NON-PROFIT SOCAL COYOTES DECLARE YOUTH ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ‘A CIVIL RIGHT’

(CATHEDRAL CITY, Ca.) – Those who dare, call it ‘a pandemic in a pandemic.’

Mental health issues among Coachella Valley youth – most of whom currently have little to no access to social, behavioral services, or integrated special education – are now a chief concern among concerned desert educators.

Sources tell the SoCal Coyotes non-profit leadership organization that while federal and California law mandates that youth under the age of 18 have access to such programs, fewer than seven percent are receiving appropriate treatment.

This lack of attention to Coachella Valley youth has rapidly expanded the suite of services offered by the Coyotes’ 501(c)(3). Since 2012, under non-profit founder, visionary and head coach J David Miller, the Coyotes have steadfastly built a national brand as ‘America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program™.’

The updated medical concept of bringing together body and mind has taken on new urgency with the Coyotes in recent months. Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavior problems, anxiety, and depression are among the most commonly diagnosed mental conditions in area youth – all of which the Coyotes’ staff and allied professionals now address in their expanding social services portfolio.

“Left untreated,” says Ben S. Wehrli, DPM, medical director the SoCal Coyotes and board member of Coachella Sports and Entertainment Stadium Authority (CSESA), “these issues often lead to juvenile justice involvement and later, unemployment, and eventually, high-risk lifestyles.”

Dr. Wehrli has been an integral part of the Coyotes since 2013. As the organization’s ‘Above the Line’ Program has exploded along the I-10 corridor since 2015, he has huddled frequently with DiGrandi, Coach Miller and area experts to isolate the problems, and create solutions.

With a creed of ‘Building Champions, Building Men™,’ the Coyotes have extended their football platform to unfold hundreds of better fathers, better husbands, and better men.

Off the field, Coyotes’ SVP Ron DiGrandi oversees the organization’s ‘Above The Line™’ leadership initiatives, which annually impacts impact more than 50,000 desert youth in educational and outreach settings.

Utilizing in-kind services and personnel, DiGrandi tracks the organization’s character camps, clinics, and leadership symposia – and has pushed to expand the non-profit’s programming to meet these ever-growing, glaring needs.

“Every year, thousands of our Coachella Valley youth are going untreated, or not timely treated in timely fashion, for issues conditions such as learning difficulties, behavioral issues, and strained family, peer, and social relationships,” DiGrandi says.

“From what we can see,” says Dr. Wehrli, “those most in need, or at the highest levels of risk, are least likely to have access to necessary interventions. But our conclusion is that – for every child in our reach – it’s their civil right.”

ABOUT THE SOCAL COYOTES

The six-time champion SoCal Coyotes are the national standard of American developmental football, and are 88-13 under Hall of Fame head coach and non-profit founder J David Miller. The Coyotes’ organization provides elite athletes a professional environment that refines and showcases their skills through trademarked processes similar to the NBA’s D-league and MLB’s minor-league systems.

Additionally, the Coyotes’ 501(c)3 and award-winning ‘Above The Line™’ leadership programs impacts the social, mental and physical growth of more than 50,000 youth annually through remedial curriculum, training camps, clinics and symposia. NFL executives have named the SoCal Coyotes organization America’s #1 Developmental Football Program™ for its national, scalable brands, community outreach programs, nine-year operational track record, verifiable data, youth curriculum, sales, public-private sector alliances, and measured results.