As kids head back to school, advocates are calling for expanded access to school-based mental health services in Maryland and nationwide.
The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a ratio of 500 students to each school-based psychologist. Most states are not meeting the standard. Maryland’s current ratio is more than 1,000 students per school psychologist.
Sen. Malcolm Augustine, D-Prince George’s County, said the legislature has taken steps to expand access.
“In the last few years, we’ve had a real emphasis on mental health, behavioral health in our school system, and we’ve passed different pieces of legislation in support of that,” Augustine pointed out. “The biggest one was the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which we passed in 2021, which expanded school-based health centers and increased the number of mental-health professionals in our schools.”
The state has been operating school-based health centers since 1985 when the first one opened in Baltimore City. The program has grown to 89 school-based health centers in 16 jurisdictions across the state.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 20% of children have a mental, emotional or behavioral disorder and of those, only about 20% have access to specialized mental health care.
Caitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy for the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable, said school-based professionals can help bridge the coverage gap.
“Sadly, we know that most kids who have a mental health condition aren’t receiving the care they need and that’s really why school based mental health services are so important,” Hochul emphasized. “They help improve access to care. And are really one of the most effective tools we have to help improve children’s mental health well-being, because we are reaching kids where they spend most of their time and that is in schools.”
Inseparable has published a checklist to promote mental health in schools. They advocate annual wellness checks for all students, regular staff training around mental health and school engagement with families and the community.
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The Coach Beyond program, started by Ohio State University’s Life Sports, is making waves across Ohio by helping coaches address more than just the athletic performance of their players.
This week, an upcoming Youth Sports Summit will highlight the importance of the program in fostering mental health and positive team environments.
Samantha Bates, director of Life Sports at Ohio State, emphasized how the initiative is equipping coaches with essential skills.
“Coach Beyond has trained 20,000 coaches in the state of Ohio, first on mental health and second, really sport-based positive youth development,” Bates outlined. “Things like how to foster a positive team environment, how to develop yourself as a leader, how to ask for support, working with coaches to help make sport a place for kids to kind of go beyond.”
The program aims to reshape the role of coaches, encouraging them to take an active part in the emotional and psychological well-being of their players. This holistic approach is particularly relevant in today’s competitive sports environment, where athletes often face intense pressure.
Bates noted a grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has allowed the training to be available for free for coaches in any youth sport system in Ohio such as through Parks and Rec, YMCA and other clubs.
Joe Roberts, athletic director for Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, shared his firsthand experience with the program’s effect on student athletes, recounting a specific instance where Coach Beyond brought new perspectives into his school, leading to meaningful changes in its athletic culture.
“Listening to how our student athletes want more connection and less pressure meant so much to me,” Roberts explained. “Because it brought back the essence of what high school sports are about.”
Randy Tevepaugh, athletic administrator and coach at Streetsboro High School who has gone through the program, noted how the training sessions have provided him with new tools to create a more supportive environment for his team. He said the significant role the strategies play in developing not only better athletes but better people.
“I learned about some things that I didn’t know about the coaches, some things that they had gone through with kids that thought about suicide and had some emotional things going on, that our coaches handled,” Tevepaugh recounted. “From our student athlete perspective, when they’re doing some of the interaction part of the program, it made a big difference.”
As the upcoming event approaches, the Coach Beyond program continues to gain traction, with more schools across Ohio taking part. The initiative may mark a shift in how sports programs address the mental health needs of young athletes. As more coaches are trained to look beyond the game, the long-term effect on student athletes could redefine the landscape of high school sports across the state.
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Columbia County, New York, is developing a new center to help people with mental illness and substance use disorder.
The Wellness Hub stems from a county study showing the best ways to fill gaps in care for people. It will provide emergency housing for people with mental health and substance use disorders.
Cheryl Roberts, executive director of the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice, said not many places offer services for populations in need.
“A lot of the emergency housing is nothing more than motels that are often located far from services,” Roberts pointed out. “No food in the area, no other services, and that’s the case in Columbia County. There’s one hotel that provides services, but most do not.”
The hub will have a ground flood-safe haven shelter with 25 single-room occupancy units. The hub will also have 35 units of permanent supportive housing and up to 14 120-day supportive housing units staffed with clinicians. Additional funding would be spent on a welcome center with space for peer-support services, a commercial kitchen to train people in culinary arts and other amenities for homeless people in the area not staying at the hub.
Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The hub has become more necessary since the pandemic exacerbated mental health issues and homelessness. Roberts notes the Wellness Hub will work hand-in-hand with the county’s mental health court. She said the 35 units of permanent housing can provide added resources for people in the criminal justice system.
“Half of it will be set aside for people with serious mental illness,” Roberts outlined. “A quarter of it will be for people who are justice-involved, so coming out of incarceration or may be in the midst of the justice process where they might be taking a plea in the treatment court and being required to follow a treatment protocol.”
One of the biggest challenges for maintaining the Wellness Hub is the ongoing shortage of mental health professionals. Reports show the number of New Yorkers with a mental illness has grown since the pandemic. The Health Resources and Services Administration found there are 192 designated mental health professional shortage areas, leaving more than 3.5 million people without access to mental health services.
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As the school year begins, experts are advising schools on how to preserve students’ mental health but politics in states such as Wyoming limit policies that could help.
The youth suicide rate in Wyoming is increasing and has led the national rate for at least the past decade, according to Wyoming Department of Health data. Experts said K-12 schools can be good points of contact for student mental health but there are barriers for schools.
Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, is on the state’s Mental Health Task Force and said suicide prevention and mental health treatment can be challenging in rural areas.
“Just due to our lack of population and the rural nature, it’s really tough to recruit and find individuals in this space to come in and work with the kids in many of our areas,” Zwonitzer pointed out.
He and other members of the state Legislature tried to change it this year with House Bill 119, which would have made funding available for school districts to supply additional mental health providers for students. In a break from typical practice for interim session bills, it was voted down for introduction to the House.
Gov. Mark Gordon has prioritized the expansion of mental health services while in office. But Zwonitzer pointed out there is a lot of ideological diversity across the state.
“There’s just a large segment of Wyoming, at least in their legislative representatives, don’t believe that we need to be spending more money for the schools to deal with mental health challenges; that should be in the churches or nonprofits or within the family,” Zwonitzer explained.
Zwonitzer and experts agreed schools are a critical place to identify student mental health problems or patterns.
A school checklist from the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable includes age-appropriate mental health education for students, engagement with families and community partners and a recommended professional ratio of one social worker and one counselor for every 250 students.
Caitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy for Inseparable, said schools provide the best opportunity to reach students in need of help.
“When we talk about access issues, we know that most kids are not receiving the care that they need. Schools are such a critical component to improving youth mental health because that is where students spend most of their time.”
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