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Camber Children's Mental Health

Three Kansas City Area Organizations Bring Healing Power of Dance to Youth in Psychiatric Treatment

Healing Power of Dance

Children and teens receiving psychiatric treatment at KVC Prairie Ridge Hospital in Kansas City, Kan. can now experience the healing power of dance, thanks to a new partnership between KVC Hospitals, the Kansas School of Classical Ballet (KSCB) and health information technology leader Netsmart. Each year, thousands of young people from Kansas as well as other states and countries receive treatment from KVC Hospitals for a range of mental/behavioral healthcare challenges including depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and feelings of violence. The new dance classes give these young people a powerful way to express their feelings and discover their strengths.

KSCB, located in Overland Park, is a not-for-profit dance school which provides high-quality dance lessons for children of all ages. While founders Juan Pablo Trujillo and Stefani Schrimpf are internationally-renowned for classical ballet, the school provides training in all types of dance. KSCB prides itself on ensuring that every child with a passion for dance has the opportunity to learn from professional instructors.

In June, KSCB began Let’s MOVE (Motivating Ourselves Via Expression) at KVC Prairie Ridge Hospital. The class teaches children and adolescents the basics of dance by using rhythm and movement to help build body awareness, focus and control through the art of dance. The curriculum for each session is designed using the core concepts of KVC’s “Emotion Regulation Drills,” treatment exercises that KVC Prairie Ridge Hospital uses to build a child’s capacity to regulate painful emotions.

“We’re grateful to the Kansas School of Classical Ballet for bringing the healing power of dance to children who need it the most,” said Astra Garner, Director of Client Services and Community Outreach at KVC Prairie Ridge Hospital. “We have a wide range of expressive therapies for youth like animal-assisted therapy, horticulture and play therapy, but this is the first time we’ve been able to offer dance. For some young people, dance will not only bring healing from very difficult internal struggles but will also ignite a lifelong passion for creativity, art and self-expression.”

“We’re grateful to the Kansas School of Classical Ballet for bringing the healing power of dance to children who need it the most.” – Astra Garner, KVC Hospitals

The partnership was facilitated by Dr. Ian Chuang, Chief Medical Officer at Netsmart, who has worked with KVC and serves on the board of the Kansas School of Classical Ballet. “These are just kids,” said Dr. Chuang. “They’ve got hopes, dreams and aspirations like any other children. I saw these two organizations as being cause-connected, passionate about the opportunities and obligations that they solve to positively influence and impact the children in this community.”

KVC records the dance activity in a Netsmart CareRecord where outcomes can be tracked and analyzed, ensuring the program reaches the goal of positively impacting children in tangible ways.

“I saw these two organizations as being cause-connected, passionate about the opportunities and obligations that they solve.” – Dr. Ian Chuang, Netsmart

In addition to the on-site classes, KSCB has graciously extended five full scholarships to KVC for any child in the community that is interested in participating in their full program at the Kansas School of Classical Ballet in Overland Park. These scholarships are designed for beginners or experienced dancers that may not be able to afford dance lessons due to life circumstances. This is an amazing contribution from KSCB and we want to make sure applicants for the scholarship are serious about learning to dance and have the capacity to follow through with requirements. To apply for a scholarship, contact Astra Garner at (913) 334-0294 or agarner@kvc.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jenny Kutz, Director of Communications
KVC Health Systems
(913) 322-4994, jkutz@kvc.org

About KVC Hospitals
KVC Hospitals is a nonprofit organization that each year serves thousands of children and adolescents who struggle with depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and feelings of violence. Its two children’s psychiatric hospitals in Kansas — KVC Prairie Ridge Hospital in Kansas City and KVC Wheatland Hospital in Hays — offer acute/inpatient and residential psychiatric treatment. KVC uses innovative, evidence-based treatment approaches to ensure each child’s safety and wellbeing. In addition to providing psychiatric services to children, KVC Hospitals provides consulting to organizations on trauma-informed care and other important topics. The organization is accredited by The Joint Commission and part of KVC Health Systems. Learn more at www.kvchospitals.org.

About the Kansas School of Classical Ballet
Located in historic downtown Overland Park, Kan., the Kansas School of Classical Ballet is a not-for-profit organization devoted to providing the finest training available to students interested in learning the art of ballet. Learn more at www.kscballet.com.

About Netsmart
Netsmart is committed to helping health and human services providers deliver effective, outcomes-based care with Netsmart’s CareFabric™ solution, a tightly woven framework of innovative clinical and business solutions and services that supports integrated, coordinated delivery of health services across the spectrum of care. More than 23,000 client organizations, including 450,000 care providers and more than 40 state systems, use Netsmart solutions to help improve the quality of life for more than 25 million people each day. Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDay Matters Foundation, which was established for behavioral and public health organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories. Learn more at www.ntst.com and www.everydaymatters.com.