Caring and Connection
Laura Short McIntire founded a substance use and mental health resource for school-aged children and their parents.
The day after Laura Short McIntire attended a community meeting to brainstorm ways of addressing youth binge drinking and substance use, she proposed a new approach to prevention. Her concept was a scalable model that would connect parents with free online resources, shared personal stories, expert advice and in-person education events aimed at reducing stigma and helping youth thrive.
The principal of LSM Communications, McIntire has a background in strategic planning and communications. And her consulting work for the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center at Torrance Memorial gave her insight into substance abuse issues. (The center is the South Bay's only hospital-based outpatient alcohol and drug treatment facility and offers programs for both adults and teens.)
McIntire’s concept struck a chord, so she and her LSM Communications team created South Bay Families Connected (SBFC). Implemented as a pilot project at Mira Costa High School in 2015, SBFC now partners with more than 100 South Bay schools.
SBFC’s website, southbayfamiliesconnected.org, offers original videos of teens and parents sharing their experiences, informative blogs and vetted resources addressing issues ranging from managing tech and social media in healthy ways to grief and loss and mindful parenting.
“It’s a place to find trusted resources on a wide variety of youth wellness issues,” McIntire says. “Administrators and school counselors like having a trusted landing place to send people.”
School administrators and members of the parent and youth advisory committees make suggestions about topics and content to add. “It’s all been incredibly positive and synergistic,” McIntire says.
In addition to free parent education events, SBFC holds a monthly Families Connected Parent Chat in partnership with Beach Cities Health District and the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center. The free support group, open to parents from all participating schools, is led by McIntire and Moe Gelbart, MD, Torrance Memorial’s director of behavioral health.
“The Parent Chat has been a wonderful resource for me as we navigated elementary school, middle school and high school and all the unique challenges each of those stages brings into our lives,” says one parent participant. “It's a wonderful space where I feel safe to share concerns and challenges, seek advice from peers and get reassurance that I’m not alone.”
Prior to launching SBFC, McIntire held positions in the health care management consulting division of Ernst & Young, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Cancer.
She notes that SBFC would not be a nonprofit today if it weren’t for the tireless efforts of Ellen Rosenberg, former Manhattan Beach Unified School District member and SBFC’s first board president, and Charlotte Gesten, former board COO. Today Ann Marie Whitney heads the board with support from key officers Ann Lundy and Naya Elle James.
“I’m grateful I was invited to the table and had the ability to build something the community has embraced, but our success has been made possible by our numerous school and community partners and the dedication of our board members and volunteers,” she says. “It’s my privilege to be in a position to connect, listen and collaborate.”
