UnityPoint Health has launched a new mental wellness program for middle and high school students in Iowa and Illinois. The interactive digital course, called Mental Wellness Basics, will equip students in grades 8 through 10 with the knowledge and skills necessary to build, maintain and promote positive mental health in themselves and their peers. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 6 U.S. youths (ages 6 to 17) experiences a mental health disorder each year. Mental Wellness Basics provides students with opportunities to explore their own mental health, identify challenges they may face and develop concrete strategies for managing those challenges. The course also increases students’ awareness of resources to identify and support a peer in need or at risk. The program, sponsored by UnityPoint Health, is provided at no cost to students, educators or schools. To see if the program is available in your area, and to learn how to bring it to your school, visit unitypoint.org/mentalwellness or contact Ashley Thompson at 515-537-6089 or Ashley.Thompson@unitypoint.org.