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UF Health St. Johns To Provide 800 Free Cope Notes Subscriptions to Northeast Florida Students

  • Category: News
  • Posted On:
  • Written By: Erin Wallner
UF Health St. Johns To Provide 800 Free Cope Notes Subscriptions to Northeast Florida Students

St. Augustine, FL, May 9, 2023 – Thanks to Flagler Health+’s BRAVE program, 800 subscriptions of Cope Notes are being gifted to middle and high school students in northeast Florida. Cope Notes is an added resource BRAVE makes available to teenagers to improve their mental health, along with the BRAVE text line and an extensive list of qualified counselors.

UF Health St. Johnshas purchased the yearly subscriptions to Cope Notes, which will be made available, free of charge. The text-based service, which is 100% anonymous and confidential, helps youth train their brains to combat stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, and more. Reports show that 86% of users experience improved mental health within 30 days.

“Cope Notes is an invaluable resource for teenagers to combat the mental health issues they face daily,” said Paige Stanton, Executive Director of Care Connect+, which administers BRAVE. “We are excited to be able to offer Cope Notes subscriptions to continue the great progress that is being made in making teens aware of the tools available to help improve their mental health.”

BRAVE, which stands for Be Resilient and Voice Emotions, is designed to reduce stigma and create conversations around mental health. Initially launched in partnership with the St. Johns County School District, the program has already made a significant impact. Before BRAVE’s implementation in St. Johns County Schools, only 35% of students referred to mental health providers were seen by a medical professional. With the BRAVE program, that rate has increased to 90%. Since its founding five years ago, and despite the pandemic, BRAVE has expanded into more school districts, including Clay, Nassau, Putnam, Flagler, and Volusia, with the ability to assist more than 167,000 students.

With a Cope Notes subscription, youth receive a text message each day that offers peer support, positive psychology, brain training, and digital journaling with no appointments, wait lists, or diagnoses necessary. The program works to train a user’s brain to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy habits through repetition, disruption, and adaptation.

“We’ve been building a relationship with UF Health St. Johnsfor a couple of years now, and seeing how proactive they are in the mental wellness field has been nothing short of inspiring,” said Johnny Crowder, Founder & CEO of Cope Notes. “I can already see how this initiative is going to build on our collaborative foundation in a way that will undoubtedly change lives and impact families throughout the state and beyond.”

UF Health St. Johnshas already begun to distribute the subscriptions through BRAVE clients to middle and high school students in the five northeast Florida school districts it serves. Students can also obtain subscriptions directly through their respective schools.