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LEAs and Community Collaboration and Partnerships

The three LEAs (Lyon, Nye, and Washoe School Districts) partnered to develop and provide mental and behavioral health consultation, screening, assessment, and treatment for students and their families on site at school. As a result, services have been provided for 2,042 students (2013-2016 school years). The school districts and community agencies have developed the infrastructure and capacity to continue these services.  

The school and community partners developed processes for referrals, intervention plans, care coordination, and follow-up care. Communities have blended federal, state, and local funding resources to continue the mental health counseling and support services that are so valuable. Some of the results of this collaborative work has been as follows:

  • All three counties have created community health service centers for children, youth and families:  Lyon County has the community “Health Hub” model, Nye County collaborative supports the community service center model; and Washoe County has a non-profit youth and family service model entitled “The Children’s Cabinet”;
  • Training for professional staff: 9,617 trained professionals and students to support student social, emotional, and behavioral well-being;
  • Mental and behavioral interventions resulting in significant increase in access to care for students (30%);
  • 6% decrease in high school student-reported alcohol use;
  • 33% decrease in high school student-reported physical fight involvement on school property; 
  • 39% decrease in high school students who reported staying home from school due to feeling unsafe at school.
  • Signs of Suicide Screenings: Increased the completion of Signs of Suicide screenings by over 750% within a one year period of time;

“I would just say that the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant has allowed our state to expand our
mental health services into the schools, which in turn has grown the social workers in school programs.
These programs have shown a great deal of improvement in the schools and the community’s overall wellness.
I have witnessed first-hand the benefits of having these resources in our community and it has made our community a better place to live.” 

- Sierra McKillips, LSW, Nye County School District Safe Schools Professional

“The Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant Save Lives, Saves Schools.” 

- Kim Johnson, Safe Schools Healthy/Students Project Manager, Director of Prevention & Wellness, NyE Communities Coalition

Nevada’s Social Worker in Schools initiative has placed 227 safe school professionals in 166 schools across the state. These social workers work alongside other school and community professionals to address students’ social and emotional needs creating a system of multi-tiered student supports. State block grant funds fiscally support the social workers. Pat Sanborn, SS/HS State Coordinator, and the State management team entitled “The Collaboratory” are working with Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to develop a Medicaid rehabilitative funding option for long-term sustainability. 

Topics: 
Behavioral Health/Mental Health
Capacity Building/Workforce Development
Community Violence
Connecting Schools and Communities
Family Strengthening/Family Engagement
Integration of Behavioral Health into Primary Care
Policy
Resource Leveraging
School Violence
Screening and Assessment
Social and Emotional Well-Being
System Change
Framework: 
SS/HS
State: