BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Bend-La Pine School’s Healthy Schools Program has resulted in a 21% decrease in health-related emergency department visits since its inception. The initiative, which targets student mental health and suicide prevention, has saved between $812,000 and $1.5 million in related health care costs.
Partnership Formed to Address Adolescent Health
The program was created in 2021 in partnership with Deschutes County to address serious adolescent health problems, including alcohol and drug use and disruptive behavior. Recent data from the 2024 student health survey revealed that nearly 11% of 11th graders in the district have considered attempting suicide (see full study below), while national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about 37% of students reported regular mental health struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students lead Suicide Prevention Efforts
One of the district’s primary initiatives is Source of Strength, a student-led suicide prevention program that focuses on stories of hope rather than trauma. Kayla Brandon, a senior at Caldera High School and a nationally recognized peer leader, helped facilitate this effort.
“The Source of Strength program is a powerful suicide prevention program,” Brandon said. “So we focus on stories of hope rather than stories of trauma.”
Changing Perspectives on Mental Health
Daisy Chavez, a junior at Caldera High School and also a nationally recognized peer leader, said the program changed her perspective on the importance of the topic.
“I was really drawn to the idea of realizing how mental health is a bigger topic,” Chavez said. “I think at first I was like, it’s not a big deal. Then once I got into it, you really learn a lot about what mental health is, how it affects others and how you can help others who are in that situation as well.
Curriculum Builds Skills and Trust
Chavez said students have seen an increase in suicide and depression rates among their peers. The curriculum focuses on eight essential health skills, including advocacy, decision making and accessing reliable resources.
Neil Seibert, a health and PE teacher at Caldera High School, said these skills provide a foundation for healthy habits and build trust between students and mentors.
“We have eight essential health skills that we focus on, accessing valid and reliable resources, advocacy, decision-making,” Seibert said. “Practice health-enhancing behaviors. And those skills set the foundation for everything we cover in our health curriculum.”
Peer Events and Family Engagement
During the month of March, peer leaders host Mentor Madness events where students and mentors compete in games in gymnasiums and classrooms. Beyond the classroom, the district emphasizes parent engagement through family nights.
Hailey Barth, community health specialist, explained that these events allow students to teach their families the resilience skills they learn.
“We’ve held several family nights throughout the district where these are peer-led programs,” Barth said. “So the students plan this. They’re inviting their families to this event and they’re also teaching their parents and families the resiliency skills they’re learning in the program.”
Family Connection Strengthens Mental Health
Federal data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supports this focus on family relationships. Regular family rituals such as dinner, going for a walk or a movie are associated with 40% fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety in teens.
Expansion ahead for the Healthy Schools Program
The district now offers a Healthy Schools program at every high school.
Bend-La Pine School officials are now working to implement the program in middle schools throughout the district.
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