Boys & Girls Clubs of America, one of the nation’s largest youth-serving organizations, and Unite Us, the nation’s leading software company enabling cross-sector collaboration, are partnering to address the unmet mental health needs of young people, their families and communities across the nation.

With more than 5,000 Clubs across the nation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides supportive spaces, caring mentors, and life-enhancing programs to over 3.6 million young people. For over 160 years, Clubs have been anchors in communities, giving kids and teens access to resources that help them thrive.

Unite Us’ accountable networks of community partners connects people to much-needed resources and services, including assistance with housing, food insecurity, and transportation. Partners in Unite Us’ networks are connected through its shared technology platform, enabling them to send and receive secure, electronic referrals, collectively address people’s social needs, and ensure services that improve health across communities are delivered.

In partnership with Unite Us, Boys & Girls Clubs of America will provide local Boys & Girls Clubs with free access to and training for their online platform with the goal of connecting Club members and their families to needed community support to bolster youth mental health. Up to 20% of Americans ages 3-17 are diagnosed with a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder. As the effects of COVID-19 continue to exacerbate a growing trend of youth mental health disparities, collaboration between care providers is of critical importance.

“Boys & Girls Clubs across the country are dedicated to ensuring young people have access to what they need to reach their full potential,” said Jim Clark, President and CEO at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “By partnering with Unite Us, Club staff will now have the tools to connect youth and their families more easily with community programs to help them thrive.”

The Unite Us Platform will enable licensed users to communicate with other providers and ensure individuals and families receive the mental health care they need. The platform offers visibility across the continuum of care, bridging gaps between providers and closing the loop on referrals.

“Organizations like the Boys & Girls Club of America are the cornerstone of our country’s safety net,” said Dan Brillman, Co-Founder and CEO of Unite Us. “The Boys & Girls Club of America and Unite Us will work together to redefine the quality, impact, and intersection of health and wellness across communities—to help connect America’s youth to equitable mental health and other critical wellness resources so they can thrive and live healthier lives.”

Nonprofits, community-based organizations, and other providers who want to connect their clients and patients to Boys & Girls Club services within Unite Us’ network can reach out to uniteus.com/contact/.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 160 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character and leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Over 5,200 Clubs serve 3.3 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of America on Facebook and Twitter.

About Unite Us

Unite Us is the nation’s leading software company enabling collaboration across sectors to improve the health and well-being of communities. Unite Us’ secure solution establishes a new standard of care that identifies and predicts social care needs, helps connect people to services, and leverages meaningful outcomes data to further drive community investment. Through Unite Us’ national network and software, community-based organizations, government agencies, health plans, and healthcare providers are all connected to better collaborate and meet the needs of the individuals in their communities. Follow Unite Us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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