2023 Outcomes Report

2023 Outcomes Report Alexander Youth Network is dedicated to helping children overcome their mental health challenges. We strongly believe that an integrated approach is the most effective way to support children at their point of need. Our approach emphasizes the importance of involving the whole family in treatment goal setting and planning.

Our outcomes highlight how our service array works together for so many families to help kids heal.

Client Demographics

02

Female

44%

Male

56%

gender

Black

49%

White

42%

Other

8%

ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK

age

race

Under 6

2%

6–9

20%

10–12

23%

13–15

26%

16–18

22%

19+

6%

Where We Served Kids in 2023 75 counties in North Carolina 2023 OUTCOMES REPORT

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Client Diagnosis

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ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK

Anxiety Disorders

35%

Neurological Disorders

34%

Mood Disorders

24%

Substance Abuse

3%

Other

4%

Anxiety Disorders A mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fear that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities. Examples of anxiety disorders include panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some symptoms include stress that’s out of proportion to the impact of the event, inability to set aside a worry, and restlessness. Many of the children we serve don’t have the ability to cope with the everyday challenges of life such as a change in schedule, or a perceived negative interaction with a staff or friend.

Neurological Disorders Neurological disorders are medically defined as disorders that affect the brain as well as the nerves found throughout the human body and the spinal cord. Structural, biochemical or electrical abnormalities in the brain, spinal cord or other nerves can result in a range of symptoms.

Common types of neurological disorders are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Alexander Youth Network uses a traumainformed approach to treat these disorders.

(ADHD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

Our approach employs rhythmic, repetitive,

Mood Disorders

relational, rewarding, relevant and respectful interventions to get to the heart

Mood disorders are a category of illnesses

of trauma and allow for healing to begin.

that describe a serious change in mood.

This approach provides positive outcomes

Illness under mood disorders include: major

for the children we serve and provides

depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (maniaeuphoric, hyperactive, over inflated ego, unrealistic optimism), persistent depressive

them with the coping skills they need for lasting change.

disorder (long lasting low grade depression), cyclothymia (a mild form of bipolar disorder), and SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

2023 OUTCOMES REPORT

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Access to Care and Client Satisfaction We gauge our care standard by ensuring that our clients recognize they are receiving the necessary care and find satisfaction in their interactions with their healthcare provider.

91

of Alexander clients were satisfied with our access to care

100

of Alexander clients surveyed indicated that they felt respected by their care providers

89

of Alexander clients were satisfied with their treatment

% % %

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ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK

Our Treatment Successes We take pride in the success of our treatment interventions, which have not only enabled children to remain at home and within their communities, but also facilitated a smoother transition for those in residential treatment to lower levels of care.

Residential Treatment

93

%

of kids transitioned from residential treatment to a less restrictive setting

Intensive In-Home

88 % 87 %

of clients remained in school due to services provided

of clients remained in the home due to services provided

Global Assessment

88

%

of kids showed improvement or maintenance during their treatment 2023 OUTCOMES REPORT

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ACORN Model The ACORN model is used as a comprehensive and dynamic tool to assess and track advancements in behavioral health. Its holistic approach integrates various dimensions of well-being, enabling a broader understanding of individuals’ mental and emotional states.

By encompassing aspects such as activities, connectedness, outlook, resilience, and needs, the ACORN model provides a nuanced framework for evaluating the multifaceted nature of behavioral health improvements while children are receiving treatment. This holistic perspective allows for more accurate and personalized interventions, fostering a more effective and tailored approach to enhancing overall mental and emotional well-being. The added benefit of Measurement-Informed Care tools is that they also allow Alexander to track functional improvement during the client’s treatment using feedback from the clients and their caregivers. Tracking progress more frequently during monthly treatment teams allows the treatment team to adjust interventions while still receiving services providing greater gains at discharge for children and families. Alexander Youth Network began using the ACORN (A Collaborative Outcomes Research Network) as a Measurement-Informed Care tool in 2018.

What is ACORN measuring?

When one conducts a factor analysis on anxiety and depression within the ACORN model, they observe a singular common factor known as Global Distress instead of distinct anxiety and depression factors. Within ACORN questionnaires, there are items closely resembling those found in the PHQ9/GAD7, addressing feelings of sadness, sleep, eating habits, energy levels, concentration, and self-harm. The ACORN model allows Alexander to observe outcomes and effectiveness in our Programs and Services effectiveness.

The ACORN tool provides us with a three-tier view: 1) Individual Client Improvement while in care as mentioned above 2) Program Effectiveness based upon the client progress, and 3) Agency Effectiveness compared to other agencies using the tool

Source: https://acorncollaboration.org/ 08

ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK

Evaluating Alexander’s Ability to Treat Behavioral Health Symptoms Effectively Alexander Youth Network prides itself on comprehensive and effective treatment for the kids we serve. Our ACORN model scores denote our effectiveness as compared to the national average. Alexander’s effectiveness score of 0.95 is a rating of “Highly Effective”, which is above the national average of 0.86. This shows our dedication to good outcomes for behavioral health treatment.

1.0

Clinical Range Cases - Severity Adjusted Effectiveness Score

0.95 0.86

0.8

0.6

Highly Effective

0.4

Effective Improvement Score - Alexander

0.2

Improvement Score - All Other 0.0

Alexander Youth Network

ACORN National Average

Measuring Treatment Excellence In academic journals, researchers employ ‘effect size’ to assess treatment outcomes. Following extensive research in psychotherapy, it is determined that an effect size of 0.5 or greater is “effective” and an effect size of 0.8 or greater is “highly effective.”

Source: https://acorncollaboration.org/ 2023 OUTCOMES REPORT

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An Inspiring Impact Story Hannah is petite and shy; she is quiet and keeps to herself. Looking at Hannah you would never imagine the trauma she suffered in her young life of nine years. Hannah came to Alexander Youth Network after spending several days in the hospital where she had been taken after she tried to hit her aunt with a tire iron. Hannah was diagnosed with a mood disorder caused by the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her aunt. Hannah’s mom has some developmental disabilities and felt Hannah would be better off living with her aunt. What no one could have known was the extent of the physical and emotional abuse she would suffer.

When she came to Alexander Youth Network, she was quiet and withdrawn. She didn’t want to engage with the other children or the staff. Our staff was patient and let her go at her own pace.

At first, Hannah would only communicate via puppets and stuffed animals. As Hannah became more comfortable, she began to disclose to her therapist, during play therapy, what her life had been like and what drove her to want to harm her aunt. As her therapist and Hannah played with the doll house, she would reveal that she had been tied to chairs, had her dolls mutilated in front of her, been beaten, and had her things taken away from her when she was “bad.” After several months of allowing Hannah to communicate via her puppets, she found her voice. Her therapist encouraged her to use her own voice and words to express herself. She began writing her feelings down and using a journal as a way of expressing herself. She was able to communicate that the schedule and routine of being at Alexander helped with her feelings of anxiety and hypervigilance. She had kind staff who were patient with her. She was able to participate in our drumming and swimming programs, which calmed her. She had a lunch buddy who spent an hour a week just being there for her and playing games.

Hannah was eventually discharged from our residential care and participated in our Day Treatment program. She was able to see familiar faces on our campus who cared about her and understood her history. Her teachers and counselors at our Day Treatment were able to build on the skills she had learned in our residential program. She continued with drumming and swimming and was able to have the consistency she needed to make lasting change.

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ALEXANDER YOUTH NETWORK

Alexander Youth Network and its subsidiaries, The Relatives and Youth Focus, served

over 9,000 kids in 2023.

2023 OUTCOMES REPORT

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Alexander Programs & Services 24/7 Mental Health Stabilization & Crisis Care 24/7 Residential Treatment Day Treatment Therapeutic Foster Care Community-Based Programs Outpatient Therapy Care Management Clinical & 30-Day Assessments

Learn more: alexanderyouthnetwork.org