive, social media-based platform where teens can talk to local mental healthcare providers like Heather Morse, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at the Prosser Clinic, and discuss a variety of different topics facing youth today. Mustangs Matter has an Instagram page with IGT Live to view the discussions in real time and submit questions and comments. The videos will also be available on the Mustangs Matter website: www.mustangsmatter.org. The website also has a number of resources for youth and parents, phone numbers and a dedicated email, mustangsmatter@gmail.com, where someone can reach out directly if they need additional resources or have a concern they would like addressed privately.

“Mustangs Matter sprung out of conversations I was having in the community when I was conducting face-to-face interviews on community needs in our area and how the Boys & Girls Club in Prosser would respond to those needs. Hands down everyone rated teen mental health as the number one area of need. Our Mustangs Matter partners all have some resources for teens in need of support and resources but after talking we decided it was best to pool our resources and create a platform that was more relatable for our target audience. Thus, we went down the interactive, social media path,” said Jessica Hoefer, Resource Director, Prosser Boys & Girls Club.

There is a student advisory group from Prosser High School that is part of this initiative as well. Select students along with a mental healthcare provider will discuss on live stream videos relevant mental health topics that teens face along with ways to cope. “We wanted to make sure

that whatever we ended up doing in response to the teen mental health need was relevant, meaningful and delivered in a way that would get youth interested and engaged in the
information,” said Erika Wassom, Project Coordinator, Thrive Coalition.

Future topics include: Dealing with depression, anxiety, suicide prevention, and how to help friends in need.