Students speak out in new report addressing mental and physical health concerns
Spencer Sacks
(UPDATE: Added Video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Students feel they are often left behind when it comes to their physical and mental well being.
According to a new report by the Oregon Health Authority, more than 1 out of 5 students reported not having their physical and mental health care needs met.
In 2022, more than 29,000 students in 8th and 11th grades were asked questions related to their physical, mental, and emotional health.
KTVZ got an exclusive interview with a co-author of this report, 18 year old Senior Alexis Zou who was excited for the report.
Zou told KTVZ News, “What made this report especially valuable is that it’s one of the first times that we’ve really looked at the open ended data that students are describing their experiences in their own words, and then communicating that in the form of a report to make sure that their experiences are being heard and that they feel seen, and that we can take the steps necessary to address the issues that they’re struggling with.”
This study comes on the tail of the Covid-19 pandemic that saw schools all across the nation being shut down and moved online. Students said the pandemic disrupted physicals, as well as getting prescriptions. Not only was that a factor, according to the CDC, 44% of high school students said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness, or hopelessness during the pandemic. 37% reported poor mental health most, or all the time.
“Speaking from my point of view and also some of the trends that I saw in the data, I think covid definitely had a really big impact on how students felt,” Zou told KTVZ News “It all passed by and all blurred together because we were all isolated during that time. We couldn’t interact and socialize with our friends. For me, I was a seventh grader. That’s a really important time for getting out and talking, meeting new people. We were unfortunately deprived of that during the pandemic.”
Schools decided to take action, and make sure kids have more resources to access physical and mental health care.
KTVZ News spoke with Crook County Middle School Principal Marques Hase, who shared how the school is bettering care for students.
Hase told KTVZ News, “We have two counselors here at the school and student success coordinator that do a lot of support with students just in the day to day of life at school. They are constantly talking with parents about options in the community for outside counseling or outside supports that may be wanted and or needed from the families.”
This is an ongoing problem students, parents, and schools are grappling with. But Zou shared with KTVZ News it was important for her to address these issues and make sure nobody is left behind.