Resources for Transition-Age Young Adults and Their Providers Series provides information for both young adults transitioning out of pediatric care and the providers working with them. As young adults take on the responsibility of their own health care and become self-advocates, they need support navigating relationships with healthcare professionals, accessing substance-use prevention services, addressing serious mental illness, understanding insurance coverage, and learning about well-being. This resource serves as a supplement to the webinar “Making Physical Health and Well-being Matter for Youth and Young Adults.” 

This series is composed of one webinar and six fact sheets: 

Webinar 

  • Making Physical Health and Well-being Matter for Youth and Young Adults: Education and Prevention: This webinar, hosted by the Program to Achieve Wellness, discussed methods and strategies that encourage youth and young adults (YYA) to enhance their well-being. It was presented by Linda Henderson-Smith of the National Council for Behavioral Health, Taylor Blanco of the Southern Florida Wellness Network, and Melissa Robinson Graves of the CHRIS Training Institute. This resource is intended for use by care providers and professionals that work with YYA. The webinar emphasized the importance of cultural activation in care plans to improve outcomes and empower individuals as self-advocates. 

Fact Sheets 

  • Resources for Young Adults: The two-page fact sheet lists resources for youth and young adults (YYA) to navigate health care effectively. The following items are highlighted: 
    1. Youth.gov 
    2. Youth M.O.V.E.
    3. ArtReach Toronto 
    4. Healthcare.gov 
    5. Smartphone Apps 

Publications and websites in this tip sheet are free to access. This resource is designed for healthcare providers to distribute to youth and young adults. 

  • Resources for Providers Working with Young Adults: The one-page fact sheet lists and describes resources for providers working with young adults with behavioral health conditions. It highlights the importance of engaging young adults in their healthcare, especially during their transition from pediatric to adult services. Providers need to be aware of the unique circumstances of young adults and engage them through cultural activation, involving a consumer’s cultural identities in their treatment. Highlighted resources include the following: 
    1. Youth.gov 
    2. University of Michigan’s Adolescent Health Initiative 
    3. Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies 
  • Treating Illicit Drug and Opioid Use in Young Adults: This fact sheet addresses the identification and treatment of substance use disorders in young adults. Care providers are urged to incorporate substance use screening, appropriate interventions, and screening for co-occurring serious mental illness into their regular care. The resource emphasizes the importance of patient activation through education and involving parents or caregivers to improve treatment outcomes. 
  • Managing Obesity in Youth and Young Adults: This fact sheet encourages professionals to address the overall health and wellness of transition-aged patients with obesity. The resource discusses the impact of mental illness on obesity and the importance of addressing negative emotions and attitudes towards weight with family-based and cognitive-behavioral treatments. Peer support is highlighted as a crucial factor for sustained behavioral change. 

Citation 

Program to Achieve Wellness. (2018). Resources for transition-age young adults and their providers series. https://www.prainc.com/resource-library/ 

This resource was first shared in 2018. 

(HTML, YouTube, PDF)