The Second Wind Fund of Metro Denver, Inc. (SWFMD)

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

The purpose of the Second Wind Fund of Metro Denver (SWFMD) is to provide free, specialized, private counseling to uninsured/underinsured youth at risk for suicide. SWFMD serves all Denver Metro youth under 19 who have been classified as uninsured or underinsured, excluding Medicare recipients. There are approximately 200,000 middle school and high school students in the Denver Metro area, SWFMD estimates that in one year 25,000 of them qualify for SWFMD services. The goals and objectives of SWFMD are: (1) to reduce suicide among youth; (2) to work with school counselors and other referral sources as they identify youth at-risk for suicide; (3) to link suicidal students with discreet, appropriate counseling services provided by a network of licensed, trained therapists and (4) to remove financial barriers for youth who may otherwise be unable to access or afford mental health counseling. SWFMD staff developed a data collection process utilizing the highly validated Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (SIQ) which assesses thoughts about suicide in adolescents and young adults in high school; and by interviews with clients, school personnel, therapists, and parents to evaluate the success of the program. The performance measures are: the number of youth participating and completing the program; the number of youth accessing the program and the number of counseling sessions provided to youth. NCA/NCF