National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

A wave of school shootings in the late 1990s made it clear that communities had to go beyond reacting to violent incidents and work to promote mental health and prevent violence.

HHD was funded in 2002 by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to establish the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, which provides training and technical assistance to more than 300 school districts and their community partners who receive grants through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative to keep children safe and healthy.

Center support also extends to grant recipients in six states and their designated communities through Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health), providing programs that encourage the overall well-being of children up to eight years of age.

The Center offers a continuum of services including face-to-face events, teleconferences, and one-on-one consultations customized to the needs and strengths of local communities. Center staff work with communities to solve problems and address pressing issues such as financing mental health services, strengthening challenging partnerships, or sustaining systems change necessary for implementing evidence-based interventions.