Promoting Adolescent Mental and Physical Health: Initiatives Focused on Connecting Public Health and Social Services to the Health Sector in Nebraska

This capstone focuses on the second recommendation of improving access to comprehensive, coordinated health services from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth (2019). This proposal uses secondary data from the research project, Moving Evidence-Based Recommendations to Practice to Strengthen the Health Care System in Nebraska. Key stakeholders (n=28) were interviewed from the health care, public health, social services, and policy sectors. Each subject was asked to participate in a semi-structured interview by a trained interviewer. The interview was 1 hour long and conducted via phone call or Zoom. The digital files were transcribed by Datagain, a professional transcription company. The data were analyzed using NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software. The analysis of each interview was coded line by line based on predetermined codes. For this study, information from the "Connecting health care, social services, and public health" code will be summarized. For the analysis of the code, notes, obvious themes, and direct quotes were used to explain the information key stakeholders had shared. The analysis revealed several themes focusing on three interconnected aspects: the link between the healthcare sector and social services, the link between the healthcare sector and public health services, and the initiatives connecting all three sectors. This research aims to contribute valuable information that can guide the improvement of comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated health services for adolescents in Nebraska. The findings highlight the importance of integrating health care, social services, and public health to ensure comprehensive and coordinated care for adolescents. By gaining insights into the existing initiatives and their limitations, policymakers and stakeholders can work collaboratively to develop effective strategies that bridge the gaps between these sectors. This research examines initiatives that connect the health, social service, and public health sectors to enhance adolescent health and well-being.