The State and community leaders partnered to develop the Healthy Schools and Communities Resource Team. The purpose of the team is to promote integration and alignment of the work among Ohio’s federal-funding initiatives, including Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS), Project AWARE, and School Climate Transformation Grants. The State leaders and organizations have met regularly to understand the specific needs in each community, develop resource mapping and an environmental scan, plan and develop initiatives, and implement evidence based programs and practices throughout the grant cycles. The State leaders have supported the community efforts through the provision of training on evidence-based practices, consultation and technical support, funding, data collection mechanisms and evaluation, development of communication tools and strategies, and planning for sustainability.
Strategies and activities used by the SS/HS LEAs to build capacity for mental and behavioral health services:
- Harrison Hills School District developed a school mental health program to include:
- Prevention Specialist hired by school district
- Safe Dates, Community Action for Safe Teens, anti-bullying programs, and other youth support groups
- Services for more than 170 families most of which have never received treatment previously
- Significant increase in alcohol, drug, and violence prevention at all grade levels
- Character education, decision making, refusal skills, and substance abuse education
- An average of 90% drop in disruptive behaviors
- Williams County: Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center (NwOESC)
- Hired and implemented care coordinators to help support students and families struggling with behavioral health issues.
- The addition of care coordination provided parents the ability to access MH supports and navigate systems in the community with greater success
- Care coordination has assisted 612 students resulting in 289 students receiving some type of mental health support in the community as compared to only 21 students prior to care coordination (data provided by school counselors)
- After implementing care coordination, physician referrals from schools averaged 31 students per year as compared to 1 student prior to care coordination
- Care coordinators have identified 79 students that may be candidates to receive school-based mental health (SBMH) therapy in the districts the second SBMH therapist will serve
- Developed and provided parents and stakeholders the Williams County Resource Guide:
- 32 community partners are hosting a link to the resource guide.
- Over 1,000 hard copies of the guide have been distributed
- 320 downloads from the NwOESC website.
- Hired and implemented care coordinators to help support students and families struggling with behavioral health issues.
