Some of the most pressing health issues for youth are suicide, pregnancy, obesity, substance abuse and violence. But with school-based health centers and student-centered programs throughout New Mexico, the state is making an effort to help teens battle these risks.

"Students in New Mexico have access to behavioral health services," said Tessa Medina-Lucero, the adolescent health coordinator for the state Department of Health. "We have 59 school-based health centers."

The free health centers offer physical exams, behavioral health screenings, vaccinations, treatment of illnesses and health education. In Santa Fe, these centers are located at Capital High School, Santa Fe High School, the New Mexico School for the Deaf and the Santa Fe Indian School.

The 2009 New Mexico School-Based Health Centers Status Report, released by the Department of Health, said, "SBHCs are accessible, convenient, encourage family and community involvement, reduce student absenteeism and reduce parental leave from work for doctor visits."

With help from the school-based health centers, the Natural Helpers program was launched to focus on youth behavioral health. Student-selected leaders in each participating school are trained to offer peer support for their classmates. The goal is to create a diverse group of student leaders, who can reach all demographics within a school.

"It changes the dynamic of the school," Medina-Lucero said. "It's structured so that it creates a different culture in the school."

The Natural Helpers are trained to talk through and identify peer problems such as depression, stress, abuse and suicide, and learn when to refer their confidants as well as who to send them to for additional help. This is an important service, since suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people in New Mexico.

The statewide suicide hot line, set up in 2006, takes about 17,000 calls annually. This resource and other efforts to lower New Mexico's suicide rate have been effective. The Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, conducted by the Department of Health, shows the rate of suicide attempts was 9.7 percent in 2009, down from 14.3 percent in 2007.

Another youth-centered program, Native H.O.P.E. (Helping Our People Endure) is similar to Natural Helpers, but specifically targets Native American students. Native H.O.P.E. focuses on suicide prevention, substance abuse, violence, trauma and depression.

"I know that one of our at-risk populations is Native American youth," Medina-Lucero said. According to the School-Based Health Centers Status Report, this is because Native Americans have lower rates of health insurance, and tribes are likely to live in rural areas without easy access to services.

Both Native H.O.P.E. and Natural Helpers use a positive youth-development approach, with a mission of helping youth achieve their full potential by preventing risky behaviors. Medina-Lucero said the programs view youth positively — as assets to the community — instead of just looking at the problems youth face.

In addition to the state-funded school-based health centers, there are several programs within the schools that promote healthy lifestyles.

"The Office of Student Wellness sees it as their job to organize comprehensive programs across the district," said Tita Gervers, the director of student wellness for Santa Fe Public Schools.

One of these programs deals with immunization. "Up until recently, one of the issues that was plaguing the health of children across our state was a very low rate of immunization," Gervers said.

Two years ago, the Office of Student Wellness arranged for schools to give shots to students and faculty, which protected against preventable illnesses like the flu and the whooping cough. In 2008-2009, school-based health centers administered 2,781 immunizations. These efforts brought the immunization rate up to 90 percent from about 55 percent to 75 percent.

"Once we get into secondary school, we have concern about teenage pregnancy, which is high in New Mexico," Gervers said. The 2007 youth-survey data show the birth rate of 15- to 17-year-olds to be 32.9 per 1,000, higher than the U.S. average of 22 per 1,000.

A local pregnancy-prevention panel gives teen mothers an opportunity to talk to peers about their experiences and the hardships of raising a child. "We think it's an excellent program because it doesn't focus on sexual behavior in the sense that it's not mostly about contraception. It's mostly about social behaviors," Gervers said.

Gervers estimates that $2 million is spent on prevention annually, some of it provided by the Department of Health.

"We try to create a whole network of prevention but not to lose anyone, to make sure everyone gets their needs met and that no one falls through the cracks," Gervers said.

Emma Hamming-Green is a senior at The Academy for Technology and the Classics. You can reach her at happycamper156@hotmail.com.