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About KySS  As a result of the high incidence of psychosocial morbidities in children and adolescents, an urgent need exists to raise public awareness of these problems, correct common misperceptions, and implement preventive interventions targeted at building assets in children and their parents. To address this need, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners (NAPNAP) launched a national program, KySS: Keep your children/yourself Safe and Secure, which is geared toward the prevention and subsequent decrease of psychosocial morbidities in children and teenagers. The program emphasizes educational-behavioral interventions to teach children, youth, and their parents all aspects of physical and emotional safety (e.g., prevention of violence, motor vehicle accidents, cigarette, drug, and alcohol use, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases) and to build self-esteem, as well as other developmental assets (e.g., coping and problem-solving skills). Mission To promote the mental health of children and adolescents through the integration of mental health promotion, screening, and early evidence-based interventions. Philosophy We believe in comprehensive health care that includes prevention, early recognition and treatment of mental health problems in childhood, which will result in an optimal level of functioning and development that will form the foundation for productive adult years. Objectives - To raise awareness of child and adolescent mental health/psychosocial morbidities and the KySS Program with NAPNAP members, chapters, other healthcare providers, teachers, and the public.
- To disseminate information about and implement effective preventive, early interventions and mental health screening in children and adolescents.
- To educate healthcare professionals, teachers, and the public about mental health/psychosocial morbidities in children and adolescents, appropriate screening, and evidence-based interventions.
- To affect change in policies related to improving mental health services in children and adolescents at the local, state, and national levels.
- To develop effective partnerships with other organizations to promote mental health in children and adolescents.
To learn more about the KySS Program, please click here. The KySS (Keep your children/yourself Safe and Secure) Program: A National Effort to Reduce Psychosocial Morbidities in Children and Adolescents, is available in the 2001 March/April Issue of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care can be found by clicking here. Contact Information KySS National Chair:
Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP, NPP, FAAN, FANP
info@napnap.org.
NAPNAP Director, Practice, Education and Research:
Dolores Jones, EdD, RN, CPNP, CAE
djones@napnap.org.
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