COM Outlook Spring 2020

36 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE Thanks to a nearly $300,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation and the efforts of people like Nicole Cook, Ph.D., M.P.A., mental health outreach in South Florida is becoming more accessible. “I’m a public health professional who has worked for 20 years to help improve access to care among vulnerable populations in South Florida,” said Cook, associate professor of public health in the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Then the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School shoot- ing happened in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018 and rocked my world, both personally and professionally.” Cook’s two daughters were in the school when the incident occurred. Both lost close friends and experienced firsthand trauma. Understandably, her family began to think about and access behavioral health services in a completely new way. Stigma, asking for, and receiving help were clearly challenges for the Cook family and many in her community. However, these challenges were even more pronounced for Cook’s friends who did not speak English as their first language. Cross-Cultural Aid “What I first noticed was that almost all the announcements and information about pro- grams and services being provided after the MSD shooting were offered only in English,” Cook said. “Following the tragic suicides in our town at the one-year anniversary, I worked with some of my NSU students and parents in COM News Florida Blue Funds Mental Health Support Access Granted